Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt served from 1901 to 1909 and became one of the biggest forces behind the Progressive Era. Roosevelt also became notable for the books he wrote as well as for overcoming serious asthma as a child and turning into a symbol of masculinity. Through the Brazilian Wilderness is a book that details Roosevelt's journey through hundreds of miles of an unknown river in Brazil over a period of 2 months.