Annette Gordon-Reed

Traces the history of the Hemings family from early eighteenth-century Virginia to their dispersal after Thomas Jefferson's death in 1826, and describes their family ties to the third president against a backdrop of Revolutionary America and the French Revolution.

An American Family

The Hemingses of Monticello

Kaitlin Caruso

I am not a regular reader of non-fiction books, let alone those about this topic and time period. Needless to say, I enjoyed this book. It was not one of those that I couldn't wait to pick up every morning (a comment mentioned by a few other reviewers, I believe) but once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down.

I've noticed a few reviews mentioning how Gordon-Reed seems to push her feelings and her own speculation onto readers. To this I'd like to say that I did not feel as if she were pushing them on to me. I feel as if she reiterated "slavery is bad" many times simply as a clarification. There are many times throughout the book where she introduces an idea that could easily be miscontrued and at these points she inserts her comments such as "in no way am I saying that slaves liked being treated this way" or "I am not condoning this horrible practice but..." and other phrases similar to these. I felt like if she hadn't added these comments then the book would seem much more flighty and inconsistent.

Overall I gave the book only three stars because I only "liked it." There was not a lot of eye-opening information but it was interesting to try to put myself in the Hemingses' shoes for a little while each day.

Jeni Enjaian

Where do I start with this book? 
First, I cannot believe that I finished it.The narrator's voice (and syntax and inflection) started grating on me from her very first word. It did not get better. In fact, as the book progressed, I'm fairly certain that she got worse. Also, I don't speak French but I know how it should be pronounced. She did not.
Second, Gordon-Reed used "Hemings" for multiple members of the family. On one page she uses "Hemings" to refer to Sally. On the next she uses the name to refer to James. This tactic illustrates a lack of consideration for the reader on top of being a sign of the low-quality level of the historiography.
Third, if I had a dollar for every time Gordon-Reed" uses the phrase "one cannot" I would have enough money to take time off work, do my own research and write a much better work than this. (Okay, that's an exaggeration.) To make that worse, Gordon-Reed uses the phrase but then goes on immediately to hypothesize more than any other historian I have ever read.
Fourth, Gordon-Reed frequently states that the historical actor must have felt a certain way. Unless that historical actor wrote it in his journal, it is irresponsible for a historian to state something so dogmatically.
Fifth, Gordon-Reed often veers onto her own personal soap box about the evil nature of slavery and how prudish (or not prudish) people were about sex.

I could go on but I think I've made my point. (In fact, I started writing this entry having given the book two stars but talked myself down to one by the finish.)

I recommend that people stay as far away from this book as possible.

The Hemingses of Monticello An American Family

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