Dunn, Susan, 1945-

Seven books receive scrutiny in the “Reviews” section, including two biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, specialized studies of the White House and Memorial Day, a collection of Roosevelt’s writings, a look at the Rough Riders of Arizona, and a study of turn of the twentieth-century American foreign policy. John A. Gable notes that Stacey A. Cordery’s biography of Roosevelt serves as a comprehensive historiographical study as it draws on thirty years of Roosevelt scholarship in its quotes and analysis. Gable also offers thoughts on Kathleen Dalton’s biography of Roosevelt, and he provides excerpts from five other reviews of the work that highlight Dalton’s coverage of the role of women in Roosevelt’s life and that affirm Roosevelt as a moderate radical. Of Brian Thomsen’s collection of Roosevelt’s writings, The Man in the Arena, Gable says: “there is no reason to buy this book.”

 

Gable also reviews Marty F. Feess’s Theodore Roosevelt’s Arizona Boys which examines the life of the Arizona Rough Riders after the Spanish-American War and the many actions taken by their Colonel to help them succeed in their post-war lives. Henry J. Hendrix faults Warren Zimmermann’s First Great Triumph for injecting present day views into his analysis of the makers of foreign policy in Roosevelt’s presidency. Hendrix also examines A History of Memorial Day which traces the transformation of the holiday from a solemn occasion to a day of recreation. Jeremy M. Murphy highlights Gable’s chapter on the Roosevelts in his review of The White House: Actors and Observers, and he also notes the work’s use of the photographs  of Frances Benjamin Johnston.

 

An illustration and a photograph of Roosevelt supplement the text.

John A. Gable examines three titles in the “Book Reviews” section, encompassing a work on leadership, a study of the two branches of the Roosevelt family, and a collection of wartime letters. Gable notes that James M. Strock’s Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership should be considered a management book, but he believes that its study of Theodore Roosevelt’s philosophy of life gives it wide appeal. Gable highlights the feud between the Oyster Bay and Hyde Park, New York, branches of the Roosevelt family in his review of The Three Roosevelts, and he stresses the main points of the book: that Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt represented a progressive front over a century of American history and that Theodore Roosevelt was more progressive than conservative. In his glowing review of Andrew Carroll’s War Letters, Gable highlights a letter written by Theodore Roosevelt after the death of his son Quentin Roosevelt, and he notes the contributions of historian Douglas Brinkley to the book. 

 

In her review of A Tale of Two Teddies, Linda E. Milano emphasizes that this children’s book does not tell the familiar tale of Theodore Roosevelt’s bear hunt, but rather looks at the competition among the earliest makers of the teddy bear. A photograph of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and two text boxes with information about the Theodore Roosevelt Association appear in the section,

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

This edition of “News & Notes” opens with the announcement that a conference scheduled to mark the centennial of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency had been cancelled because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The section notes that the long awaited second volume of a biography of Roosevelt by Edmund Morris was scheduled for release in November 2001 and that Sylvia Jukes Morris’s biography of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was to be reissued in paperback. “News & Notes” highlights Roosevelt’s induction into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, the conferring of a historic preservation award to the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and the announcement of the winners of the TRA’s Rose Award. Obituaries for Tilly DeVries and Lion DeVries of the TRA and a summary of this issue’s book reviews complete the section.

 

Three photographs from ceremonies celebrating Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor award appear in the section. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Report on the joint history conference, “The Big Stick and the Square Deal: The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt,” and annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) held in Buffalo, New York, in October 2002. The report has three parts: a report on the conference and meeting; a full-page of thirteen photographs showing speakers, attendees, and dignitaries; and a full-page listing of patrons, supporters, and sponsors of the weekend’s events. The report highlights the conferring of the TRA’s Bertha B. Rose Award and its Distinguished Service Medal. The Rose Award was given to three members of Congress who helped secure Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor while the Distinguished Service Medal was given to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. 

 

An additional photograph on the first page of the report shows eleven of the conference speakers.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Three biographies–of Holt Collier, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gifford Pinchot–come under scrutiny in the “Reviews” section along with a play and documentary about Roosevelt. Tweed Roosevelt finds the biography of Holt Collier, who led Theodore Roosevelt’s famous 1902 bear hunt, notable for its descriptions of slavery in antebellum Mississippi, but he finds its coverage of Roosevelt flawed. Gregory A. Wynn recommends Kathleen Dalton’s biography Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life for its coverage of Roosevelt’s life after the presidency, its recognition of the important influence women had on his life, and for making Roosevelt “a hero for liberals.” The section also contains an excerpt of a review of Dalton’s work from Kirkus Reviews. 

 

Gary A. Clinton admires Laurence Luckinbill’s play Teddy Tonight for capturing the spirit of Roosevelt in his own words, and he finds that it resonates in a nation reeling from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A review of The History Channel’s documentary TR: An American Lion lists the “talking head” historians who appear in the film along with members of the Roosevelt family. The review highlights the negative coverage given Roosevelt’s attitudes on race and imperialism, and it praises the actors who provide the film’s narration and voice of Roosevelt. The section concludes with excerpts from four positive reviews of Char Miller’s biography of Gifford Pinchot.

 

Three photographs appear in the section, including a picture of two cast members of TR: An American Lion.

This edition of the “News & Notes” section provides brief notices of three books, all of which have some content related to Theodore Roosevelt. The section also promotes the website, upcoming annual meetings, and publications of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA). It also lists the roster of historians and biographers scheduled to speak at a symposium marking the centennial of Roosevelt’s presidency scheduled for September 2001, and it includes a text box listing the officers of the TRA. Two photographs of the Medals of Honor awarded to Roosevelt and his son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2001

Creator(s)

Unknown