Birthdays are intensely personal events, some happy, others bittersweet. This book provides insights into how celebrities reacted to, celebrated, mulled over and contemplated their own birthdays or those of relatives and friends. Among the little-known tales: What Bob Dylan did on his 30th, Marilyn Monroe's "steamy" rendition of "Happy Birthday" to her "friend," JFK, the gift sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov bought for himself and the birthday poem Anne Frank's father wrote her while the family was hiding from the Nazis. It's a gift book that both entertains and puts perspective into birthdays.

Dr. Hoffman has brought together a myriad of highly articulated statements offering insight into the heart and soul of graduating. The hallmark of every entry is a love of life, a call to the unselfish creative life,the conquest of fear,and of the goodness and nobility of serving others.

When one reads a Hoffman book one must be prepared to think deeply and to consider the well spring of your life. Every selection offers a taste of wisdom. Practicality is clearly stated and spirituality too. The Creative Spirit of Life can be seen hidden deeply in the words and pages of this splendid gift book.

If one wants to turn "Graduation Day" into a spiritual event that addresses the inmost heat and soul of a person,,,then this book is a true gift to the soul of the graduate.

It would be a wise "graduate" that considered the meaning of this marvelous little book and it would be a wise SOUL that offered this treasure as a gift to a graduate. I recomend it.

I really enjoyed this book - the separate voices, one chapter after another, allowing events to unfold through the eyes of all participants, was a pretty original choice. I was never sure whether it was supposed to be a was he, wasn't he mystery, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. I've recommended it to several people of various religious backgrounds, and it's been the basis for many interesting conversations. If anyone enjoyed this book, I also recommend "The Last Day", by an author whose name slips my mind.

In Theodore Gardner's He's Back, a man steps off an airplane at LAX claiming to be Jesus Christ come back to earth. What follows is an engaging novel of colorful characters spanning the spectrum of time and beliefs. Their is the eloquent Jesus with a simple message, hist faith wife, an embittered and cynical ex-priest, a reporter who styles himself the "Debunker of Myths", and a misguided young woman tied to the wrong profession. A fascinating, thoroughly entertaining story, He's Back is one of those tales that grips the reader from page one and just won't let go!

This book is definitely worthwhile for anyone interested in hunting, conservation, or just American history. Roosevelt was an astute observer of animal habits and habitat. He was concerned with wildlife conservation long before it was popular. You get a real sense of what a hunting trip was like back in the late 1890s.

What's more, he's not a half-bad writer. Unlike all of the modern politicians who "write" books--but actually just give some notes to a ghost writer who then does all of the real writing--Teddy actually wrote this book himself.

I have a copy of this original work, it is still as exciting now as when it was printed (1905). The chapter of wolf and coyote coursing alone is worth the price of the book. Read of the man who caught wolves and coyotes with his bare hands (ok he wore a glove). The hunts for sheep and goats in the Rocky Mts. as well as the chase of the deer in th badlands are all brought to life. Roosevelt was a keen sportsman and naturalist, he provides us a look at the American west at the turn of the century. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know what hunting in the old west was like.

This little collection of Roosevelt's speeches and essays gives a wonderful taste for the jingo President's beliefs in a Strenuous Life of hard work, manly virtues and manifest destiny. As a historian, I'm fascinated that this is being marketed as speaking to today's Americans. Roosevelt's comments on the role of white middle-class Protestant women as the breeders of a virile race and his exhortations to embrace 'righteous war' might seem a bit strange as current-day advice, stemming as they do from Teddy's concerns with forcing the Spanish out of Cuba and with 'race suicide,' the belief that white Protestants were being out-bred by Catholic immigrants and African-Americans. For those interested in the Establishment position on those issues in 1900, however, or in Roosevelt himself-- some of these were speeches and the rhythm of them gives you a wonderful idea of what they must have sounded like being delivered-- this is a valuable resource.

This is a documented speech by "Teddy." If you believe that life owes you something as opposed to working hard and earning your keep, then you must read this book. If you are a self-starter and want to "make a name for yourself" through hard work, this book/speech will get you excited. It is a must read -- even for children. Hard work does pay off!

An interesting fact of American politics - that many of our Presidents came from the "upper class" of American society - is the central premise of "The Three Roosevelts: Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America." In this book, co-authors James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn examine the role played in American history by arguably the most influential "patrician" family of the twentieth century - the Roosevelts of New York.

