Mornings on Horseback

This biography of Theodore Roosevelt's family won the 1982 National Book Award for a good reason--it's involving, informative, and entertaining. The book covers a considerable period of time in broad brush, with the central focus being seventeen years (ages 10 to 27) in the life of the young Theodore, known as Teddy. Edward Herrmann offers a professional, nuanced, audience-capturing narration. The bridging sections--summaries of the material omitted in this abridgment--are read beautifully by Linda Emond. It's an approach to abridgment that works very well. This is an enjoyable work by two highly skilled readers. A total pleasure. R.E.K. 2005 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine


How did it happen, David McCullough asks. How could the scrawny, asthmatic kid born to New York blue bloods transform himself into the boxing, rough-riding politician and Dakota rancher who became America's twenty-sixth president, Theodore Roosevelt? With his easy, graceful eloquence, Nelson Runger narrates McCullough's answer. The chemistry is simple: It's all about family, character, and a love of place. It begins with a father and mother deeply attached to each other and their children. Family is always first. Then come summers on the Nile, Harvard, and the Dakota Badlands. Finally, the glue: a strong heart and indomitable spirit. Runger intuitively recognizes McCullough's great purpose: to tell a quiet story about the small things in life that converge to make a man great. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine