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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionsI Rose Like a Rocket: The Political Education of Theodore Rooseveltby Paul Grondahl
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Teddy Roosevelt, the favorite political role model of Bill Clinton and both George Bushes, is legendary for his political acumen and for bending the world to his will. Yet where did he learn how to master the rough-and-tumble of politics? Not by weightlifting and boxing, nor by heading out west to try cattle-ranching, nor even as a Rough Rider in Cuba. He was far more than simply a self-made man or a crusading outsider who reinvented politics wholesale. The story of his political education has never fully been told and is every bit as entertaining as his more famous nonpolitical exploits. Paul Grondahl knows New York political history as well as anyone, from the long-reigning machine of the Albany Democrats to the great Tammany chieftains who lorded over New York City. After working in the State Senate briefly before turning to journalism and writing about Albany politics and history for the past two decades, he knows the colorful byways and larger-than-life characters who made late nineteenth-century political life into one of the most amusing and fascinating periods in our history. In I Rose like a Rocket, Grondahl reveals the true story of Roosevelt's preparation for the White House: not one of self-making so much as a classic political education. From his earliest days as an assemblyman in Albany to his service as police commissioner in New York and civil service commissioner in Washington, Roosevelt learned invaluable lessons from the giants of his day. He was nearly roughed up twice by Democratic toughs in Albany and he suffered terrible defeats at the more-experienced hands of machine masters "Easy Boss" Thomas C. Platt and "Honest John" Kelly; yet he also learned how to manipulate and co-opt the press, how to harness public pressure and bipartisan allies, and how to fight for his desires from sunrise to sunset and beyond. The product of Grondhal's research is one of the most important books ever written about Teddy Roosevelt. To learn of the inspirations and motivations of the young TR will cause readers to pause, reexamine, and reinterpret their views of him. Roosevelt was driven by demons, yet he learned how to harness those inside himself as well as the more fleshly versions who fought him at every turn. The story of his political education is one of the most entertaining, instructive, and inspiring of that of any American president. Review:"Albany Times Union reporter Grondahl (Mayor Corning: Albany Icon, Albany Enigma) does an outstanding job of documenting Theodore Roosevelt's evolution from brash young political reformer to shrewd and pragmatic political operator, always with his eye on various idealistic prizes. Grondahl first introduces readers to Roosevelt as a boyish, scrawny 23-year-old arriving in Albany during the snowy January of 1882 for his first term in the New York State legislature. He then proceeds to show how the upstart scion of New York's Knickerbocker elite learned to deal with such corrupt and wily operators as 'Big John' McManus, 'Boss' Tweed, Roscoe Conkling and Tammany enforcer Richard Croker. As Grondahl painstakingly documents, this phase of Roosevelt's life proved to be a vital first step in his political coming-of-age. What he learned in Albany set the stage for the next round in his education as federal civil service commissioner in Washington, D.C., during the late 1880s and early '90s and his colorful tenure as police commissioner of New York City (1895 — 1897). Moving through these positions and subsequent posts (assistant secretary of the navy, commander of the Rough Riders, governor of New York, vice-president and president), Roosevelt grew as a politician in ways painted quite deftly by Grondahl. Starting off as an uncompromising but ineffective crusader riding a high horse, Roosevelt ended up as a studied master of brinksmanship and deal maker, capable of forging vital political alliances that resulted in meaningful political reform. Agent, Dan Mandel. (June 10)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Grondahl...demonstrates talent as a biographer; the writing is so engaging that readers won't want to put the book down." Library Journal Review:"A reasonably good take on Teddy Roosevelt's coming of age as a political leader....A nice complement, if sometimes only a footnote, to David McCullough's Mornings on Horseback." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Drawing on a wealth of material...Grondahl has written an imposing biography, detailing Roosevelt's life before becoming president while offering an absorbing look at his family and the politics (much of it corrupt) of that era." Booklist Review:"Paul Grondahl describes, as only he could, how God made Teddy Roosevelt bright and bold, but it took the real and very rough politics of Albany to make him a great politician." Mario Cuomo Review:"[A] richly researched and compellingly readable portrait of TR before the White House....With this performance, a new talent enters the front ranks of American biography." Joseph E. Persico, author of 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day 1918 What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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Biography » Presidents and Heads of State
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