"Ragtime" by E. L. Doctorow Book Review

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ragtime is set in America at the beginning of the 20th century. Its characters: three remarkable families whose lives become entwined with people whose names are Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emilio Zapata.

It is a novel so original, so full of imagination and subtle pleasure, that to describe it further would only dilute the pure joy of reading. Turn to the first page. Begin. You will never have read anything like Ragtime before. Nothing quite like it has ever been written before.

This was a fantastic book! I recommend anyone in high school or older to read it. I had heard about this book because of a somewhat famous musical that is based on it, though I haven't seen it or heard any of its music so I couldn't tell you if they are at all alike. The musical did win a Tony though. Onto the book...

It's written so differently than what I am used to reading that it blew my mind! I actually kind of liked how the dialogue was written, without quotations, so it was like you could decide on your own whether the character said something or not. Realistically, they had to have said some or most of it, but they didn't have to say everything, the story could continue the way it was going regardless of whether one character said something or not. So some of it could be sitting there for just the reader to know about it, but the other characters may or may not have known anything more than what was told to them.

It was interesting that the author used one family whose members don't have names, or at least not important ones, to tell the history of the country's most famous people who shaped an era in everything; in media, beauty and style there was Evelyn Nesbit (who is the only person whom I was familiar with), in business there was J. P. Morgan and Henry Ford, in psychology there was Sigmund Freud (I loved the bit where the author says he took his vengeance on America by ruining sex for everyone which is so true), in entertainment there was Harry Houdini (who is a fascinating person and I am going to hunt down a good biography of him and learn me some), and in politics there was Emma Goldman (who I didn't know existed before I got this book so one day I will learn about her as well). I'm really glad the family members didn't have names because sometimes I have trouble remembering characters who only appear every so often. I can remember 'Younger Brother', but I can't always remember who the hell 'Tom' (as an example) is supposed to be.

The most fascinating characters were the ones the author made up: Coalhouse Walker and Susan, Tateh and his daughter. Their growth over the course of the story is exactly the opposite of each other and I can't help but think that the author was trying to make a statement using them but I am too dumb to grasp it and put it into words. It is interesting that the author was able to use the gaps in time for all the really famous people and string them all together like he did.

A short and fast portrait of America's most famous people. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

View all my reviews

Five out of five Model Ts.

"Lion in the White House" Book Review

Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt by Aida D. Donald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"New York State Assemblyman, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, New York City Police Commissioner, Governor of New York, Vice President and, at forty-two, the youngest President ever-in his own words, Theodore Roosevelt "rose like a rocket." He was also a cowboy, a soldier, a historian, an intrepid explorer, and an unsurpassed environmentalist-all in all, perhaps the most accomplished Chief Executive in our nation’s history. In Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt, historian Aida Donald masterfully chronicles the life of this first modern president. TR’s accomplishments in office were immense. As President, Roosevelt redesigned the office of Chief Executive and the workings of the Republican Party to meet the challenges of the new industrial economy. Believing that the emerging aristocracy of wealth represented a genuine threat to democracy, TR broke trusts to curb the rapacity of big business. He improved economic and social conditions for the average American. Roosevelt built the Panama Canal and engaged the country in world affairs, putting a temporary end to American isolationism. And he won the Nobel Peace Prize-the only sitting president ever so honored. Throughout his public career, TR fought valiantly to steer the GOP back to its noblest ideals as embodied by Abraham Lincoln. Alas, his hopes for his party were quashed by the GOP’s strong rightward turn in the years after he left office. But his vision for America lives on. In lapidary prose, this concise biography recounts the courageous life of one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known."

At long last, I have finished this biography. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't call it the definitive work on his life. Anyone can tell that by the short length of it alone.

I feel as if "The River of Doubt" was a better book if only about a very short period of his life. It captured the intensity of that journey and was very well-researched.

This book was also well-researched as the author herself stated in the Acknowledgements section. I got this at a bargain price and was looking forward to reading it. I like Theodore Roosevelt but I wanted to become more educated about him and his legendary status. This book should be used as an introduction to his character. I'm working myself up to his autobiographies. He is a whirlwind of a personality and I want to prepare more before facing it completely.

View all my reviews

I hereby declare thee book worthy of 4 out of 5 stars.