Eva Reads About Thomas Jefferson

After the relative dearth of available books about John Adams, it was fun to have more options again with Thomas Jefferson.

I already mentioned Friends Divided in my last post about John Adams, so I won’t repeat that one here.

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Thomas Jefferson and the Art of Power Jon Meacham

This was a great bio: very thorough. Highly recommend.

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Jefferson’s Sons Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

I discovered this book rather by accident, long before I ever started this US Presidents Project, and it was the first I’d ever heard of Jefferson having a slave concubine. Bradley handles a difficult situation with grace and sympathy.

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Thomas Jefferson’s Feast Frank Murphy

Okay, so this one was interesting in that it is about how Jefferson brought new and exotic foods to America, but I rolled my eyes so much at the very idea that Jefferson ever did any of his own planting and growing and cooking. HE HAD SLAVES. They were doing all the dirty work! He just got to sit comfy and posh and direct his human chattel to do it all for him. So.

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Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

Interesting look at a war I’d never heard of!