Presidential Libraries
My husband and I enjoy visiting presidential libraries and homes. Mt. Vernon, Monticello, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum are among my favorite places to visit. The depth of information available at presidential libraries, homes, and museums is so impressive; I always learn something new about something old.
The recent opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, has piqued the interest of many to read about Theodore Roosevelt and the Badlands. The Fergus Falls Public Library has an impressive number of books about Theodore Roosevelt, regarding his life, time in office, and his outdoor adventures.
Henry Pringle, in 1931, wrote what would be a Pulitzer Prize-winning book aptly titled “Theodore Roosevelt.” Pringle’s book takes a deep look at the incidents throughout Roosevelt’s life that influenced his career and shaped his character.
Timothy Egan’s “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America,” chronicles the largest-ever forest fire in America. Yet today, it remains the largest forest fire in America. The fire took place in 1910 and blazed across several western states. The book reveals the struggles of the rangers and the work Theodore Roosevelt and chief forester Gifford Pinchot embarked on to promote conservation and the idea of public land.
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism” is an exciting book chronicling presidential campaigns, elections, and the role the press plays in both. Goodwin is renowned for her presidential biographies; once you read one, you will likely want to read another.
Theodore Roosevelt wrote”The Rough Riders” in 1899; the library has an illustrated edition that was published in 2014. This is Roosevelt’s telling of his experience with the regiment he led during the Spanish-American War. The photos and illustrations in this edition add to the reading experience.
In 1992, Nathan Miller released a 600-page-plus comprehensive biography titled “Theodore Roosevelt: A Life,” which covers his presidency, his adventures, and his work as a conservationist.
A few of the other titles available include: “I Rose Like a Rocket: The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt,” by Paul Grondahl, “The Man in the Arena: Selected Writings of Theodore Roosevelt,” edited by Brian M. Thomsen, “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America” by Douglas Brinkley, “Teddy and Booker T.: How two American Icons Blazed a Path for Racial Equality,” by Brian Kilmeade, and “The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt: A Lifetime of Exploration, and The Triumph of the American Natural History” by Darrin Lunde.
The Ken Burns PBS documentary, “The Roosevelts” is also available at the library on DVD. There are other documentaries on President Roosevelt that can be requested from other libraries.
The library has a collection of travel books featuring adventures in North Dakota, including the Bandlands.
I am truly amazed by the number of books by and about President Theodore Roosevelt. If you are planning a future trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, do a little prep work and read up on the President.
By Gail Hedstrom – Library Director