Colonel Roosevelt And The White House Gang

When Theodore Roosevelt became president at age forty-two upon the assassination of William McKinley, he was the youngest President to have ever served then and now - and was father to six children, ranging in age from three to seventeen. During his term, watching the Roosevelt family became a national pastime. Each day, news of the First Family was consumed by newspaper readers. The best known Roosevelt child was, of course, the President himself. His pillow fights with his sons, sometimes while keeping the cabinet waiting, were notorious. One magazine described the phenomenon by saying people could no more ignore the Roosevelt stories than a small boy can turn his head away from a circus parade followed by a steam calliope. Roosevelts children, along with some of their cousins and friends, came to be called the White House Gang. Roosevelt, certainly the most famous Gang member, was singularly able to encourage the positive qualities of his and other boys while leading the United States into the 20th Century. But the Gangs real leader was Roosevelts youngest child Quentin. They roller skated in the hallways, stilt-walked through high ceilinged rooms, spit-balled portraits and explored every possible space of the White House from roof to attic to basement. One of their favorite games was to stage attacks upon various government office buildings. This book tells how Theodore Roosevelt handled his children, how he won their love and respect, and how he won them to his way of thinking. There ought to be an Amendment to the Constitution compelling every mother and father to read this book. It is a fascinating story, and if you read it and heed it, you will be a better parent. Your children will be happier, and you will be happier. ----Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, April 20, 1938

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt presents a chronicle of the last ten years of the 26th president's life to cover his African safaris, presidency and various brushes with death.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • “Colonel Roosevelt is compelling reading, and [Edmund] Morris is a brilliant biographer who practices his art at the highest level. . . . A moving, beautifully rendered account.”—Fred Kaplan, The Washington Post This biography by Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, marks the completion of a trilogy sure to stand as definitive. Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine? Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, this masterwork recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history. “Hair-raising . . . awe-inspiring . . . a worthy close to a trilogy sure to be regarded as one of the best studies not just of any president, but of any American.”—San Francisco Chronicle

From the author of Triage and Searching for Augusta, comes a history of love, hate, jealousy, and revenge between brothers and sisters during times of war through the ages. Journey back through time to discover remarkable accounts of parents who waved off their sons and daughters, never knowing if they would ever see them again. One mother saw no less than ten of her sons between the ages of eighteen and thirty-seven, dispatched to the frontline in the First World War. The biggest “real” band of brothers that ever served their country, but to discover how many made it back and who this dear lady was, you will have to read the rest. War is completely indiscriminate when it comes to inflicting suffering and heartbreak on families, particularly when one’s own blood takes up arms to fight with, and in some cases against their own kin. These stories recount some of the prime examples of families divided and united in some of the direst conflict. When British police discovered the body of a dead woman, who locals knew as the “Crazy Cat Lady” they found a small bundle of possessions that revealed a truly incredible story of two amazing sisters who served behind enemy lines as elite Special Operations Agents (SOE) during World War II.