Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the Book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
by Stephanie Marie ThorntonThis article relates to American Princess
Alice Roosevelt (1884-1980), daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and the central figure of Stephanie Marie Thornton's American Princess is not widely remembered in the public consciousness today, but during her lifetime she was an ever-present fixture in the press. This was particularly the case during her father's presidential term, when a teenage Alice shocked the nation by partying, associating with men and smoking cigarettes. Alice influenced fashion trends when she wore a pale blue dress to her debutante party, a color that received a surge in popularity afterwards, and subsequently became known as "Alice blue."
Though Alice's behavior may have mellowed in her later years, she continued to make waves with her razor-sharp wit. One of Alice's most famous quotations comes from a 1965 interview with The Saturday Evening Post in which it is noted that Ms. Roosevelt had a cross-stitched pillow in her sitting room that read "If you can't say something good about someone, sit right here by me." This quotation has also been attributed to Dorothy Parker (with slightly different wording), but evidence strongly suggests that it originated with Alice.
As explored in American Princess, Alice's relationship with her father Theodore could be contentious at times, and she once spoke bluntly about his ego and desperate need for attention in a quote that could easily be applied to a great number of politicians: "He wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening."
Alice also brought her signature humor to political commentary. When a journalist claimed that Wendell Willkie, the Republican nominee who hoped to unseat Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940, was receiving grassroots support, she declared that perhaps he meant "the grass roots of 10,000 country clubs." The implication, of course, was that Willkie was only popular with wealthy Americans, a particularly pernicious accusation to hurl at a politician at the end of the Great Depression. (During this election, she also stated that she'd "rather vote for Hitler" than Roosevelt.) Thomas Dewey, Roosevelt's opponent in the 1944 presidential election, looked like "the bridegroom on the wedding cake," presumably a comment meant to emasculate Dewey for his size. Of Calvin Coolidge, she declared, "He looks as though he's been weaned on a pickle," likely referring to a sour facial expression. Of herself, she once said, "My specialty is detached malevolence," a fairly accurate assessment if judged by these quotations.
Alice's instructive "life philosophy" was "Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches." This simple maxim prizes common sense and personal fulfillment, which seems to accurately convey Alice's value system.
by Lisa Butts
Alice Roosevelt in one of her signature blue gowns
Filed under People, Eras & Events
This article relates to American Princess.
It first ran in the March 20, 2019
issue of BookBrowse Recommends.
The Antidote
by Karen Russell
A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley
Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.
Fagin the Thief
by Allison Epstein
A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.
Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton
A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, and loss through one woman's friendship with a wild hare.
Girl Falling
by Hayley Scrivenor
The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.
The Dream Hotel
by Laila Lalami
A Read with Jenna pick. A riveting novel about one woman's fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.
Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.