Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
by David McCullough
Overview
From the Publisher
Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore
Roosevelt. Hailed as "a masterpiece" (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the
winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the
National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author
of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously
handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle
to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very
uncommon household in which he was raised.
The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy,
enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail
namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a
celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as
never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who
becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee,
TR's first love. All are brought to life to make "a beautifully told story,
filled with fresh detail", wrote The New York Times Book Review.
A book to be read on many levels, it is at once an enthralling story, a
brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship which does away
with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. It is a book about
life intensely lived, about family love and loyalty, about grief and
courage, about "blessed" mornings on horseback beneath the wide blue skies
of the Badlands.
My thoughts
Another sensational book by David McCullough who never disappoints. I do
not think of myself as a history buff by any means, nor do I flock to
historical books or historical documentaries as a rule of thumb, but regardless of your
interest in history it's hard to put down a David McCullough book. The one surprise of this book is that it's not about President Roosevelt, it's about the young boy who grew up to be Theodore Roosevelt.
Aside
from the historical angle, I don't know anyone who could write so much about
asthma and have me on the edge of my chair, or who tells a love story with
as much attention to detail as McCullough. If you are opposed to hunting as a sport, you may be offended by some passages, as Roosevelt was apparently quite accomplished as a hunter.
And on a completely nonsensical note, if there's such a thing as
reincarnation I think I'd like to come back as Theodore Roosevelt's wife,
Mittie! There's a woman who had it made! I wouldn't mind those one year
sabbaticals to do the Grand Tour of Europe, nor would I object to over a
year of traveling leisurely down the Nile! OK, so maybe she went a little crazy there at the end - a small price to pay for a truly fascinating life! :-)
Favorite Passage
The chase had carried them pell-mell for seven days over some of the wildest, most difficult terrain in the Bad Lands. Twice they found a buffalo and each time Theodore had shot and missed. Exhausted by the pace Theodore set, Ferris kept praying things would get so bad they would have to give up. It rained incessantly, but Theodore's joy was not to be extinguished; every new adversity seemed a refreshment. It was Fresh Pond all over again, Theodore exclaiming, "By Godfrey, but this is fun!" For two days they had nothing to live on but biscuits and rainwater. Remembering the expedition long afterward, Ferris would be no less incredulous. "You just couldn't knock him out of sorts .... And he had books with him and would read at odd times." When at last he shot his buffalo, just over the Montana line, Theodore broke into a wild facsimile of an Indian war dance and handed Ferris a hundred dollars. "I never saw anyone so pleased in all my life," remembered Ferris.
