What a great read for women's history month. I love Piper's historical fiction novels. This would be amazing, in my opinion, in audio. As others mentioned the timeline muddles for me and the pace is slower than i'd like. Still a must-read if you like fiction about people you rarely hear from about.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was unbelievably excited when I heard that Piper Huguley’s next book would be about the friendship between Alice Roosevelt and Portia Washington. Coming out amid a surge of historical fiction highlighting interracial friendships between prominent historical figures, I continue to be stunned at what gets left to the margins of history, especially as I’ve previously read a book about Alice with no mentions of Portia. I also knew next to nothing about Booker T. Washington, never mind that he had a daughter. American Daughters aims to correct this, and more or less succeeds.
I love how the narrative explores not just the parallels between Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington, which made them meeting so significant in the racially fraught times of the early twentieth century, but how Alice and Portia bonded as the daughters of these very important men with all these expectations placed on them. In spite of racial lines dividing them, I was stunned to see how their lives paralleled, with both of them being whip-smart and very like their fathers, but being held back by the gender roles of the time. Both end up in emotionally stifling, loveless marriages, and struggle to try to achieve their dreams and continue their work alongside their respective fathers.
But while the book did highlight this fairly well, I feel like the structural choices hindered the overall thesis of the book as much as it helped. The timeline is not entirely linear, with it going on a tangent following one of them, than going back to catch the reader up on the other. It was most frustrating when Portia was experiencing motherhood, and there was an offhand comment after seeing Alice that she “wouldn’t see her again until she became a mother herself,” and then there was a big recap of everything that happened since we last saw Alice before we were previously following Portia. I feel like their bond would have been more effective if we had seen their lives play out chronologically alongside one another, and be allowed to connect the dots for ourselves, instead of it being built around highlighting their similarities so bluntly to the point of almost fudging the timelines.
That minor issue aside, I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to readers interested in historical fiction about the families of US presidents and other prominent historical figures, and stories highlighting the friendships across racial lines throughout history.

American Daughters by Piper Hughley focuses on two women who are divided by the color of their skin in a time where the world was changing; one the world knew as the President’s wild child daughter, and the other not nearly as explored, but also lived a truly interesting life.

The novel opens with the meeting of these two famous daughters, Alice Roosevelt and the daughter of Booker T. Washington, Portia Washington. Alice is considered an American Princess, being the first daughter and oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States. Portia and Alice begin a friendship despite the discouragement of the day they lived in, that lasts all their lives. We follow as Portia and Alice grow as women, one (Alice) living life as she pleases, falling in love and flirting with a cad of a man, smoking on the roof of the White House, and infamously carrying her pet snake in her purse to many a formal event. The other, (Portia) longs to study in Germany with the music masters of the day after she finishes college, despite a man wishing for her hand. Both girls have unconventional courtships before marrying men who they both find wanting, but remain friends through out each milestone.

I would highly recommend this novel for fans of women’s history, and historical fiction. I do advise readers to keep a close eye on the time lines of the chapters as sometimes it can get a little confusing. I do look forward to reading more of Piper Hugley’s work, and I would love to see more about Portia Washington.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

Two daughters of prominent men meet and develop an amicable relationship over many decades of life despite knowing that such a relationship would not be appropriate in the world they occupied. I found some of the scenes jarring and discordant but even that does not take away from this tour de force. A book to make one reflect on history and how past and present intermingle. And on the strength of those who step outside the bounds expected of them.

This is a well-researched book for readers who enjoy historical women’s fiction. The pace was a little slow for me, and at the same time, the story moved through time in a way that meant I couldn’t really settle into the story.

Thanks. NetGalley, for the ARC.

Highly entertaining. Well-written narrative about Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt and their unique friendship.

Issues of race. class, politics are woven into a story about two women sometimes surviving but often taking agency in a world that remains the same, while also evolving foe women and Black Americans.

As with all this author's work, it is well-researched and original.

I have seen books about Alice Roosevelt being the wild child but I always enjoy a historical fiction tale so I was excited to get this ARC. This book is about Alice Roosevelt and Portia Washington, the daughters of Teddy Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington. In 1901, Teddy Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to the White House and the country exploded! A black man invited to the White House? Alice and Portia struck up a friendship, although it doesn't seem like they saw each other much because of their busy lives. They both married crap husbands which was not fun to read about. Most of this book is back and forth about the women's individual lives because there are not too many records of them actually being together. Alice was white and led a very privileged life while Portia had to work hard for her life. Both women lost their mothers which I did not know and their fathers remarried. Alice was named after her mother and her father could never even say her name. How sad was that? It was an interesting book and I may look into further reading of both women.

-"I don't want you to get into trouble."
"Getting into trouble is what I do best."

-I never knew any part of my father so well as I knew the back of him.

In Author's note:
My hopes are that in reading a reconstruction of their relationship, more of us might make the effort to understand what we have in common instead of keeping our relentless focus on how we differ.

BY HER OWN DESIGN was my favorite historical novel of 2022, and so I was beyond thrilled when I was approved to review an ARC of AMERICAN DAUGHTERS. I love books centering the strength of female friendships, as well as biographical fiction that shows us the personal side of real historical figures. Piper Huguley is one of the finest biofic authors writing today, and AMERICAN DAUGHTERS is a riveting exploration of the friendship between Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt, the eldest children of their famous fathers (Booker T. Washington and Theodore Roosevelt).

Though they hail from different backgrounds and experiences, Portia and Alice have a lot of things in common: their ambitions, their frustrations as women forced to maneuver in a man's world, and their concerns over the future of the country. A passionate advocate for education like her father, Portia travels the world honing her skills as a gifted musician and sharing Black culture through the spiritual songs she learned as a child, while Alice finds subversive ways to influence political machinations from within the privileged circle of the Washington DC social scene.

