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    Mornings on Horseback
    Mornings on Horseback
    Mornings on Horseback
    Audiobook19 hours

    Mornings on Horseback

    Written by David McCullough

    Narrated by Nelson Runger

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The National Book Award–winning biography that tells the story of how young Teddy Roosevelt transformed himself from a sickly boy into the vigorous man who would become a war hero and ultimately president of the United States, told by master historian David McCullough.

    Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as “a masterpiece” (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.

    The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, TR’s first love. All are brought to life to make “a beautifully told story, filled with fresh detail” (The New York Times Book Review).

    A book to be read on many levels, it is at once an enthralling story, a brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. It is a book about life intensely lived, about family love and loyalty, about grief and courage, about “blessed” mornings on horseback beneath the wide blue skies of the Badlands.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 4, 2011
    ISBN9781442342132
    Mornings on Horseback
    Author

    David McCullough

    David McCullough (1933–2022) twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. His other acclaimed books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The American Spirit, The Wright Brothers, and The Pioneers. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Visit DavidMcCullough.com.

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    Reviews for Mornings on Horseback

    4/5

    542 ratings41 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Mr. McCullough gives a great, compelling insight into the development of TR and what/who made him the man we have come to know through history. He also gives an excellent look into the people closest to Mr. Roosevelt.

      With this new information, Theodore Roosevelt remains one of my all time favorite people in the world.
    • 5/5
      Read this now! I cannot say enough about David McCullough's books. They leave you wanting to read more!
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this wonderful book. You will love it.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic Love to hear history up close and personal .
    • 2/5
      Unusually pedantic for a work by McCullough, I struggled to frame a review until the author, reviewing the subject's naval history, provided me with just the one.

      "...the end result...was dry and tedious, much of it virtually unreadable to anyone without a prior interest in the subject or in the author..."
    • 3/5
      I just finished reading Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt, by David McCullough. It started out slow, but is now gripping. He very notably and famously transformed himself from a self-pitying asthmatic child to a vigorous, strapping man who worked his way up to becoming President.

      I gave it three "stars" on Goodreads, mostly by comparison with my "five star" awards of John Adams and Truman. The book is more important as a period piece than as a half-biography. It covers well the days of the wealthy setting the agenda for helping the poor and in his case helping nature. A politically incorrect read of the book is that the people who made up the Roosevelt family and other supercharged families of that era (I assume the Carnegie and Rockefeller families as well) were extraordinarily driven and intelligent. I get that they felt a sense of entitlement that in modern times could be grating at best, emblems of white privilege at worst. Still and all they were great people that built different facets of America.

