THEODORE ROOSEVELT: The Strenuous Life
By
The strenuous life includes appropriate attention to the political personality and President in this informed but curiously dispirited biography; chiefly, it is the cartoons that add pungency to the presentation. The author does acknowledge Roosevelt's overcompensating aggressiveness, his tendency to view issues as black or white, his intolerance of opposition, his supreme ego; and he pays tribute to the determination that overcame fear and physical weakness, the wide-ranging interests and quick mind, the gift for language and for being a father, the accomplishments, substantial in their time if now overshadowed, of the public figure. Only the ""vivid and colorful"" style that Mr. Garraty attributes to T.R. is lacking--but it is the best choice for the post-Judson reader, and the illustrations double the interest.