Candice Millard was born on June 16, 1967, and grew up in Lexington, Ohio. She completed her undergraduate education at Baker University, Kansas, before earning an MA at Baylor University in Texas. She then began her career in journalism, most notably at the National Geographic magazine for several years.

The River of Doubt (2005) was Millard’s first book. It became a New York Times Best Seller and was a finalist for the Quill Award. Since then, Millard has written three other books: Destiny of the Republic (2011), about the assassination of President James A. Garfield, which won an Edgar Award in 2012 and a Pen Center USA award; Hero of the Empire (2016), about the young Winston Churchill’s experiences serving in the Boer War, for which she received a BIO award; and River of the Gods (2022), about the search for the source of the Nile. Millard currently lives in Kansas with her husband and three children.

Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City to an affluent family. His father, also named Theodore, worked at the family business Roosevelt & Son and was known for his philanthropic support of both charities and cultural initiatives. Roosevelt battled ill health throughout his childhood but became interested in physical activities, such as hiking and boxing, in an effort to strengthen himself physically.