Heir to the Empire City, Edward P. Kohn
Heir to the Empire City, Edward P. Kohn
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Heir to the Empire City
New York and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt

Author: Edward P. Kohn

Narrator: Nick Sullivan

Unabridged: 9 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: AudioGO

Published: 12/10/2013

Synopsis

Theodore Roosevelt is best remembered as Americas prototypical cowboy presidenta Rough Rider who derived his political wisdom from a youth spent in the untamed American West. But while the great outdoors certainly shaped Roosevelts identity, historian Edward P. Kohn argues that it was his hometown of New York that made him the progressive president we celebrate today. During his early political career, Roosevelt took on local Republican factions and Tammany Hall Democrats alike, proving his commitment to reform at all costs. He combated the citys rampant corruption and helped to guide New York through the perils of rabid urbanization and the challenges of accommodating an influx of immigrantsexperiences that would serve him well as president of the United States. A riveting account of a man and a city on the brink of greatness, Heir to the Empire City reveals that Roosevelts true education took place not in the West but on the mean streets of nineteenth-century New York.

About Edward P. Kohn

Edward P. Kohn is assistant professor of
American history and chair of the American Culture and Literature Department at
Bilkent University in Turkey. He earned his PhD from McGill University. The
author of Hot Time in the Old Town and This Kindred
People, Kohn has been named a top young historian by History News Network.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark on July 28, 2016

It was difficult deciding whether to give this book 2 stars or 3 stars. This may be the weakest biography on Roosevelt that I've read (and I've read about 20). The 3 star rating is earned by the author's frankness in revealing Roosevelt's often overlooked prejudices, especially those concerning the......more

Goodreads review by Laura on February 03, 2014

Good book but it isn't entirely convincing of its main thesis: that Theodore Roosevelt was a man shaped more by New York City than he was by the American West. There are several contradictory aspects of Roosevelt's life, but the book doesn't really acknowledge those. The writing style is also a but......more

Goodreads review by Chris on April 25, 2024

A book recounting the early political years of Roosevelt's career. It focuses on city and state government roles and honestly I don't really care about him being an alderman and various offices. It makes the claim that New York is really what shaped Roosevelt, and for certain that's at least partly......more

Goodreads review by Mantsch on March 21, 2014

Some interesting arguments on how NYC did more to shape T.R. than most people appreciate. Not the most stirring writing though.......more

Goodreads review by Eric on July 28, 2020

Fascinating stuff. Kohn makes a strong argument that TR's NYC roots defined his political skills, primary motivations/priorities and finally, his popular appeal. From cleaning the streets to cleaning up the police force, TR's head and heart were mostly in the right place. His actions on NY's alcohol......more

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