I recently read a book by one of my favorite authors, a biography of the Roosevelt family - the family Teddy came from: Mornings on Horseback. It was a fascinating window on a 19th century New York family, and very interesting background on the man who became president. His entire family was quite fascinating. The book begins with two generations back from Teddy, quickly filling in some background about this close-knit family, then settles into the people who made up Teddy's own extended family. It follows them, with special focus on Teddy, until he entered public life. It also solved the question in my mind of how our two Roosevelt presidents were related. It's a thoroughly enjoyable book.
If you want a really good book on Roosevelt, I would recommend TR: The Last Romantic by H.W. Brands. If you want a really good three volume work on TR, I would highly recommend The Riser of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris and Theodore Rex. The third one hasn't come out yet.
Posted by: Sam | February 09, 2006 at 08:01 AM