While both women face challenges and hardships in their marriages and with motherhood, their resilience, courage, and survivors' instincts will have readers invested from the start. I really loved learning about Portia and Alice. This is a book with high emotional pay-off, and a great message--one you'll be pondering long after you turn the final page.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I love reading historical fiction about strong women who I know nothing about and this book fills that category perfectly. Although I had read much about Alice Roosevelt, I had never heard of Portia Washington, daughter of Booker T. Washington. In the books I had read about Alice, there was never a mention of Portia but Portia was a major influence in Alice's life as was Alice in Portia's. It was amazing how much Portia accomplished given the time period in which she lived. An accomplished musician, she kept her family afloat for many years. I enjoyed the interaction and reactions between Alice and Portia. Well written with beautifully drawn characters, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book. All thoughts in my review are entirely my own.

I thought the book was ok. It is not a book I would read again. The book did not interested me about half away through.

American Daughters is a complex study of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, and Portia Washington, daughter of Booker T Washington, their relationship with each other, their fathers, and the men who married them. Dr. Huegley does an excellent job of pacing, and explaining the racial implications of the women's friendship. Theodore's neglect of Alice is shown, along with the well meaning but destructive shepherding of Portia.into a disastrous loveless marriage is explored in detail. Both women remain friends over decades against many obstacles that should have prevented it. It's an engaging read.

American daughter is the story of two unlikely friends & their marriages I had not heard about this story before and was extremely intrigued by it. It was well written & seems to line up with history accurately. Portia Washington & Alice Roosevelt both lived hard hard lives but managed to overcome a lot. Great story- well written.
Disclaimer- there are a few scenes that give a little more "open door" than some may wish & a little language, but nothing major.
Thanks netgalley for a copy. All thoughts are my own.

I loved the premise of this story.

My biggest disappointment was that it didn't delve into disparity of the experiences of Portia and Alice. There was little discussion about the racism Portia would have experienced. It was mentioned, but not really part of the story.

I felt it could have been developed and interwoven better.

E stars from me because its an interesting premise, and people I haven't read about before.

I love when authors explore a little-known link between two historical people. In American Daughters, Piper Huguley does this beautifully, fleshing out a complex and important story about Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice, and Booker T. Washington’s daughter, Portia. Both women had to overcome their larger-than-life fathers as well as personal trials to find their true self-worth.

I had heard of Alice Roosevelt before and knew she led a colorful life. Strong willed and determined, she was even more of a character than I imagined! She came to life through this book and made me appreciate the struggle of women from that time period, even those with money and fame.

I didn’t know anything about Portia before the book. Living in Virginia, I knew about Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Institute, but I was glad to learn about his important work and how Portia fit into it. She was an amazing woman who was able to survive through the pain of her personal relationships to ensure her children had a better life.

Alice and Portia’s friendship was one of respect and admiration, and I loved seeing a historical example of women supporting women.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

American Daugthers by Piper Huguley
Salty Tears Red Blood

As we are introduced to Portia Washington, the daugther of Booker T. Washington and Alice Roosevelt daugther of President Teddy Roosevelt as the story begns, was a little vague for me I wanted to know more about Portia, and Alice and their mothers.
Two strong women in their own right being their father's first born find themselves unequal due to race and social position but tightly intertwined because of their fathers,

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of American Daugthers, this is my honest review.

Beautiful writing, well-researched characters, and wonderfully detailed. I learned so much about Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt. I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are mine.

Alice Roosevelt and Portia Washington are daughters of American legends, Theodore and Booker T. Both have lost their mothers and have troubled relationships with their stepmothers. Both women are intelligent and gifted, but their talents remain limited as do their rights as married women of the early twentieth century. Both are mothers, but find little joy in their marital partners. According to Piper Huguley’s interpretation, they learn how to work through the limitations and obstacles and gain strength from their friendship. One marriage survives; the other doesn’t. With few references to the actual friendship, the author uses a knowledge of American history and a rich imagination to describe how such a relationship might have played out against the stages of daughter, wife and mother. Her work is a success.

This well written book is about the unlikely long term friendship of the daughters of President Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T Washington, educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Atlanta. The book is very engaging and sometimes I could not put it down. The author admits to taking some license with dates and times but does an excellent job of relaying the different lives of these two women and how they intersected. This is a book I suggest you don’t miss if you’re a historical fiction fan. ! I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

American Daughters
by Piper Huguley
April 2, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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.
I recommend this for readers of historical fiction.
Brought together by their father’s causes and friendship, these two women continue the legacy of their fathers and become great supporters of each other throughout their marriages and political upheavals.

Written with elegant prose, the narrative alternates between two women as they reveal their dreams, struggles and support.

There are moments where the story is driven by dialogue which I don’t connect with.

As the story begins, it briefly explores the main two figures. I wished there was more to their backstories in order to get attached to them. Because of that, as the story continues, I didn’t feel a strong bond with them; and because of some dialogue, the progression of the story felt slow.

I love historical fiction, especially American historical fiction. It is even better when it is about women in America’s history.

American Daughters is the story of two daughters of important American men, the President of the United States and Booker T. Washington. I enjoyed watching them become friends. Even though they were both important daughters, they had their stations in life. Alice Roosevelt and Portia Washington looked to each other for support during life decisions, dealing with the public, and dealing with the men in their lives.

American Daughters tells the story of President Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington’s daughters’ friendship and lives. This book is a great look at women who became part US history both as themselves and with the men in their lives.

Thank you William Morrow for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.