Allan Nevins (1890–1971)

This book is by one of the relatives of Theodore Roosevelt(TR), I don't remember if he is a cousin or a nephew. Throughout the book TR is described through a narrator reciting from memory. There is no doubt that TR was an interesting person. So the author explores different aspects of his character and tries to paint a picture of TR the man as opposed to TR the politician.

Theodore Roosevelt was a man that loved his family, had an awesome memory, was devoted to his standards and morals, and came up with epithets instead of swearing. It really made TR seem approachable. The book covers his short biography of dates, like when he was born and so on; it covers his political career to some extent; it covers his marriages and some of his kids, and it talks about his sisters. I suppose the author felt that it was necessary to understand TR to include such a thing. It also talks about TR predicting the First World War, so that was pretty cool.

All in all, this was an interesting book, but not an exemplary one. It was a sort of biography on Theodore Roosevelt from someone that was in his inner circle, so I suppose it gave a different viewpoint of the man, but I don't know if it was really necessary.… (mais)

A survey of editorial cartoons published in the United States in the 19th century. Interestingly, with a few exceptions, the book doesn't necessarily cover the most famous cartoons of the era; among other things, you won't find the "Gerry-mander" here, and the representation of Thomas Nast's work is surprisingly thin. (On the other hand, the work of Keppler is, in my view, slightly over-represented.) One issue I have is that many of the works that were originally published in color are presented here in black-and-white, which means that some details (especially labels of individuals) are lost. The essay at the front and the essays accompanying each cartoon are well-done. Something that cartooning fans should enjoy a great deal.… (mais)

This book is well-written and very informative. I really learned a lot from this book especially as Grover Cleveland is not really as well known as other U.S. Presidents. This book is complete with all the details you could ask for in a presidential biography, from his background as an up and coming lawyer to the major domestic and foreign policy decisions he has to make as a President. I would admit that this book would have been even better if it has been updated but not once did i feel that it is lacking in anyway just because of its age. In other words, I would have wanted comparisons of Cleveland's policies with Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan (not just with W. Wilson and TR) but I still think that even without it is still complete and helpful. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is that the author often chooses to pass the blame on Cleveland's subordinates and enemies rather than on Cleveland himself for Cleveland's lackluster presidency as well as the wrong decisions that Cleveland made during his time in office.… (mais)