American Daughters

"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. ... Brought together in the wake of their fathers' friendship, these ... women helped each other struggle through marriages, pregnancies, and political upheaval, supporting each other throughout their lives"--