The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt

The Women Who Created a President

By: Edward F. O'Keefe

Narrated by: Edward F. O'Keefe

Includes an exclusive audio postscript featuring archival recordings of the voices of the Roosevelts, including Theodore (one of the first US presidents to have his voice captured on audio), Eleanor, Edith, Corinne, and Alice.

A spirited and poignant family love story, revealing how an icon of rugged American masculinity was profoundly shaped by the women in his life, especially his mother, sisters, and wives.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his senior thesis for Harvard in 1880 that women ought to be paid equal to men and have the option of keeping their maiden names upon marriage. It’s little surprise he’d be a feminist, given the women he grew up with.

His mother, Mittie, was witty and decisive, a Southern belle raising four young children in New York while her husband spent long stretches away with the Union Army. Theodore’s college sweetheart and first wife, Alice—so vivacious she was known as Sunshine—steered her beau away from science (he’d roam campus with taxidermy specimens in his pockets) and towards politics. Older sister Bamie would soon become her brother’s key political strategist and advisor; journalists called her Washington, DC, home “the Little White House.” Younger sister Conie served as her brother’s press secretary before the role existed, slipping stories of his heroics in Cuba and his rambunctious home life to reporters to create the legend of the Rough Rider we remember today. And Edith—Theodore’s childhood playmate and second wife—would elevate the role of presidential spouse to an American institution, curating both the White House and her husband’s legacy.

A dazzling and lyrical look at the making of one of America’s most remarkable presidents, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt celebrates five extraordinary yet unsung women who opened the door to the American Century and pushed Theodore Roosevelt through it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Edward F. O'Keefe (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“Edward F. O’Keefe has given us an elegant and illuminating account of the human side of one of the most consequential Americans in our history. By detailing Theodore Roosevelt's emotional connections to the women in his life, O’Keefe reminds us that leaders are not made of marble but of heart and flesh. This is a wonderful book.”—Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of And There Was Light

“A graceful, powerful book that lets us into the lives of the remarkable women who shaped an extraordinary man. If you want to truly understand Theodore Roosevelt, this book is an essential guide.”—Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of River of Doubt

“It is not only feasible but advisable to make women equal to men before the law,” Theodore Roosevelt wrote as a Harvard senior, anticipating suffrage by 40 years. The sentiment was consonant with the life, one shaped, advised, fortified, and energized by women. O’Keefe assembles that extraordinary cast here, nimbly cataloguing the strategic, transformative power of Roosevelt’s mother, daughter, sisters, and wives, all of them complicit, to different and often remarkable degrees, in TR’s meteoric career.”—Stacy Schiff, New York Times bestselling author of The Revolutionary

Four essential women in TR’s life

There was just one major defect in this book. His reputation was so tarnished by his treatment of the black soldiers who were innocent. Even when he was presented with information of their innocence. I can only think that perhaps he was a racist like president Truman, who believed Black people had equal rights, but should not have any type of social interaction with white people. In historical context, this was still enlightened thinking for president Truman. More detail on this disastrous presidential decision on the black soldiers would be helpful. It was great that he knew his wife was better with finances. His investment of so much money in the ranch almost appears genetic since Franklin Delano Roosevelt did the same thing with Warm Springs resort

Wonderful book on T.R.

This book is so well researched and well written you feel like you are right there with the Roosevelt family living each moment. I could not stop listening !!

A fresh take on TR

This is a fantastic story told from the viewpoint of the many women behind the man. Wonderfully researched and flows so well. I could not stop listening! The author narrates and has a wonderful voice. (We all know that narrated books live and die with the speaker!) I love reading Presidential biographies and while I have only read the McCullough book on TR, this one has me intrigued to read more about this great President. Also of note: The Roosevelt family recordings at the end were a fabulous bonus. Highly recommend!

Interesting perspective on TR

I enjoyed the angle of examine the role of the important women in Roosevelt’s life in forming the man and the president. I thought the narration was a little dry.

Deep and wide

I appreciated the comprehensiveness and depth of the material presented. The voices of the Roosevelt's in the audio book was a delightful surprise.

Author loves Theodore

The author tended to go on and on about Theodore Roosevelt that had nothing to do with the women in his life. I was disappointed by the lack of Alice Roosevelt Longsworth not having a voice in this story.