Synopses & Reviews
The epic story of how one man shaped events, people, and himself to forever change a country.
President Theodore Roosevelt forever transformed America, ushering the country into the arena of world supremacy. His brand of leadership is entirely American: confident, compassionate, energetic, diverse, visionary.
But Roosevelt was not a born leader; his ascent to the apex of power was not a foregone conclusion. He made himself a leader of consequence and it is his epic journey to the White Housea road filled with terrific failures, intimate introspection, and self-made luckwill inspire readers anew.
While a graduate student at Harvard, author Jon Knokey, a Roosevelt historian and business leader, unearthed hundreds of unpublished letters and interview notes from Roosevelt contemporaries. These long-forgotten documents provide a fresh and stunning ringside seat along the 26th Presidents journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The stories from Harvard chaps, idealistic political reformers, coarse cowboys from the Badlands, and rough and tumble Rough Riders from the nations interior, all combine to illuminate the maturation process of a man learning to lead at every stage of his life.
Fast paced and written as a biographical narrative, Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of American Leadership places the reader alongside a young Theodore Roosevelt as he learns what he stands for and how he will lead.
Review
Jon Knokey shows how Theodore Roosevelt become an iconic American leader with such insight and color that it makes you feel is if TR is alive today! Through the words of a remarkable cast of characters that knew T.R. intimately, Knokey sheds not only new light on one of the most influential people in American history, but gives men and women today the opportunity to discover Teddy Roosevelts leadership secrets. Its a vital book for aspiring leaders."
- Chris Ruddy, CEO Newsmax Media
Jon Knokeys work is a perfect combination of historical fact and artful interpretation. Meticulously researched using primary sources, the book provides a rare view into Roosevelts mind and heart. It traces his development from an impressionable boy observing Abraham Lincolns funeral to a decisive president poised to lead the country confidently onto the world stage. This is not just a work of historical significance, it is a beautifully written and insightful glimpse into a complicated and powerful leader.”
- Elizabeth Winslow, Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Organizational Behavior and Models of Leadership
Theodore Roosevelt's leadership journey - the story of a sickly boy who wills himself into a life of vigor, purpose, and genuine heroism - is one of the great tales in American history. Here Jon Knokey views that saga through fresh eyes and presents it in a lively, enlightening narrative. Making of American Leadership is filled with fascinating details, wise insights, and life lessons. I love this book!”
- John McConnell, Speechwriter President George W. Bush
Theodore Roosevelt packed a full life of experience into the four decades before he became our nations youngest president. Jon Knokeys volume, utilizing previously unpublished accounts by his contemporaries, helps illuminate the contradictions that filled TRs pre-presidential years and that persisted throughout his life. Few Americans have proven as consequential as Theodore Roosevelt in shaping Americas place in the world and in establishing American leadership. This volume contributes to our understanding of the years that shaped this remarkable leader and president.” --Roger B. Porter, IBM Professor of Business and Government, Master of Dunster House, Harvard University
Synopsis
a full biography of Theodore Roosevelt gleaned from his personal letters discovered at Harvard