"The Three Roosevelts" is essentially a book containing short political biographies of Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt (TR) became one of our greatest Presidents. Early in life, his sense of "noblesse oblige" caused him to choose a career in politics rather than a life as a member of the wealthy elite. He was elected, in turn, state representative; then governor of New York, as a Republican. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the McKinley Administration. Three years later, he was elected Vice President of the United States, and succeeded to the Presidency when President William McKinley was assassinated on September 14, 1901. His seven years as Chief Executive were some of the most successful of any Chief Executive up to then.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was a young man who appeared to have little of his cousin Theodore's intellectual acumen, driving ambition, or ideological bent. Franklin followed his famous cousin into politics, but unlike his cousin, Franklin became a Democrat. Like Theodore, Franklin's political career advanced steadily. In rapid succession, he was elected State Assemblyman, then State Senator. By age 31, he had been appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson.

In 1921, FDR was stricken with polio, which paralyzed him from the waist down. In 1928, after a seven-year hiatus from politics, FDR was elected Governor of New York. His two two-year terms were highly successful, but by then FDR already had his eyes on the biggest prize of them all: the Presidency.

From 1929 to 1932, during the early years of the Great Depression, FDR proved himself a capable governor of New York. By 1932, after three years mired in the Depression, Americans were ready for a change. They elected FDR - the man promising Americans a "New Deal" - as President of the United States.

The vast majority of "The Three Roosevelts" is taken up with an account of FDR's "transformation of America" during the Great Depression. Here, Burns and Dunn portray Roosevelt as a man employing a pragmatic approach to governance... try whatever works! Congress passed a body of legislation that was tremendous in scope. For the first time, the Federal government actively intervened in American life in an effort to make life better for all. The modern welfare state was born.

The third of the "three Roosevelts" - Eleanor (ER) - was an integral part of her husband's political success. After her marriage to FDR, Eleanor remained indifferent toward politics, although she steadfastly supported her husband's political ambitions. As FDR's political career progressed, so did Eleanor's interest in politics. In fact, she was much more of an ideologue than Franklin. Burns and Dunn imply that Eleanor grew to have a tremendous influence on Franklin, possibly pulling him more and more to the left of center during his Presidency.

On April 12, 1945, after thirteen years as President, years which saw the United States struggle out of Depression and stumble into a world war, Franklin D. Roosevelt died. He had helped build the modern welfare state, and had guided the United States to a position of victory in the Second World War.

In the years following FDR's death, Eleanor Roosevelt continued to be a major influence on American politics. Through her nationally syndicated newspaper column "My Day," ER continually interjected her ideas and opinions into the national debate. She was appointed as an American delegate to the first organizational meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Later she would serve on a UN commission that authored the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. She championed the cause of equal rights for all Americans, and was vocal in her support of the new nation of Israel.

When "The Three Roosevelts" appeared in bookstores in the spring of 2001, I eagerly bought a copy. This was the first book I'd seen in over twenty years that was written by James MacGregor Burns, the historian best known for his two volume biography of the 32nd President - "Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox" and "Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom."

My hope was that Burns and co-author Susan Dunn would provide a penetrating examination of what caused this trio of extraordinary individuals to leave behind the values and traditions of their 19th century "patrician" class, in favor of a progressive and at times socialistic political agenda. It is a question left largely unanswered. "The Three Roosevelts" remains a book very long on biographical information and very short on historical analysis.

The authors show an almost complete lack of objectivity toward their subjects. Burns is well known as a liberal "New Deal" Democrat, and his political bias shows on practically every page. He is ably abetted by Dunn. The result: "The Three Roosevelts" is practically a paean of praise to TR, ER, and especially FDR. Criticisms of the "three Roosevelts" are few, and even those are largely muted. Burns and Dunn's unabashed, gushing admiration of the "three Roosevelts" is annoying, and limits the usefulness of the book as an objective study of these fascinating characters in American history.

James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn, Democrats by conviction, give an unequal account of the life of three Roosevelts by dedicating most of their biography to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. MacGregor Burns and Dunn show their audience how these three patricians left behind a relatively easy life to descend into the arena of politics. Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt had to overcome their prejudices about other classes, religions, ethnicities and races to get an understanding of the issues at hand and, at times make, painful compromises to get things done. MacGregor Burns and Dunn explain to their readers that the three Roosevelts have ultimately left an indelible imprint on the psyche of the nation by each setting an example of transformational leadership. On the domestic front, the country has been working on the best possible reconciliation of the respective interests of business, labor and consumers as well as the rights and duties of its respective races and ethnicities. Abroad, the country has weighed the pros and cons of an interventionist policy on a case-by-case basis to safeguard its vital interests, and to advance the cause of a world that espouses the values of responsible democracy and capitalism.

