Pete’s Pick
October 2025
The Old Lion: A Novel of Thoedore Roosevelt
Jeff Shaara
Biographical Fiction
St. Martin’s Press, May 16, 2023
Introduction
This book is a biography of Theodore Roosevelt told through the eyes of Theodore Roosevelt. By that I mean that Shaara tells the story as if Theodore Roosevelt is narrating the story himself. This is a common way for Jeff Shaara to write his novels.
Author
Jeff Shaara is the award-winning New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Old Lion and The Shadow of War, as well as Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure—two novels that complete his father’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, The Killer Angels.
Story
This book tells the story of Theodore Roosevelt from his years as a young lad in the late 1800’s growing up in a wealthy home in New York City, through his difficult years after the death of his first wife Alice and his retreat to the Badlands of North Dakota, to his entrance into New York State politics and, ultimately, his entrance into national politics as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, then Vice President, and assumed the Presidency upon the death of President McKinley from assassination.
Shaara has a fascinating way of letting us look at the world around Theodore Roosevelt through his own eyes as Roosevelt relates what he is thinking and feeling about everything. We get to see Roosevelt as a 7-year-old develop an interest in zoology and then his interest in birds leading to his expertise in ornithology. His interest in the natural world around him stayed with him his entire life. He became experienced in taxidermy and filled his boyhood home with many of the creatures he was able to restore from his skill in taxidermy. For all of his life, Roosevelt suffered particularly from asthma. He had many serious episodes growing up. However, he learned that being outside and exercising was very helpful in controlling the onset of these episodes, and that led to him being extraordinarily fit as a young man.
We journey with Roosevelt through his years of frustration with New York State politics. A
hallmark of his years in Albany were his efforts to fight corruption at all levels of government. He aspired to be the Speaker of the New York State Assembly but ultimately lost that goal. Eventually he “retired” from politics and moved out to the Badlands of North Dakota. He spent many years living there and learning the ranching business and then moving back and forth between North Dakota and New York has he pursued his political career.
Theodore Roosevelt entered U. S. government service when President Grover Cleveland appointed him Commissioner of the U.S. Civil Service Commission. After the presidential election of 1896, President McKinley appointed Roosevelt as his Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In that position, Roosevelt pushed hard for a buildup of the navy fleet. During the late 1890’s, Roosevelt began advocating for the expulsion of Spain from Cuba. When the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havanna harbor, Roosevelt ordered a naval expedition to respond. Ultimately, the U.S. declared war on Spain and the Spanish-American War began. Roosevelt resigned from the government and successfully lobbied to an appointment as an officer in the cavalry to fight during the war. Through Shaara’s writing, we get to see the great difficulties experienced by the U.S. military fighting that war. And, we got to learn about Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders regiment.
Ultimately, we see Roosevelt assume the Presidency after the assassination of President
McKinley. We are able to see many of the initiatives that President Roosevelt achieved,
including building up the National Parks system. We follow Roosevelt into his twilight years in Oyster Bay as his body begins to fail him but his mind never rests. We follow him right to the end at 4:15 a.m., January 6, 1919.
Evaluation
I have always loved Jeff Shaara’s writing style. I started reading his novels when I was in the U.S. Army and was working in the Pentagon the last years of my military career. Shaara is always able to help us see the world through the eyes of the characters in his books, which is more intimate than simply writing about those characters. I picked up this novel after hearing a lecture by Doris Goodwin Kearns on her three most favorite Presidents. Theodore Roosevelt is on top of her list. Afterwards, I searched online for books about Theodore Roosevelt. There are many. However, when I saw Jeff Shaara’s novel, I knew that was the one I wanted to read. I was absolutely entranced. It held me for the couple hours each day that I read over a period of several days. I was actually sad when the book ended. But, I have learned a lot about this great man, this incredible patriot, and this amazing President.
If you like history, you will love this.