5-STAR REVIEW: AMERICAN DAUGHTERS by Piper Huguley

Publication Date: April 2, 2024

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’s American Daughters vividly brings to life two passionate and vital women who nurtured a friendship that transcended politics and race over a century ago.

Two daughters from different spectrums of the societal realms and powerful political influences become fast friends in American Daughters by Piper Huguley.

The book starts at the beginning of a new century, 1901, where we meet Alice and Portia. Alice is the daughter of US President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, and Portia is the daughter of the founder of the Tuskegee Institute and esteemed orator, educator, and advocate for blacks in America, Booker T. Washington.

Alice and Portia couldn’t be any more different in both social standing and personality. Alice was a wealthy socialite who was expected to marry well, support her husband, and have children, which was essentially all that was expected of women in her social sphere at that time. Alice had other ideas. She was feisty, unconventional, and loved to create waves.

Portia, on the other hand, while in a higher social standing for the black community, was still considered “lower” in the white communities. She was, however, highly educated and exceptionally musically talented. She was also earnest about her music studies and wanted to study music abroad, delaying marriage and children until she had learned all she could about the music she passionately cherished.

What the two women did have in common was their mothers both died when they were young, and their fathers remarried women who were unkind to them. This forged a lifelong bond between two seemingly contrasting characters.

Ms. Huguley artfully moves through each chapter, giving us alternating perspectives from Alice to Portia, highlighting the differences and similarities in their lives as the years progress.

Alice and Portia indeed couldn’t be more different, but there truly was a deep affection and love between them, and Ms. Huguley did great justice to both characters portraying their passions, strengths, and weaknesses.

Strong, bold, and courageous, these American Daughters navigated a world made for men, found a place and made it their own. I highly recommend this incredible read from Piper Huguley featuring two indomitable women.

Piper Huguley is the author of By Her Own Design as well as the Home to Milford College and the Migrations of the Heart series. She is a multiple-time Golden Heart finalist. Piper blogs about the history behind her novels on her website. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and son.