Donald, Aida D. 1930–

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Donald, Aida D. 1930–

(Aida DiPace Donald)

PERSONAL:

Born April 9, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Victor E. and Bessie DiPace; married David Donald (a university professor and author), October 31, 1955; children: Bruce Randall. Education: Barnard Col- lege, A.B., 1952, Columbia University, M.A., 1953; University of Rochester, graduate study, 1953-55, Ph.D., 1961; Oxford University, graduate study, 1959-60.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Lincoln, MA.

CAREER:

Writer, editor, and historian. Columbia University, New York, NY, instructor in history, 1955-56; Hill & Wang, Inc. (publishers), New York, NY, consulting editor, 1959—, general editor of "American Profiles" series, 1967—, and "World Profiles" series, 1970—. Johns Hopkins University, history and humanities editor, 1972-73; Harvard University Press, social sciences editor, 1973—.

MEMBER:

American Historical Association, American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters.

AWARDS, HONORS:

American Association of University Women fellowship, 1957-58; Fulbright fellowship to Oxford University, 1959-60.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with husband, David Donald) Diary of Charles Francis Adams, two volumes, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA), 1964.

John F. Kennedy and the New Frontier, Hill & Wang (New York, NY), 1966.

Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt, Basic Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor of articles and book reviews to scholarly journals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Aida D. Donald is longtime book editor for several publishers and a historian whose book about the presidency of John F. Kennedy was published in 1966. More than four decades later, Donald returned with another book about a president. Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt chronicles the life of this larger-than-life figure who led the Rough Riders volunteer cavalry regiment during the Spanish-American War, enjoyed enormous popularity during his time as serving as the U.S. president from 1901 to 1908, and won the Noble Peace Prize. "Roosevelt led America's charge into the 20th century, and Aida Donald's new biography of him … addresses her subject at full gallop," wrote Mark Blaine in a review for Etude.

Donald provides a look at Roosevelt's entire life, from his birth as weak child with asthma to his exploits in war and as an adventurer, and on through his presidency and later years. In the process she reveals the man's foibles, such as his terrible temper, once demonstrated by his shooting of a neighbor's dog for a minor incident after Roosevelt was distraught over his wife's miscarriage. The author also writes about the many heroic stories associated with Roosevelt, including the time he was shot but continued giving his speech to the stupefied crowd. Each chapter in the book begins with an excerpt from Roosevelt's diaries.

A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that Lion in the White House "serves as a fair introduction to Roosevelt's life and a fine appreciation of his politics." A reviewer writing for Publishers Weekly commented that the author's "swift prose makes this a satisfying read."