Piper Huguley&rsquo\;s historical novel de lves into the remarkable friendship of Portia Washington and Alice Rooseve lt\, the daughters of educator Booker T. Washington and President Teddy Ro osevelt.
\nAt the turn of the twentieth century\, in a time of great change\, two women&mdash\;separated by societal status and culture but bo und by their expected roles as the daughters of famed statesmen&mdash\;for ged a lifelong friendship. \;
\nPortia Washington&rsquo\;s fathe r Booker T. Washington was formerly enslaved and spent his life championin g the empowerment of Black Americans through his school\, known popularly as Tuskegee Institute\, as well as his political connections. Dedicated to her father&rsquo\;s values\, Portia contributed by teaching and performin g spirituals and classical music. But a marriage to a controlling and jeal ous husband made fulfilling her dreams much more difficult. \;
\nWhen Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency\, his eldest daughter Alic e Roosevelt joined him in the White House. To try to win her father&rsquo\ ;s approval\, she eagerly jumped in to help him succeed\, but Alice&rsquo\ ;s political savvy and nonconformist behavior alienated as well as intrigu ed his opponents and allies. When she married a congressman\, she carved o ut her own agendas and continued espousing women&rsquo\;s rights and progr essive causes. \;
\nBrought together in the wake of their father s&rsquo\; friendship\, these bright and fascinating women helped each othe r struggle through marriages\, pregnancies\, and political upheaval\, supp orting each other throughout their lives. \; \;
\nBooks will be available for sale and signing.
\nThis program is free and open to the public. R egistration is recommended.
\n* Presented by Adult Services.
\nPiper Huguley is the author of By Her Own Design as well as the Home to Milford College and the Migrations of the Hea rt series. She is a multiple-time Golden Heart finalist. Piper blogs about the history behind her novels on her website. \;
\nModerating the talk will be Kimberly Brock\, bestselli
ng author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare\, The River Witch<
/em>\, and her forthcoming novel The Fabled Earth. She is the fou
nder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for
many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy L
iterary Center.