      The wealth and showing of that wealth was ostentatious. And yet, these people did great things. Roosevelt drank nature before, as President, seriously beefing up national forests and national parks. There were parts I had to force my way through, but I will continue to read and absorb McCullough books.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful biography of Theodore Roosevelt. I now intend to read most of McCullough's books.
    • 5/5
      This is a well written book about Teddy Roosevelt’s formative years and his family. The author has conducted valuable research on the Roosevelts. The information covers background on the life of his mother and father as well as grandparents and other immediate family. Much of the book is spent on Teddy’s childhood and his health. Later sections discuss his introduction into politics and his adventures out west. Teddy’s family wealth and privileged situation allowed him to pursue his interests in nature and hunting and to have extended leave from responsibilities. He seems to have been motivated in part to be worthy of his father’s approval. I recommend this book to anyone interested in information about Teddy Roosevelt’s life and family
    • 4/5
      Read from Dec 2020 to Jan 2021. Good read. Longer chapters divided into shorter segments that help break it up. Would recommend it for those who love history and want to gain insight into the family background, childhood, and young adulthood of Teddy Roosevelt. Learned a lot about his parents and siblings, but especially his dad and sister Bamie. The book does a great job explaining the dynamics of his privileged childhood, the physical ailments he (and his siblings) battled as a child, and who he became as a young man after his dad died, specifically when he went out west. It details how he got into politics, but abruptly ends with his run for mayor.
    • 5/5
      A window into a way of life, and the life of one man, that should serve as an inspiration to others.
      Theodore Roosevelt overcame the sickness and adversity that plagued his early years, to become one of the most prominent leaders of his day. He was selfless, and a true philanthropist. An example of how privilege and wealth do not have to be associated with greed, conceit or egotism.
    • 5/5
      Biography of the great president, though it deliberately covers only his early life (and is thus comparable to Churchill's autobiography "A Roving Commission"); the book stops just at the point where Roosevelt ran, and lost, for Mayor of New York. It covers his childhood, and there's an extensive discussion of the illnesses that beset him, as well as the peculiar family dynamics that certainly shaped his mind. Of some interest is the coverage of his first wife, who was mostly airbrushed out of history. The famous trips out West, which almost literally made a new man of him, are also covered in detail. McCullough is an engaging writer, and this is a good read. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      McCullough turned his considerable talent for telling the stories of history to the first 27 years of Theodore Roosevelt's life...his sickly childhood, his loving family, his brief first marriage, his "ranching" days, his growth into a man of substance. It's fascinating. Politics generally bores me silly, but I even found myself engrossed in the chapter about the 1884 Chicago Republican convention, which McCullough describes as "crucial" in T.R.'s political life. Just goes to prove what a compelling writer McCullough is.
    • 4/5
      way too short!
    • 5/5
      Fantastic look into Theodore Roosevelt's childhood and years as a young adult. I'm not entirely sure what I think of him as an adult (I thought he was great when I was young, but as I learned more about history that untarnished view was...well...tarnished). But at the very least, the dude had a crazy adolescence.
    • 5/5
      I tend to love biographical works by David McCullough and Mornings on Horseback is no exception. Covering the early years of Theodore Roosevelt's life and the lives of his parents and siblings, Mornings on Horseback gives insight to what made up the personality of the greatest American President (in my opinion) that this country ever had. The book goes from early childhood through the announcement of his engagement and marriage to Edith Carow and his re-entry into NY politics with the loss of his run for Mayor.
    • 3/5
      Some how,, most of McCullough's books leave me wanting more - and not in a good way. Mornings on Horseback is an interesting read on early TR, but I'm glad I had read the Morris and Brand biographies first.
    • 4/5
      Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough covers the start of the Roosevelt family in United States with many unusual characters and the young Theodore Roosevelt. I was relieved that it was not going to attempt covering his whole life. His life is so interesting and there are so many letters and documents that I think it would have been an overwhelming project. I have already ready read Theodore Roosevelt's book on the Rough Riders (book handed down to me from my grandmother) and intend to slowly cover all parts of his life. I listened to this book on CD and was a little confused by the first CD and part of the second CD, I think that part could have been shortened. But when the story got to Teddy Roosevelt father, I was quickly won over. His father was idealistic and believed in doing the right thing over winning in politics. Had he lived longer, he may have been our first president. He saw to it that his children were well traveled and loved his family with a vigor.Young Theodore was plagued with asthma and the remedies of the times were horrifying, he also seemed awkward. Part of the latter could be that he was later found to be very nearsighted. When he got his first pair of glasses he was delighted and amazed about the world he had been missing. His father gave him a gun and that began his interest in shooting and stuffing them. I so wish that he had been given a camera instead! I learned that I shared a trait with Theodore! He was a persistent researcher. There are problems with that we have both identified! It is hard to know when to start.I really enjoyed the parts about his adventures of being a rancher and it was so sad to learn about the tragedies of his life.I highly recommend the audio version of Mornings on Horseback. There are loads of great stories and fact about Theodore Roosevelt and the story seems to get more addictive as it proceeded.
    • 5/5
      being an early book for McCullough, this is not as polished as some of his later works, but even so it is a masterpiece. Read it to learn about Theodore Roosevelt, the person, not Theodore Roosevelt, the historical figure.
    • 5/5
      Brilliantly written. McCullough really gets to the heart of what made Teddy Teddy. Some wonderful insights into his personality and the shaping of the man. I still can't get over the image of the patrician Roosevelt investigating the slums and cigar industry with Samuel Gompers. Because Teddy was so easy to caricature, many of us
      do not get beyond the carton image of him tugging the boat through the Panama Canal or walking giant like with his "big Stick." As one of our most dynamic and complex presidents he deserves better and Mr McCullough
      delivers!

      Now please, please, please write a biography of James Madison, Mr. McCullough.
    • 4/5
      Winner of the 1982 National Book Award for Biography and Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography

      This work is a wealth of information... well written and extensively researched.

      I came aboard hoping for character studies of family members.
      I'm leaving pleased with McCullough's approach.
      I found character development presented with "penetrating insight" and often intimate detail.
      You couldn't help but come to a deeper understanding of family members and their "diversity"

      The social and political environment of the time was adequately addressed.

      Amidst it all... I enjoyed the experience of the metamorphosis and intensity of this period of Theodore Roosevelt's life.

