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