This novel was immensely informative and entertaining. I am an English teacher who reads a lot, and I could not put it down. I loved the descriptions of leaders such as Huey Long and Gerald Smith and the isolationist movement. It was also impressive that it was so well-balanced and avoided sensationalism and cheap shots. The authors did not take sides or make quick judgments. You must read this book. My two favorite sections were the descriptions of the New Deal and the class struggle in New York during TR's time.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most enigmatic presidents in our nation's history. He was the consumate man of action, but an intellectual who wrote histories of his nation's past. He was an accomplished big game hunter who was also one of the nation's first conservationists, and founded the national park system. He was probably the most belligerent president we ever had, almost aching to fight in wars---and won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the end to the Russo-Japanese War. And of course, he was the New York dandy who became a cowboy, and led the storied and legendary Rough Riders into combat in Cuba during the brief Spanish American War, in 1898. This last is the subject of the present book, an introductory account of the campaign that focuses almost exclusively on the 1st Volunteer Cavalry regiment and its remarkable commander.

The book spends a good deal of time talking about the various personalities involved, and only briefly deals with the battles the American army, or the Rough Riders for that matter, were involved in while in Cuba. Those personalities, chiefly Roosevelt, but also the various other people involved in the fighting, are the heart of this book and its greatest strength. The narrative of the battles themselves is somewhat less clear, and not so engrossing.

I read Legends and Lies a couple of years ago, so I was looking forward to this book, and frankly I was surprised to see how dissappointing The Boys of '98 was. The story is reasonably well-told, but there are repititions of minutae on a number of occasions. I am at a loss to answer how this could occur: it almost looks as if the book was rushed into publication, but since I read the paperback (which presumably appeared the standard year after the hardcover) they should have had ample time to rewrite it, and clean up the prose. The whole point to minutae like this is that it's interesting *once*; repeated multiple times it gets old fast. Given that, I'm sorry to report that the main thing I found satisfying about this book was how short it was. Hopefully, Mr. Walker can do better next time.

This book is still second best to the Rooosevelt work. It covers much of the same period, yet is not as frank and revealing as the TR book. It was a very quick and enjoyable read, so for the casual reader, this would be a perfect book.

This is a good basic book about the Rough Riders and the Spanish-American war. The anecdotes are interesting, and it doesn't get bogged down in a lot of detail, which should assist the casual reader. That having been said, there are a number of factual errors contained within it, and a more careful editing would have eliminated the redundancies I came across, including using the same quote more than once. If you want a quick overview of the subject, however, and don't care to delve too deeply into it, this is the book for you.

This book continues the journey of Theodore Roosevelt's life that the author began chronicling with "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", covering the two presidential terms that Roosevelt served (a third was his for the taking if he had wanted it), and I have really enjoyed being along for the trip. Before my reading, I knew little of substance of this most historic of American figures, outside of tales of Rough Riders, Big Sticks and Teddy Bears, and I've come away from these books with a great sense of admiration for the man and the President. He went into the office by way of an assassin's bullet, and left it as one of the most popular and beloved presidents ever. He was extremely well-read (current administration take heed), and the depth and breadth of his scholarship was astounding. His actions (for he was a VERY active leader) were very much guided by a strong sense of ideals and morality, yet even so he was a master politician and strategist, and his keen sense of human nature enabled him to further a very progressive legislative agenda, against the opposition of his own Republican party. By the end of his second term, it seems apparent that Roosevelt was a truly independent President, Republican in name only, and I could only wish that we had politicians today that were more guided by their own compasses instead of the courses set by their party leaders. Roosevelt refused to kowtow to the moneyed corporate interests of his day ("the corporate criminal class")outright opposing the growing conglomerates with historic anti-trust legislation. "Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere".

I believe his conservation agenda alone ranks him among the best of American leaders, and current "conservative" moralists like Jerry "global-warming-is-a-myth" Falwell would do well to read some of his thoughts about the inextricable connection between conservation and morality. We owe many of our national parks and monuments to Teddy's foresight.

I hope Edmund Morris continues the tale of Roosevelt's life, the post-presidential years, in a third book. I'll be waiting.

A thrilling look at the great Bull Moose at the apex of his career. Morris definitely seems to have regained his stride after his disappointing Reagan roman a clef. Among recent presidential biographies I'd rank "Theodore Rex" just behind McCullough's "Truman."