      ★ ★ ★ ★
    • 4/5
      This book was the start of my study of Teddy Roosevelt. It was the tale of his father and siblings and how they all interacted in his early life. With David McCullough as the storyteller, I couldn't go wrong.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating character. This book is all about Teddy Roosevelt's early life before he even becomes President of the United States. Its just as much of a book about TR's father and his family as it is about TR. His father is as interesting a figure as himself. David McCullough does an excellent job of fleshing out all his research into a cohesive and very readable story.
    • 5/5
      This is an early McCullough, but still up to his standards. Of course, it's hard to fail with a character like Teddy Roosevelt, but McCullough's approach of concentrating on his early years and emphasizing his relationships with the rest of the family is especially illuminating. The young Roosevelt was a far different character than the charismatic president, and this book shows how it happened.
    • 2/5
      A big portion of the book focused on the tight knit Roosevelt family and on Theodore Roosevelt' asthma. He excelled at Harvard and much of his asthma affliction went away. The book up to and after Roosevelt's years in Harvard was pretty good. Then after that the book got far less interesting. I got to feeling as if the last half of the book was condensed and all the good stuff was taken out.
    • 4/5
      It took me two weeks to read through this book, but not because it was dull. Quite the contrary--I found it much more compelling than I expected. There's a reason this book is still so highly acclaimed and reviewed after thirty years. McCullough creates an interesting narrative, but the source material helps. The Roosevelts are just plain quirky and interesting. Anyone who delves into research knows original source material is best, and the Roosevelt family kept an incredible number of diaries and letters. Teddy, from the age of ten, kept diaries. As an adult, he wrote many books and was estimated to have written over 150,000 letters. Many of those are cited.Teddy Roosevelt is known for being an asthmatic child, an athletic huntsman as an adult, as a Rough Rider. As a boy he longed for anthropological adventures. He was hunting and doing his own taxidermy before he was a teenager. He was extremely knowledgeable about birds and other wildlife and it's easy to see why as President he did so much to expand the National Park system and establish conservatories. His family was incredibly wealthy but also very close. His older sister, Bamie, was always crippled; other families might have sent her away, but instead the entire family worked around her needs and she became an elderly family matriarch known for her keen mind. Teddy was also tended to by both parents as he suffered from terrible asthma. He wasn't simply handed off to servants. The family lived and suffered together, and survived. His mother was a Georgia girl who became a New York City socialite; during the Civil War, she waited until her pro-Union husband was out of town, and she made care packages to send to her brothers serving in the Confederacy. I could go on and on. There were so many intriguing stories within stories. I really enjoyed the childhood years the most. When Teddy starts into politics, he's harder to relate to. He suffers the terrible blow of losing his beloved mother and his wife on the same day from different illnesses, and just four days after his daughter is born. After that, he retreats to the Bad Lands where he earns respect as a genuine cowboy. I really wish the book had gone on another decade, for my own selfish research purposes, but it ends at a good point: his return to New York City, to a new marriage, and a return to politics.To my own surprise, I'm left wanting to know more about Teddy Roosevelt. I'll be seeking out more books.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating people and family....good read
    • 2/5
      Sad to say it, but I found this book terribly boring. And the narrator, Nelson Runger, made it worse with his slow cadence and lack of energy. I think McCullough picked the most boring section of Roosevelt’s otherwise interesting life and then went over every documented detail with painstaking care. Here’s what I learned about Roosevelt:* He came from a god-awfully rich family and his mother was Southerner * 'Mornings on Horseback' refers to family rides near their summer estate on Long Island when Teddy was a kid, not his Rough Rider days.* During his childhood the most severe adversity TR had to overcome was asthma.* He was well traveled as a child, with a long excursion to Europe and a trip on the Nile.* He was very interested in natural science, liked to shoot every animal in sight and practiced taxidermy.* His first wife and mother died on the same day.* Early in his political career TR got fed up with it and threw his money and some time into a ranch in the Dakotas.There, I just saved you 19 hours of your life. You’re welcome : )
    • 1/5
      Tried to read this one, couldn't get into it. One should read this only if one wants to know the victorian era ultra rich life style.
    • 5/5
      Magnificent book by McCullough. A little hard for me to get into at first, but once I did I found it most intriguing. Really not sure what to think of Mr. Roosevelt; a bit of genius and oddball for sure. I particularly liked the atmosphere of the day and a glimpse into the very top echelons of society at the time. McCullough obviously did his homework.
    • 4/5
      Thorough and engaging biography. I found myself going back and forth as to my feelings for Mr. Roosevelt, but I was always anxious to get back to reading!