Teddy Roosevelt Book
I love biographies and I'm eating up this one on TR. Great content so far: - His father was an honorable, hard working, compassionate, manly guy. Very successful as a businessman and he devoted much of time to helping poor people and promoting social reform. He advocated a "muscular Christianity" in which he encouraged TR to memorize lots of bible stories and beat up bullies. He also encouraged TR not to give in to his asthma but overcome it. He took his family all over Europe (in the mid 1800s) and had TR study German, Italian and another language I believe. He always felt bad about not serving in the civil war but this seems to be the one flaw of an otherwise remarkable and inspiring life. He died at age 47 from a tumor when TR was in college at Harvard.
- TR, his wife and his young kids made a point to live an active life filled with playing outside, reading all kinds of books and poetry and lots of "rambling." TR had a policy that on hikes they could go "over, under or through" whatever rock, lake or hill was in front of them. But never around. He also told his young son, who also suffered from asthma, that he needed to make a point to beat up bullies.