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Two-term president. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Commander of the Rough Riders. Avid conservationist. Adventurer. All of these and more, Theodore Roosevelt lived his long life to the fullest and left a legacy still remembered more than ninety years after his death. He started his long, successful political career at just twenty-three in New York State, and continued working in the public arena until well after his second term as president. Up Close biographer Michael L. Cooper takes readers beyond T.R.’s bold-faced achievements and explores the driving forces behind one of this country’s greatest leaders.
STARRED REVIEW FROM KIRKUS
In a superb biography both personal and opinionated, Cooper calls Theodore Roosevelt "the hero America needed." At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States was becoming a nation of big cities and huge corporations, and the major issue Roosevelt faced will sound familiar to readers today-the role of a strong federal government in dealing with the "unrestricted and ill-regulated individualism" of banks and corporations and ensuring a vital economy and social justice at the same time. Written with a vigor and enthusiasm to match the subject, the volume is well-researched and documented, incorporating many direct quotations to make Roosevelt accessible and knowable. Not just a "road to the White House" biography, this is a look at the full life and times of the 26th president, his family, his enthusiasms and losses and the significance of his presidency. Readers will absorb much about history and politics as they learn the story behind the face on Mount Rushmore. Another strong entry in the fine Up Close series.
HORN BOOK REVIEW
After giving refreshingly short shrift to the familiar story of TR as a young boy overcoming asthma and living up to his father's wishes, Cooper focuses his biography on Roosevelt the man: husband, father, politician, adventurer, and champion of the progressive government. (Although the term progressive isn't completely defined until well into the book, in this case actions speak louder than words.) It's a rousing tale, full of the passions of both the man and his times. Pertinent quotes show the juggling act between Republican Party politics and Roosevelt's own popularity. For example, after McKinley's assassination, "Old Guard" Republican Mark Hanna comments: "I told William McKinley that it was a mistake to nominate that wild man...Now look, that damned cowboy is President of the United States!" Cooper also covers Roosevelt's post-presidency, a period often presented as a near-footnote in many biographies, but one that captures the sum of the man's personal failures and political ambition. Appended with a bibliography, source notes for direct quotes, and an index
I picked up this book with no expectations that the life of John Paul Jones would be of interest to me. Thanks to Michael L. Cooper, I've soaked up an abundance of fascinating information about the life and times (and foibles) of this complex American revolutionary." Richie Partington,RICHIE'S PICKS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Gr 4-8–Cooper charts his subject’s life from a scandal-ridden Scottish captain on a trading ship to a man of self-invention who came to the American colonies to start a new life and became a naval hero. Jones is presented as a loyal captain, an arrogant leader, a determined sailor, and a flagrant social climber. The narrative style will appeal to reluctant readers, for it reads like a chronicle of thrilling naval adventures; facts about military strategy, weaponary, and sailing are cleverly interwoven into detailed descriptions of battles with enemy ships and incidents of mutiny. The text is clear and understandable, even in view of the possibly unfamiliar nautical terminology. No mention is made of Jones’s original livelihood as a third mate on a slave ship and his initial indifference toward the cruelties of chattel slavery. Archival reproductions, maps, naval antiques, and battle-plan diagrams appear throughout. Additionally, there is a foreword by Senator John McCain, a time line of Jones’s life and Colonial American history, a sailing glossary, and suggestions for further reading and places to visit. This is a solid purchase for libraries in need of exciting nonfiction titles as opposed to routine biographies for assignments.–Michael Santangelo, Brooklyn Public Library
KIRKUS
Kirkus, August 15, 2006 - Tracing the parallel stories of the colonies' road to independence and Jones's road to heroism, Cooper writes with clear and lively prose, effectively incorporating quotations for dramatic effect. Maps and photographs of period artwork and historical artifacts enliven the text. Source notes are solid, a suggestion for further reading includes a small but excellent set of works for young readers and a list of places to visit will support those who wish to learn more. Though the final pages compress many years and much history, this is an excellent portrait of a character with many flaws, demonstrating, as Senator John McCain says in the foreword, "the ability to achieve great things in spite of our weaknesses." (timeline, words and expressions from the historical era, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
In 1607, when the 144 men and boys who had sailed 7,450 miles from England stepped onto the beach and breathed in the cool, sweet air of the country they called Virginia, it seemed like Paradise. They made the long journey hoping to discover gold and conquer a new land. But they were unprepared for the disease, starvation, brutal winters, and the fierce resistance from the many Indians who lived along the coast. The colony barely managed to survive that first winter. But, under the capable leadership of John Smith, it did survive, becoming the first permanent English colony in the New World. It was here that the Europeans began pushing the Indians ever further westward, imported the first African slaves, and established the first representative assembly in the Americas.
From Booklist
Despite the single-year purview suggested by its title, this well-designed book presents a history of Jamestown from late 1606, when the Discovery, the Susan Constant, and the Godspeed set sail from London to Virginia, to 1609, when John Smith's injuries forced his return to England. Based largely on the writings of those present, notably Smith, the book offers a very readable, detailed account of the settlers' exploration, deprivation, starvation, illness, and political infighting as well as their relations with Native Americans, which encompassed cordiality and kindness as well as great brutality. Large black-and-white reproductions of period paintings, engravings, drawings, maps, and documents illustrate the book. Back matter includes a time line, source notes for quotes and some statistics, short lists of recommended books and Internet sites, and a lengthy discussion of sources, in which Cooper notes the lack of primary documents about the Native Americans from any but the European point of view. Vivid and informative. Carolyn Phelan
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T. R. and his Rough Riders in Cuba.
The future president "cowboying."
Roosevelt was a active-some would say hyperactive-most of his adult life.
John Paul Jones during his most famous naval battle.
The mummified corpse of John Paul Jones.
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