This post originally appeared in the Art Of Manliness ‘Trunk’ – a collection of cool stuff we find while wandering the vast deserts of the world wide web.
Its no secret that we’re big fans of Theodore Roosevelt on the Art of Manliness. No man is perfect, but he’s as close as you can get to a true paragon of manliness. Virtuous and industrious, he was devoted to living the strenuous life and accomplished more in his lifetime than most men can even dream about. Reading about his life has been a constant source of inspiration to me.
I get a lot of emails asking which TR-themed books I recommend. So in honor of Roosevelt’s 153rd birthday, here are a few recommendations:
When it comes to biographies, I think the best are the three books Edmund Morris wrote: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and Colonel Roosevelt. Each book covers a different stage of TR’s life, and reading the trilogy will give you an in-depth look at Teddy’s life.
If you’re looking for practical take-away lessons from TR’s life, check out Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership. Author James Strock does a fantastic job of distilling leadership principles from the experiences of Roosevelt’s life.
If you want to read the writings of the man himself, dig into The Strenuous Life. It’s a collection of some of his best essays and addresses and it offers plenty of thought-provoking content and bull moose-style inspriation. And you can read it for free on Google books.
Once you’ve read all those, if you’re still thirsty for more TR, definitely give the River of Doubt a read. It’s an engrossing look at the arduous Amazonian journey TR took at the end of his life. If you aren’t in awe of TR after reading the above books, this will give you a real appreciation for the man.