Book #42: Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

I started this book while we were in Mexico and just finished it today. I feel like David McCullough's name is hugely familiar to me, so it's surprising that I hadn't actually read any of his books. I'd listened to the abridged version of John Adams with Tommy, and the Johnstown Flood with my family (both on road trips). But I am glad to have finally read one of his books, particularly this one on Teddy Roosevelt. I love that this book was about his background and upbringing, because it is so fascinating to hear about where people come from and what their families are like. It was very neat to learn about his family, especially because they were such a loving and happy and tight-knit group. I feel like much of the time you learn about people who do wonderful things despite their depressing beginnings (Abraham Lincoln is one that comes to mind) but Theodore Roosevelt is the complete opposite: ridiculously wealthy without a care in the world for money his entire life, surrounded by loving, caring family members, and always encouraged in all of his endeavors, no matter what he was trying to do. But he was still amazing in his personal accomplishments and achievements on his own, not just because of what his family contributed for him. I loved hearing about how he was so intensely curious about learning about science and the natural world as a child, and how his dad was one of the founders of the Natural History Museum in New York because of Theodore's fascination. I also loved reading about his asthma as a child and how his parents were tireless in doing what they thought was best to help him whenever he needed it. His parents both sound like they were fantastic human beings, who were super-rich but helped other people and really cared about other people. And his sisters, especially his older sister Bamie, were really interesting (and probably deserve their own books written about them too).

There were two things I wish were a little different about this book. First, I don't really know anything about Theodore as an adult or as President (all I remember is that he made Yellowstone a national park and the whole Bull Moose Party), so it would have been nice to have a little more information about what he did then and how his younger life contributed to his later accomplishments. Second, I didn't like how abruptly it ended. I felt like McCullough didn't even make an effort to wrap things up smoothly; he just barely introduced the fact that Theodore was going to be getting married and that he was about to go to England to meet his new bride for their wedding--and then the book ended. What?! I know that this book was about his younger years, but I felt like there could have been a much more graceful foreword to what was to follow for Theodore to finish off the book. All in all, I loved this portrait of Teddy Roosevelt and I kind of want to read a more thorough biography of the rest of his life now to find out what really happens--in more detail--for the rest of his life after the point which I read to in this one.