White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America by Shelley Fraser Mickle: A Book Review

White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America

Author: Shelley Fraser Mickle

Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography

Publisher: Imagine

Release Date: 2023

Pages: 256

Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: The fascinating historical biography of America’s most memorable first daughter, Alice Roosevelt, whose free spirit and status made her the Princess Diana and Jackie O of the early 20th century.

During Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency—from 1901 to 1909, when Mark Twain called him the most popular man in America—his daughter Alice Roosevelt mesmerized the world with her antics and beauty.

Alice was known for carrying a gun, a copy of the Constitution, and a green snake in her purse. When her father told her she couldn’t smoke under his roof, she climbed to the top of the White House and smoked on the roof. She became the most famous woman in America—and even the world—predating Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy as an object of public obsession.

As her celebrity grew, she continued to buck tradition, push against social norms, and pull political sway behind the curtain of privilege and access. She was known for her acerbic wit and outspoken tendencies which hypnotized both the social and political world.

Brilliantly researched and powerfully told, Shelley Fraser Mickle places the reader in the time and place of Alice and asks what would it have been like to be a strong-willed powerful woman of that day. Drawn from primary and secondary sources, Alice’s life comes into focus in this historical celebration of an extraordinary woman ahead of her time.

My Review: Alice Roosevelt was one of America’s most popular First Daughters. She was known for her fiery personality and for creating scandals. This biography of Alice Roosevelt examines her early life as First Daughter. It also examines why Alice Roosevelt may have developed her eccentricities. This biography also shows why Alice Roosevelt is still a legendary icon.

I first heard of Alice Roosevelt when reading Stephanie Marie Thornton’s American Princess. So, I was intrigued to read a nonfiction biography of her. Alice Roosevelt was the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. However, Theodore Roosevelt was so distraught over his wife’s death that he could hardly call Alice by her name. For the first three years, she was raised by Theodore Roosevelt’s sister, Barbie. During her childhood, Alice tried so hard to win her father’s love who often ignored her. When she failed, Alice rebelled against her father and led a scandalous lifestyle.

Overall, this biography shows a woman who desperately tried to win her father’s love. I liked how this book attempts to give an intimate portrait of her life. I found Alice Roosevelt to be a very sympathetic figure. There were a few drawbacks to the biography. It focused more on the people who surrounded Alice Roosevelt rather than Alice herself. Nevertheless, it was a short and fascinating read! It makes me want to read more about Alice Roosevelt! This biography is a must-read for those who are interested in reading about America’s First Families! I recommend this for fans of Eliza’s True Story, Hissing Cousins, and The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen: A Book Review

Iceberg Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre: Children, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure Publisher: Scholastic Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 317 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : As disaster looms on the horizon, a young stowaway onboard the Titanic will need all her courage and wits to stay alive. A thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen! Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic . Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet. But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic ’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that m...

Shipwreck (The Heirs of Anarchy #3) by G. Lawrence: A Book Review

Shipwreck (The Heirs of Anarchy #3) Author: G. Lawrence Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: G. Lawrence Publication Date: 2021 Pages: 315 Source: Borrowed Synopsis: Autumn, 1139, Normandy On a beach in Normandy stands Matilda, once Empress, Queen and Countess, named heir to England and Normandy, daughter of Henry I. Her throne stolen from her by the hands of her cousin Stephen of Blois, Matilda has waited to gather her supporters, waited to sail to England that she might wage war to claim the throne she was promised by her father. With loyal men and women at her side, the Empress will begin her campaign for the throne of England and Normandy, to reclaim her birthright from the man who stole it from her. The period known to history as the Anarchy is about to begin, and chaos to unfold upon England, Normandy and the people of those kingdoms as one cousin struggles against another for the crow...

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