Guest of Honor Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation

In this revealing social history, one remarkable White House dinner shines a powerful light on race, politics, and the lives and legacies of Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the executive mansion with the First Family. The next morning, news that the president had dined with a black manand former slavesent shock waves through the nation. Although African Americans had helped build the White House and had worked for most of the presidents, not a single one had ever been invited to dine there. Fueled by inflammatory newspaper articles, political cartoons, and even vulgar songs, the scandal escalated and threatened to topple two of America's greatest men. In this smart, accessible narrative, one seemingly ordinary dinner becomes a window onto postCivil War American history and politics, and onto the lives of two dynamic men whose experiences and philosophies connect in unexpected ways. Author Deborah Davis introduces dozens of additional fascinating figures who have previously occupied the margins and footnotes of history, creating a lively book that serves as a provocative and enlightening window into American cultural history.

Deborah Davis is the author of Fabritius and the Goldfinch; Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation; Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X; Party of the Century; and Gilded. She formerly worked as an executive, story editor, and story analyst for several major film companies. For more information, visit www.WarholRoadTrip.com and follow along on Instagram @WarholRoadTrip.