The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses
Theodore Roosevelt · ★★★★☆ · 620 pages · 1899
The strenuous life is a collection of speeches and addresses that Roosevelt gave to encourage Americans to achieve Manifest Destiny. The book has both positive and negative qualities. The negative include Theodore's call to take land from the Native Americans and civilize them. But the positives are just as relevant today as they were then. A call to work not only to improve yourself but also to help grow the community, that every person has a role in society to uplift each other, that we can work to improve ourselves with limited welfare.
At the same time these come off as a bit preachy since Theodore was given a golden spoon which others didn't have. But he did hold the view that America by and large was a classless society in the Old World sense and manliness and virtue were what Americans value to grow the nation. It was people who took risks who made America and expanded it.
Overall quite a good read save the few parts where it becomes a bit preachy. A great call to action, if ever, to do your civic duty as an American and get off your ass.