An Unlikely Trust

You know their names, and you likely know why you know their names, but you have probably rarely ever associated these two men together. This book explores the unlikely partnership between Roosevelt and Morgan and how it impacts American business. It is a wonderfully researched and constructed book, with plenty of new information and/or perspective to keep even the most ardent Roosevelt admirer engaged.

Helferich's An Unlikely Trust is a great, quick read about the interconnectedness between Roosevelt and Morgan at a time in American history when big business and government began to become interconnected. This work shows what two men in power, albeit different types of power, can accomplish when they think they have the betterment of society at heart, even if they do not realize the true ramifications of their actions. I have read extensively about Roosevelt, including all of the books listed by Helferich in the further reading section of the text, and I still found this book to be an insightful read. Helferich is successful in his task and provides readers with a valuable addition to the history of these two men. Every now and then, it seemed to drift but quickly came back to the point. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys American history, business history, political science, or just wants to gain a better understanding of how business and the American government became reliant and dependant upon one another. This work is very timely based on today's society. I really wish I would have been able to read this work when taking my Theodore Roosevelt graduate class; it would have added a lot to the conversation.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced ebook copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free Kindle copy of An Unlikely Trust by Gerard Helerich courtesy of Net Galley and Rowman Littlefield, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have an interest in presidential biographies and I have read a number on Theodore Roosevelt. 

The subtitle of the book, "Theodore Roosevelt, J. P. Morgan and the Improbable Partnersip that Remade American Business", is a good synopsis of this book. It is well researched and an engaging read. If focuses on the relationship between the two while covering some of their life prior to working together and afterwards.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in American History, Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt in particular and trust busting.

I loved this book! This was an amazing read to learn about the relationship with two giants of their time. I felt the story was engaging, well researched and joy to read.

This is an interesting historical event that is little known today. In the early years of the 20th Century. The nation was on the edge of financial collapse. JP Morgan lead the way among fellow bankers and helped to shore up the national economy. Their actions kept the nation from falling into a Depression. This was made possible thanks to the strange collaboration between Morgan and President Theodore Roosevelt; two men who had more animosity than friendship. For a short time these men came together for the good of the nation.

Usually we see these two figures as the subjects of their own books, where each other is mentioned. But here we have their stories woven together so that we may better understand them independently and together. Very well done. A bit dense, but still worth it.