Review of "Forging a President: How the Wild West Created Teddy Roosevelt," by William Hazelgrove

Review of

Forging a President: How the Wild West Created Teddy Roosevelt, by William Hazelgrove ISBN 978-1-62157-4767

Five out of five stars

 A very sickly, asthmatic child, many people believed that Theodore Roosevelt would never live to adulthood. Growing up in a time when there was little in the way of treatments for his respiratory ailments, his father would hitch up a buggy, drive the team as fast as possible and have young Theodore put his head into the wind so that air would be forced into his lungs.

 Yet, survive to adulthood he did, only to have his wife and mother die within a few hours of each other. A semi-broken man, he handed his daughter over to a relative and left political life for the last vestiges of the frontier in what was then the Dakota Territory. It was indeed a wild time with no law other than what one could make for themselves, an environment where only the strong survived.  

 In many ways harboring what we would now describe as a “death wish,” Roosevelt went out there and literally faced down murderous men and Native Americans, operated outdoors in the most horrific of weather conditions and was a true cowboy, working on and owning a cattle ranch. Often mistaken for a soft gentleman from the east due to his looks and educated speech, Roosevelt never hesitated to stand his ground. There were many times when he could easily have become just another largely anonymous death in the savage land of the Dakotas in the 1880’s.

 This book is a great adventure tale of the actions of Theodore Roosevelt during this period of his life. So much of the western genre of entertainment is exaggerated for effect, in this case, it all really happened. Wild rides during a stampede, getting down off his horse and taking aim at one of the members of a band of Native Americans in a time when both sides hunted down and killed members of the other, acting as a lawman in tracking down thieves, punching out a man threatening him and enduring desert heat and Arctic cold. Properly done, it would be a great movie.

 In terms of overall activity, Theodore Roosevelt was the most accomplished president of the United States. He was a soldier on the ground in war, personally hearing the bullets flying about him, he served in many different political offices. His achievements as president are significant, he created the national conservation movement and was the author of 47 books covering a wide range of topics.

 This is the story of how this extraordinary man barely escaped death many times and was turned into the man with the grit to become an effective president from a man that openly expressed his desire to die.

Review of "Rescue Thyself: Change in Sub-Sahara Africa Must Come From Within," by Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni

Review of

Rescue Thyself: Change in Sub-Sahara Africa Must Come From Within, by Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni ISBN 9780761868910

Five out of five stars

 There is no question that the condition of the populations of the nations of Africa south of the Sahara Desert is appalling. Despite billions of dollars of aid being supplied by wealthier nations and a general abundance of natural resources, most of the people barely survive on a few dollars a day. The overwhelming majority of the poorest nations on Earth are in this region and development project after development project has failed miserably.

 The author is a native Nigerian and offers an obvious, yet extremely difficult solution to the seemingly hopeless cycle of poverty in those nations. A change in the actions of the small leadership class. In most of those nations, rising to a high position in the government is a license to loot the treasury and place trusted cronies in subordinate positions where they can do the same. People at all levels of the government feel no mandate to operate the country for the people.

 As is always the case when the solution is a major change, the question becomes, “How can it be implemented?” People in positions where the historical record is that they will earn millions will not easily give up such opportunities. Ayeni relies on logical, moral and religious arguments and political forces emanating from the bottom up. He also issues an appeal to the leaders to embrace and act on their responsibilities to the governed. The arguments Ayeni puts forward remind me of some of the actions in the historical record of the enlightened despots. Absolute monarchs that nevertheless did things that improved the lives of the people they ruled.

 This is an interesting book, both optimistic and pessimistic. Pessimistic in the sense that the reader is reminded of how much money has been invested with little improvement, yet optimistic in the sense that new technologies are making revolutionary change possible. So there is hope.

Review of "Dinosaurs and How They Lived," by Steve Parker

Review of

Dinosaurs and How They Lived, by Steve Parker ISBN 1879431130

Five out of five stars

 This book is a superb primer on the ancient creatures described by the generic term “dinosaur.” From the smallest ancient lizard to the most massive herbivores and carnivores, they are all described in brief, yet fairly complete detail.

 As is the case with nearly all publications where scientific work has continued for decades since it appeared, there are some aspects that are a bit outdated. That does not change the overall fascination with which the individual with an interest in dinosaurs will read it. People of all ages can read this book and learn a great deal about these animals that were once dominant and are now the objects of imagination, study and speculation.