Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
, subject: Theodore Roosevelt's family, childhood, early life, and formation through about age 27, 1981
A Roosevelt who races up the stairs: McCullough’s account of his early life treats intensity as a matter of daily pace, not only of big achievements.
About the book
Drawing on thousands of Roosevelt family letters, McCullough portrays the household around the boy: his reforming father, his Southern-born mother Mittie, his sister Bamie and his brother Elliott. A full chapter examines the asthma attacks, and the book closes with the Badlands years in which Roosevelt came into his own.
Why read it
Best if you want to see what living intensely looks like in practice, through Roosevelt’s early life and a scene as small as a race up the stairs.
Key themes
- Living intensely in every moment
- Urgency you can see
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #156, #168, #171, #175
This record is supported by 9 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Theodore Roosevelt — David identifies Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough as the book he is discussing in this episode.
- Larry Miller (Driven: An Autobiography) — David identifies this McCullough biography of Teddy Roosevelt as Founders No. 156.
- Chuck Feeney (The Billionaire who gave all of his money away) — David names Mornings on Horseback and uses its Roosevelt stair-racing anecdote to illustrate Chuck Feeney's physical speed and urgency.
- Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey — David connects Roosevelt's early-life background to his earlier coverage of Mornings on Horseback on Founders #156.