''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt'' (1979) is a biography of

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

by Edmund Morris and published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan when the author was forty years old. It is the first in a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

continued more than twenty and thirty years later by '' Theodore Rex'' (2001) and '' Colonel Roosevelt'' (2010). It won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography and the 1980

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

in Biography."National Book Awards – 1980"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...

. Retrieved 2012-03-16. This was the 1980 award for hardcover Biography.
From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Award history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories, and multiple nonfiction subcategories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including the 1980 Biography.

Description

''The Rise'' covers the time from Roosevelt's birth through his ascendancy to the Presidency. It includes the Roosevelt family history starting with his parents' influence, his turbulent childhood illnesses, education, involvement in politics, and political accomplishments that prepared him to be one of the most influential presidents of the modern era. Specific topics include the philosophy of Roosevelt's father, mother, and his family. His passion for learning despite severe illness is well documented. Morris reports that Roosevelt probably read the equivalent of one book per day during his life. Morris examines his life as a young politician driven by a sense of public duty and stewardship, and captures multiple aspects of the events that shaped the character and performance of Roosevelt. The book provides insight into the world of influence from a master of corporate power as opposed to leaders who practice personal power. Topics include early childhood, education and hobbies, travels in Europe and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, New York legislature, frontier life, civil service commissioner, New York police commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and di ...

and victory in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, governor of New York, and short term as vice-president.

In other media

Film

A planned film adaptation by director

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

and starring Leonardo DiCaprio was scheduled to be released in 2013. However, that project was abandoned.

Notes

References

;Citation *

External links

C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Morris on his Roosevelt trilogy, November 21, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, The 1979 non-fiction books American biographies Books about Theodore Roosevelt National Book Award-winning works Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography-winning works Coward-McCann books