David S. Brown teaches history at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. He is the author of eight books, including In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution; A Hell of a Storm: The Battle for Kansas, the End of Compromise, and the Coming of the Civil War; The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson; The Last American Aristocrat: The Brilliant Life and Improbable Education of Henry Adams; and biographies of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Richard Hofstadter.
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"An elegant and immersive reevaluation of Roosevelt as kickstarter of the American Century." —Publishers Weekly
"[Brown] portrays our 26th president fully, covering his maverick spirit as a soldier and statesman, but also the lifelong racism that influenced some of his policies.” —Bethanne Patrick, The Los Angeles Times
“In the Arena gives us what no other book on Theodore Roosevelt has accomplished: critical perspective relevant for today. Written with heart and superlative skill, David S. Brown details the personal experiences that molded Roosevelt, and in turn shaped the future of domestic and global politics. Brown is a fearless biographer, unafraid to dive into the contradictions and dark moments that make up the complexity of Roosevelt’s life and legacy. Brimming with insight, In the Arena brilliantly weaves together an intimate portrait of Roosevelt with the fate of the United States.” —Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls and The Beast in the Clouds
"Nuanced . . . Brown isn't out to undermine the Roosevelt legend so much as to put it in perspective." —Washington Free Beacon
"[In the Arena] neither succumbs to adoration for its subject nor attempts to destroy him, offering instead a clear-eyed, comprehensive, fast-paced, and unromantic depiction. . . . [the] brisk, digestible chapters make it a propulsive read." —WORLD
“Following his splendid biography of Andrew Jackson, David S. Brown turns to that other great Disruptor-in-Chief, Theodore Roosevelt, and the result is a masterful new life of the 26th president. Elegantly written and smartly paced, In the Arena unpacks the brilliance and bluster—and compassion and cruelty—that made TR the dizzying force he was. Brown is a cool customer of a biographer; he doesn’t get seduced by TR’s many charms, but he doesn’t succumb to easy censure, either. What he does, instead, is very deftly place TR among the events that shaped the man and his nation as they charged headlong into the 20th century. This book is as illuminating as it is entertaining, and as timely—given current American disruptions—as it is both of those.” —Jim Rasenberger, author of Revolver: Sam Colt and the Six-Shooter That Changed America
"A study of Theodore Roosevelt that doesn’t shy from the less palatable sides of his views and character." —Kirkus Reviews
"A magnificent book that puts Theodore Roosevelt back into the context of his times while revealing his relevance to our own. With the energy that brought the Rough Rider to the heights of both San Juan and American politics, David S. Brown packs this great American story into a one-volume biography for the ages." —Jonathan Horn, author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines
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