With rising levels of political turmoil, is it possible to remain friends with those whose beliefs are vastly different from your own? Roosevelt famously “rose like a rocket,” in the political spotlight with his larger-than-life personality, but it was arguably his Machiavellian friend who lit the fuse and used his vast social network to boost Roosevelt. Sharon is joined by author and professor Laurence Jurdem to discuss his book, The Rough Rider and the Professor, about the unusual thirty-five-year political friendship between President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. In his research, Laurence Jurdem immersed himself in 2,500 letters of archives from the Massachusetts Historical Society to write the story of this unique Presidential friendship, and to remind us that close, meaningful friendships do not always have to perfectly align politically. We can disagree without being disagreeable. 

Special thanks to our guest, Laurence Jurdem, for joining us today.