24 h 25 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does it take for a boy with severe asthma to become a president who embraces hard work and public battles?
In Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography, the president tells his own story, from childhood in New York to ranch life in Dakota and the demands of office. He writes for ordinary readers, making a case that people of average gifts can do hard things through effort, courage and a willingness to act.
Roosevelt groups his memories by subject rather than following a diary. The New York police, the Rough Riders, the Panama Canal and the protection of forests bring his public life into view. He names friends and rivals, defends his decisions and asks what government owes its people. This is a forceful personal account, not a detached judgment.
What you’ll discover
- A childhood of effort Meet the thin, asthmatic boy whose struggle to grow stronger shapes his account of character.
- Lessons from the Badlands Follow Roosevelt into Dakota ranch life, where he explores grit and equality.
- The work behind politics See public duty through police work, political disputes and the daily effort of passing laws.
- Power with a purpose Explore his Square Deal, foreign policy and belief in a strong navy.
- Forests and public duty Discover how his love of nature becomes a national program to protect land and wildlife.
Who will love it
For readers who love political history told by the person who made it, and anyone who enjoys a case for effort, courage and public duty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sickly boy builds himself a body
- Politics is work for practical, honest men
- The frontier teaches grit and equality
- Policing a city and preparing a navy
- Soldiering with the Rough Riders and governing New York
- The Square Deal for workers and capital
- A canal, a peace treaty and a great fleet
- Conservation: land and wildlife belong to the people
- Character, controversy and how the book has lasted
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography
by Theodore Roosevelt · 1913
Roosevelt makes his case for courage in public life, fair dealing for workers and the protection of forests.
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In short
Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography is the life story of the twenty-sixth president of the United States, written by the man himself. Roosevelt finished it in 1913, four years after he left the White House and a year after he ran again for president as a third-party candidate.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A sickly boy builds himself a body
Roosevelt opens with his childhood in New York City, where he was born in 1858 into a comfortable family. He was a thin child with severe asthma, and he often could not run and play like other boys. He says plainly that he was nervous and timid, and that his body held him back. The book treats this weakness as the starting point of his whole character.
His father, whom he loved and admired above any other man, matters most in these pages. Roosevelt describes him as a person who joined great kindness to firm moral standards, and who gave time to charity as well as business. The father pushed the boy to build up his body, and the boy took up the challenge with a stubborn will. He worked on exercise equipment, and later he learned to box, after some bullies had made him feel helpless on a trip.
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What is Theodore Roosevelt's autobiography about?
It covers his life from a sickly childhood in New York to his years as legislator, rancher, police commissioner, soldier, governor and president. It is organized by subject, with chapters on the Rough Riders, Panama, conservation and his Square Deal.
When did Roosevelt write his autobiography?
He completed it in 1913, a few years after leaving the presidency in 1909 and soon after his third-party run for president in 1912. It was written for the general public and defends his record.
Is Roosevelt's autobiography accurate?
It is a firsthand account and gives many true details, but it is also self-justifying. Roosevelt defends his choices, such as the Panama Canal, and leaves out most private grief.
The author
Theodore Roosevelt
1858–1919 · American president and historian
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was born in New York City and died at Oyster Bay, New York. He served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He wrote books about history, hunting, and his life, including Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter (1905) and his autobiography (1913).
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