Guest of Honor

March 26, 2012
In this engaging social history, Davis (Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X) uses the story of a dinner to depict the friendship between two of America’s most impressive leaders: Booker T. Washington and Theodore Roosevelt. Booker T. and TR came from extraordinarily disparate backgrounds—the first born a slave, the second born a member of America’s highest social tier. Early in their careers, however, the visionary educator and the politician formed a fascinating and mutually beneficial relationship that granted each a leg up in their respective spheres—that is, until Booker T. joined TR and his family for dinner at the White House. What should have been an important step forward in racial equality ended up being so aggravating to Southern racists that the brilliant partnership between the two men was forever thrown off its tracks, and blacks in the South became even more vulnerable to violent attacks from whites fearful of “Negro Aspiration.” In fluid prose and with clear respect for her subject matter, Davis paints a vivid picture of race relations at the turn of the 20th century—a story resonating with today’s fraught political and racial landscape. Agent: Scott Waxman, the Waxman Agency.