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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
You will enjoy this book if you like lively life stories, American history told by the person who made it, or practical ideas about courage and public duty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- High ideals need practical strength
- Curiosity gives illness a rival
- Courage grows through repeated practice
- Public duty needs an independent conscience
- Spend public office on useful results
- Fair enforcement makes reform real
- Presidential power carries public responsibility
- Peace joins justice with strength
- Toughness and conscience belong together
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Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography
by Theodore Roosevelt · 1913
A sickly, nearsighted boy with asthma trains his body, rides the West, and ends up in the White House.
Challenging10–20 hours to read20 languages
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“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends on the character of the person using it.”
In short
What does a sickly boy do when two stronger boys show him how weak he is? Theodore Roosevelt says he decided to train.
Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography at a glance
- Reading time
- About 13 h 35 min10 h 45 min fast, 16 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 194,200 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1913by Theodore Roosevelt
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Dutch family and a father to copy
Roosevelt opens with his ancestors. His first American forebear reaches New Amsterdam about 1644, and for seven generations every male in the line is born on Manhattan Island. His mother, Martha Bulloch, comes from Georgia, so the household holds both Northern and Southern loyalties.
That split shows up in small scenes. His father is a strong Lincoln Republican, while his mother stays unreconstructed until she dies. Once, angry at her discipline, the small boy prays loudly for the Union in front of her. She is too amused to punish him.
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A sickly, nearsighted boy with asthma trains his body, rides the West, and ends up in the White House.
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Details
- First published
- 1913
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 552 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 552 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 566 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 566 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Wed 2 Dec to Tue 8 Decto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Roosevelt, Theodore. Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/theodore-roosevelt-an-autobiography.
Roosevelt, T. (2026). Theodore Roosevelt: An autobiography. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/theodore-roosevelt-an-autobiography (Original work published 1913)
Roosevelt, Theodore. Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/theodore-roosevelt-an-autobiography.
@book{roosevelt2026theodore,
author = {Roosevelt, Theodore},
title = {Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/theodore-roosevelt-an-autobiography},
note = {First published 1913}
}
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What is Theodore Roosevelt's autobiography about?
It tells his life by theme: his family, his sickly childhood, boxing and ranching, politics in New York, the Spanish War, the governorship, and the presidency, with his views on honesty, preparation, and fair dealing.
Who was Roosevelt's father and why does he matter in the book?
His father, also named Theodore Roosevelt, was a New York businessman and reformer. Roosevelt calls him the best man he ever knew, and uses him as the model of strength joined with gentleness and duty.
Did Roosevelt really charge up San Juan Hill?
He describes leading the Rough Riders up Kettle Hill and then on to the next hills at San Juan. He says he does not know whether the fight's name refers to one hill or several, and appendixes print officers' letters about his part.
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).
“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends on the character of the person using it.”
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