The larger-than-life historical figure Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with his youngest son Quentin killed in a war that his father championed will be explored Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Westport Library.
Eric Burns: at earlier Library appearance (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com
Westport author Eric Burns will read excerpts from and discuss his latest nonfiction book, “The Golden Lad: The Haunting Story of Quentin and Theodore Roosevelt,” a probing look into the personal side of the former president and Rough Rider who continues to fascinate historians and readers.
In addition to serving as president more than a century ago, TR as he became known, was revered as a Spanish-American war hero, the man who reformed the New York Police Department, busted the largest railroad and oil trusts, passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, created national parks and forests, won the Nobel Peace Prize and built the Panama Canal.
But according to Burns, it was the cause Roosevelt championed the hardest—America’s entry in to World War I—that would ultimately cause his downfall. His youngest son, Quentin, would die in an air fight.
Burns is a former correspondent for NBC News and the “Today Show.” For 10 years he hosted “Fox News Watch” and won an Emmy for media criticism.
He is also the author of “1920: The Year that Made the Decade Roar, “Infamous Scribblers,” “The Spirits of America” and “The Smoke of the Gods,” The latter two were named “Best of the Best” by the American Library Association.
For further information, phone (203)291-4800, or visit http://www.westportlibrary.org.
