American Daughters
A Novel
Piper Huguley
- In
- the
- vein
- of
- America’s
- First
- Daughter,
- Piper
- Huguley’s
- historical
- novel
- delves
- into
- the
- remarkable
- friendship
- of
- Portia
- Washington
- and
- Alice
- Roosevelt,
- the
- daughters
- of
- educator
- Booker
- T.
- Washington
- and
- President
- Teddy
- Roosevelt.At
- the
- turn
- of
- the
- twentieth
- century,
- in
- a
- time
- of
- great
- change,
- two
- women—separated
- by
- societal
- status
- and
- culture
- but
- bound
- by
- their
- expected
- roles
- as
- the
- daughters
- of
- famed
- statesmen—forged
- a
- lifelong
- friendship.Portia
- Washington’s
- father
- Booker
- T.
- Washington
- was
- formerly
- enslaved
- and
- spent
- his
- life
- championing
- the
- empowerment
- of
- Black
- Americans
- through
- his
- school,
- known
- popularly
- as
- Tuskegee
- Institute,
- as
- well
- as
- his
- political
- connections.
- Dedicated
- to
- her
- father’s
- values,
- Portia
- contributed
- by
- teaching
- and
- performing
- spirituals
- and
- classical
- music.
- But
- a
- marriage
- to
- a
- controlling
- and
- jealous
- husband
- made
- fulfilling
- her
- dreams
- much
- more
- difficult.When
- Theodore
- Roosevelt
- assumed
- the
- presidency,
- his
- eldest
- daughter
- Alice
- Roosevelt
- joined
- him
- in
- the
- White
- House.
- To
- try
- to
- win
- her
- father’s
- approval,
- she
- eagerly
- jumped
- in
- to
- help
- him
- succeed,
- but
- Alice’s
- political
- savvy
- and
- nonconformist
- behavior
- alienated
- as
- well
- as
- intrigued
- his
- opponents
- and
- allies.
- When
- she
- married
- a
- congressman,
- she
- carved
- out
- her
- own
- agendas
- and
- continued
- espousing
- women’s
- rights
- and
- progressive
- causes.Brought
- together
- in
- the
- wake
- of
- their
- fathers’
- friendship,
- these
- bright
- and
- fascinating
- women
- helped
- each
- other
- struggle
- through
- marriages,
- pregnancies,
- and
- political
- upheaval,
- supporting
- each
- other
- throughout
- their
- lives.A
- provocative
- historical
- novel
- and
- revealing
- portrait,
- Piper
- Huguley’sAmerican
- Daughters
- vividly
- brings
- to
- life
- two
- passionate
- and
- vital
- women
- who
- nurtured
- a
- friendship
- that
- transcended
- politics
- and
- race
- over
- a
- century ago.
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