Theodore Roosevelt

Dalton's biography of TR begins with the premise that his actions were all a response to his sickly childhood and that proving himself a man was his life's goal. To that end, the book is a great success. Roosevelt's commitment to political reform and conservation was ahead of its time and set a course for U.S. policy for the rest of the century. Narrator Suzanne Toren does an excellent job keeping this mammoth story moving. Her voice, easy to follow, has a straightforward, authoritative tone. She pauses effectively for quotes and allows us to digest points before moving on. The result is a satisfying story and, better yet, good history. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

August 19, 2002
Dalton, a history instructor at Phillips Academy, Andover, seems determined to cut TR down to size and drain his life of color in this dry, questionably reasoned biography. She complains that other books about Roosevelt "are often rich with dramatic adventure and colorful scenes, just as the Bull Moose would have wanted." With this in mind, she sets herself apart from established TR biographers, who she believes have been duped into perpetuating the autobiographical canards of their self-mythologizing subject. Thus Dalton devotes vast chunks of prose to debunking many of the most popular Theodore Roosevelt images common from books by such writers as Edmund Morris and David McCullough. Unfortunately, the shaky foundation Dalton offers instead seems incapable of carrying so full a load as the life of Theodore Roosevelt. In the final analysis, Dalton offers an unsatisfying, one-dimensional definition of TR's complex psychology. She sees him as little more than an overgrown and preposterous boy: a boy who always gets into trouble, a boy who never asks for or follows advice, a boy who needs constant supervision. By the end of the book, it seems a wonder that Dalton's self-centered and fractious TR ever achieved the White House, wrote books that became classics, won the Nobel Peace Prize, set aside millions of acres for conservation, or loomed large on any stage other than that of his own imagination. 32 pages of photos not seen by PW.
(Oct. 15)Forecast: Readers who made Edmund Morris's two-volume bio a bestseller may be sated with TR; they may further question Dalton's positioning herself as the only one to find "the real TR."

June 1, 2005
Dalton's fascinating biography traces Teddy Roosevelt's personal and political development from his birth as a sickly asthmatic child of the privileged and wealthy class through his presidency and death. It paints Roosevelt as a Renaissance man whose interests included natural science, hunting, political reform, women's suffrage, conservation, and art. Dalton also describes the tragic loss of Roosevelt's first wife, Alice; his loving relationship with his second wife and confidante, Edith; and his playfulness with and enjoyment of his six children. Suzanne Toren's expressive narration makes Roosevelt come alive; through her tone the listener gets a sense of the President's emotion and passion when he spoke from the "bully pulpit." Because of its length, this tape is recommended for academic and public libraries that focus on biography or American history. -Ilka Gordon, Medical Lib., Fairview General Hosp., Cleveland

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