Edmund Morris's second volume on TR is - again - a masterpiece. Everybody who enjoyed "The Rise of TR" will spend highly interesting hours reading about the presidency years. "Theodore Rex" is full of details, anecdotes and funny little episodes. Morris paints a bright and vivid picture of the life and work of Teddy. I especially like the stories involving the whole Roosevelt family. Family life with TR the father is never boring, always active but also difficult at times. What a remarkable family! Besides, let's hope that Morris will not wait for another 22 years before publishing the final volume of his view on TR! In fact, in a recent interview he estimated a time of 3 years to finish the final part. What I do not like that much about the book is the "old style" cutting of the pages. It is a book of 2001 and should not try to look like 1909. But the text is a masterpiece.

I've read 40+ plus books by or about TR and this is the worst, one-sided view of this complex, multi-facted man. This is as bad as the radical-left "Howard Zinn-ism" revisionist history of TR's foreign policies.

There are too many "blatant" errors to list in this mini-review, but just for starters:

1). TR did not, as the author claims, visit his mother's Georgia plantation "10 or more times". It is well documented that TR only visited Bulloch Hall twice -once as president and once post-White House. He did not have a very high opinion of most Southerners, despite the author's claims to the contrary. His wife abhorred most Southerners.

2). TR did not force his children, particulary Alice, to attend church every Sunday. Edith was the religious task master of the family and in her quiet manner usually rounded up all kids, except for Alice. Alice was a well-known, open atheist from her teen years until she died. TR and Edith had accepted the teenager's refusal to be confirmed in the Episcopal church or any other church. Their son Archie also grew up to be an agnostic.

3). TR most certainly did NOT shower Edith with flowers and jewels. He never even remembered her birthday (though he never forgot the date of their engagement and wedding anniversay). Edith hated receiving extravagent gifts from anyone, especially her husband. They did have a very happy marriage and home life but he also known for taking off on 3-month hunting trips soon after Edith would deliver another baby.

4). TR most certainly did like to attend parties and was a professional social butterfly because he knew he would probably end up as the main attraction - just what his ego needed. The author paints TR as a man who shunned social gatherings to be with his family 24/7. Definitely not true. He LOVED being around people of all and any type, though his wife certainly like to stoke the home fires more than making the social rounds.

5). TR never made any speeches about abortion. Abortion was not on the radar screen in his time. The author uses quotes that TR said about women not wanting to get married and raise families to make it seem as though TR were speaking direcly on the subject of abortion.

6). TR believed in and preached on the separation of Church and State. He wanted to remove "In God We Trust" from the US coinnage and even pushed one of the leading artists of that time, Grant LaFarge, to create a new design. The "religious right" of his time went ballistic over this decision and he later backed down. He made many speeches proclaiming that the Church stay out of the affairs of the State. Indeed, he was a strong, "old school" Christian who did preach to the citizens the value of religion, a happy home life, and following the morals one teaches to his/her children. However, he also thought a country would head down the dangerous path if a certain religion or belief were forced upon its citizens.

I would not recommend this book on TR to ANYONE.

In some ways, this is a very good book. It does a great job of bringing to light the many virtues of a most interesting and complex man. It sorts out the various aspects of Roosevelt's life and personality very nicely and does so in an engaging manner. TR was a fascinating man, and I really enjoyed learning more about him. But "Carry a Big Stick" also has some serious problems. For one thing, TR's blind spots and political mistakes are not even touched on, much less discussed in any depth. This makes the narrative somewhat facile and simple-minded, not the thorough, intelligent treatment that I would like in a biography.

In some ways, the hagiographic nature of the book did not bother me overly much because I bought the book for my bright 5th grader. She was supposed to read a presidential biography for a school project. Having a treatment that deals only with the most admirable aspects of the person seems appropriate for this circumstance. Unfortunately, the vocabulary in this book is too advanced for someone in the 5th-7th grades, even if the level of discourse is not. In the end, my daughter and I read the book together, stopping every few sentences so that I could provide a synonym for a difficult word. Now you might think this is not so bad, but if an author is going to write a simplistic biography, why not make it accessible to the most likely audience? In most cases, the esoteric words were not necessary, and I could easily come up with synonyms that my daughter knew.

What finally made me decide that I really didn't like the book was that toward the end it took on a political tone, very preachy and heavy-handed. It showed that the author had a very conservative political agenda that had little to do with Theodore Roosevelt. Until the last 50 pages or so, I enjoyed the book, but the end really ruined it for me. I was VERY glad that I was reading it along with my daughter because I was able to provide some perspective to counteract the political propaganda.

George Grant has written a delightful book about a delightful man. Theodore Roosevelt, perhaps the most energetic, athletic, multi-faceted president that has ever served our great country, receives bully treatment in this little book.

