The Bully Pulpit

Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

By: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

After Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin wields her magic on another larger-than-life president, and another momentous and raucous American time period as she brings Theodore Roosevelt, the muckraking journalists, and the Progressive Era to life.

As she focused on the relationships between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in No Ordinary Time, and on Lincoln and his team in Team of Rivals, Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press - including legendary journalists Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, William Allen White, and editor Sam McClure - Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture between the two led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that resulted in the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson and the diminishment of Theodore Roosevelt's progressive wing of the Republican Party.

Like Goodwin's chronicles of the Civil War and the Great Depression, The Bully Pulpit describes a time in our history that enlightened and changed the country, ushered in the modern age, and produced some unforgettable men and women.

©2013 Doris Kearns Goodwin (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

“Few audio productions this year are likely to match, or deserve as much praise as, this history of the Progressive Era and the presidential friendship that shaped, and was destroyed by, its politics… Edward Herrmann is simply her most simpatico reader…his steady, unflagging delivery is perfectly attuned to her narrative voice and, without mimicry, to the broad array of voices, personalities, and events that highlight this rich personal and social drama.” ( AudioFile)

“Swiftly moving account of a friendship that turned sour, broke a political party in two and involved an insistent, omnipresent press corps. . . . It’s no small achievement to have something new to say on Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency, but Goodwin succeeds admirably. A notable, psychologically charged study in leadership.” ( Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review)

Regret did not have time for unabridged

What made the experience of listening to The Bully Pulpit the most enjoyable?

The reader and the story of Taft

What did you like best about this story?

Stories about Taft

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

Herrmannno could make phone book sound good

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The hidden Taft

Any additional comments?

No

Good not Great

The book provides decent brief biographies of Rosevelt, Taft and a couple of journalists. But it doesn’t really deliver on its promise to examine the bully pulpit and its significance in American political history. As such, it falls short of some of Doris Kearns Godwin’s other books.

But Edward Hermann is the best narrator ever. I’d listen to him read the phone book.

The Bully Pulpit

I enjoyed this book. Huge fan of Edward Hermann. Great narrator. Learned quite a bit about Taft. I knew more about Roosevelt as most people do. Didn't know that they were such great friends. It dragged a little right after Taft became President, but it did pick up again. If you like reading 📚 about history, this is a good one.

Great book and great performance.

This book was well written and performed well. The author was clearly enamored with progressiveness. It was a great introduction to TR and Taft but didn’t seem to provide balance or criticism when due.

What a Great Book!

I loved this book and I learned so much about Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism. I’m a retired teacher of mostly 5th grade language arts, reading and U.S. History. Although I taught about the Progressive Era and about the muckrakers and used Sinclair Lewis as a source for the expose of the meat-packing industry, I learned so very much more about era. Wonderful writing and marvelous reading experience! Sara Slamp

Loved it.

I enjoy history. This covered an area I wasn't familiar with. It was well written and well read. Kept my attention over many miles.