Mornings on Horseback Review - Book Report/Review Example

McCullough clearly brings out the tale of the remarkable young boy, Roosevelt, who was seriously handicapped by asthma attacks that were recurrent and nearly fatal and his struggle to manhood. The book covers a period of 17 years, from 1869 when Roosevelt was 10 years old to 1886. This is the time, when Roosevelt, as a real life cowboy who was already hardened, comes back from the West to pick up the pieces of a life that was shattered and begins anew. He was now a grown man, whole in spirit and body.

The book is therefore an excellent revelation of the inner man in Roosevelt as it giving an account of his battle against dreadful odds. These are the battles that yielded the strong and courageous life of Roosevelt as a president. Even in his presidency, the cowboy person was still evident in Roosevelt. McCullough brings out the picture of the early childhood illnesses that Roosevelt went through. McCullough explains that Roosevelt’s asthma attacks were bad and kept recurring. There are known causes of asthma like dust, pollen, strong perfumes, exposure to chilly weather among others.

However, McCullough does not only brings to light Roosevelt’s fight with asthma. . Using these materials, McCullough picks out days of little social interaction and days of long lectures as some of them. He also argues that Roosevelt may not have loved Sundays. The author also finds evidence of Saturday attacks. Whenever he was attacked, Roosevelt had to be taken to a different atmosphere where he could easily breathe or was simply rested. This shows how fragile Roosevelt was, a contrast to the type of man he had grown to be as president.

McCullough clearly brings out Roosevelt’s a clear metamorphosis from a sickly boy to a strong young man by documenting how the change in Roosevelt’s environment and his physical challenges strengthened his spirit and body through adventure. The author makes the book interesting by describing Roosevelt as a man who saw things in clear black and white. Through this, the author reveals the kind of man Roosevelt was what he believed in and how his perception or take on certain issues made him to become a great leader.

At times, these are also the things that brought downfall in early politics. Roosevelt grew up be an honest and forthright man, whether people agreed with him or not. This is seen from his experience when he was a rancher out west. One day, Roosevelt found a man in the ranch branding a calf that was not clearly marked as theirs. He fired him the same day saying, "A man who will steal for me, will steal from me” (McCullough, 1982, p15). For a weak author, some tales of Roosevelt's childhood would have been enough and this would have been unconvincing in presenting the things that shaped the life of Roosevelt.

However, McCullough proofs to be a better author because he recognises the importance of the details of Roosevelt's family and brings them out. For example, he reveals that the family was