Grant shows that Roosevelt - once described as "that damned cowboy" by a political adversary - was more than just a cowboy. He had tremendous natural abilities, and he made the most of them. There doesn't seem to be an academic field that he didn't know, and his knowledge often impressed the experts. He seems to have lived every moment of his life to the fullest.

He was a devoted husband and father, and held strongly to his Christian faith. His Christianity and his respect for marriage and family were more important to him than anything else. His firm adherence to his principals was more important than party loyalty. He was more interested in doing what was right than in doing what was convenient, or politically advantageous.

Few men in history - and certainly few, if any, in American history - can be said to have lived as Roosevelt did. Reading about his life is the next best thing. Anyone who is interested in leadership and character will find this book worthwhile, as will anyone who is simply interested in living life to the full.

In general, this is a good biography and reference source on Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. The bibliography of suggested readings by and about Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. is the most comprehensive one I've found. My only criticism is that whole sections of this book appear to consist of re-workings of two earlier books on Roosevelt -- Edward Renehan's The Lion's Pride and Mrs. Roosevelt's memoir, The Day Before Yesterday. Those who have already read the two earlier books may feel somewhat let down by the lack of new information. Otherwise, this is book is enjoyable and uplifting. The many anecdotes of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.'s courage, common sense and humanity (not to mention his complete lack of self-absorption) are encouraging and make this book worthwhile.

I enjoyed the book regarding TR Jr.'s time as governor of Puerto
Rico and the Phillipines and World War I & II because I didn't know much about his life during these periods (except what Ed Renehan and Sylvia Morris wrote in their books). What I did not like about Jeffers' book are a few errors he put in, which could have been avoided by better research: For example, he wrote a few times (like on page 28) that TR (the president)said that he feels "as fit as a bull moose" in 1898! As far as I know this expression was coined only in 1912 when a mad man tried to kill TR in Milwaukee. He also writes twice that "The Roosevelt family of Sagamore Hill" was written by Mr. Harbaugh (pages 16 and 30). We know that Hermann Hagedorn wrote this great book!
It is amazing how many qualities of TR we can find in his oldest son! Jeffers book is a good read, but from my point of view not the great narrative as we know it from Edmund Morris or David McCullough!

I have waited a while for a biography of TR, Jr. I have read "The Lion's Pride" (highly recommend this as well). Although the first few chapters of the book talks more of TR than his son, it is an overall very interesting read. I find it amazing how much TR, Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about an amazing man who led an extrordinary life.

My expectations were high but this is just a poorly written book. About half the narrative is about the characters who joined the Rough Riders. Very little of the book deals with the battles in Cuba and the sections that do make the exploits of the Rough Riders seem grossly over rated. Roosevelt seems to write withh the intent on securing his place in history. And, if that wasn't enough, he includes self-serving appendices that laud his conduct on the battlefield and support his yearning for the medal of honor. I found his writing style tedious and often repetitious--you'll encounter countless references to the smokeless ammunition used by the Spanish. Enough already!

My comments are based on the 1997 hardback version of this book.
The following may have been corrected in the 2000 paperback.

Richard Bak collected many photographs of the Rough Riders to illustrate Roosevelt's text, and this is good. However, he wasn't very careful with his captions.

For example, the photograph leading off Chapter One "Raising the Regiment" is captioned "Colonel Wood and Roosevelt in Texas. Roosevelt's paunch would disappear in Cuba after he lost twenty pounds in the tropical heat." However, other photographs of Roosevelt at this time do not show a paunchy man. Also, both he and Wood seem younger than the men in this photo.

Later in this chapter, there is a photograph again showing the an identified as Wood, captioned "Colonel Leonard Wood (second from right)..."

In the background of this photograph, there is an automobile (looking closer in style to a Model A than a Model T), and the other three men in the photograph are dressed in Army uniforms from the 1920s.

The conclusion is that these men are NOT Roosevelt and Wood, but the actors who played them in the 1927 silent movie about the Rough Riders that was filmed in San Antonio with the assistance of the US Army's Second Division stationed at Fort Sam Houston.

In the section "The Mystery of the Maine," the photograph identified as the Maine is not the Maine that blew up in Havana Harbor, which only had two smoke stacks. This is probably the later World War I Maine.

So, Roosevelt's text is good. The collection of photographs are good. But verify those captions and the conslusions based upon them.

The 1st USV (the Rough Riders) has to be one of the most interesting units in US military history. The collection of characters who filled its ranks could spawn dozens of other titles. This book is WELL written by Teddy Roosevelt, one of our most colorful persidents, is a frank and great account of the life of this unit. I found it quite enjoyable, and didn't feel that the book was TR blowing his own horn, he cared very much for his men and this shows through in this book. A must for any history buff.