THE READING GROUP

     Among the many interest groups at Kendal is the Book Group, which has been selecting a book several months each year, and after reading it, gathering for a group discussion.  According to the convener, there are only two rules: comments must focus only on the book, and only one person speaks at a time.

     This month's book? Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2013 history/biography THE BULLY PULPIT: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism.

      In August, the reading period was extended into September because of the length of the book--752 pages plus 115 pages of notes.  Still, the Group had it largest attendance (23), apparently because of both the topics and the author.  Of those, over half had read the entire book (13) or listened  on 18 hours of recordings (2).  Others were still reading with most intending to finish, and a few had not read it, but came to listen.

     Virtually every reader had been fully engaged with the story of how Teddy Roosevelt, Will Taft, and the progressive journalists of their period, had engaged individually, together, and sometimes in direct opposition, in working to change the direction of the U.S. government, amidst a burst of industrialization, from a laissez faire idea to a functional, regulated system, toward which we continue to struggle.

      Some did sneak in personal reasons for their interest: a shared home town or alma mater, a commitment to a similar cause, a family tie or memory, or a professional interest.  But most comments were either evaluative of a particular action or individual, analytical regarding the author's "take" on one or more of her subjects, or personal insights drawn from the text.  A new member of the community could hardly help but observe the intellectual capacity, and the willingness, of members to engage in a truly complex but exceedingly well wrought book, with individual insights, observations, and questions.

       Rather obvious, of course, were the many vexing similarities of that historical period's issues to today's ongoing battles--a bitterly divided Congress, internally divisive political parties, policy bought by special interests, isolationism versus globalism, voter suppression, environmental concerns, etc.

      Of special interest to this group was the detail in which Goodwin explores the importance of the relationships between many players--fathers and sons, sons and mothers, husbands and wives, politician and journalist, journalist and publisher, even wives and wives.  The relationship theme caused some to believe that this richness was necessarily the product of a woman author, and most to decry the loss of letterwriting which would make such research unlikely if not impossible today.

    One reader likened the book to a love story and to The Bible--a collection of stories, each with its own meaning.  Another thought it was perhaps unfair in its evaluation of Taft, and of the value of different styles of leadership.  Some were surprised and disappointed by the older Roosevelt's behavior in his effort to retain power.  Others cited Goodwin's constant recognition of secondary players, local politicos, wives, aides, brother and sisters.

      Unfortunately, the one hour discussion was apparently insufficient for enough discussion of the roles played by the journalists, except for the opportunity they had for both thorough investigation and serious readership.  While true that tariff battles can seem boring, most of the major issues, and critical roles of Sam McClure, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Ray Baker, Jacob Riis and others could have received more discussion if there had been more time.  And no one mentioned Archie Butts....

meh 9/26/14