libkatem's review against another edition
1.0
1/2 I read it in class. BORING. Who cares if TJefferson slept with/had children with his slave? He wasn't the first, he won't be the last, and just because he's a 'founding father' doesn't mean he's a demi-god.
adkwriter15's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
It is so fascinating to read this, knowing that when it was first published that there was no DNA evidence that tied Thomas Jefferson to Sally Hemings. Gordon-Reed's exhaustive style of looking down every possible avenue from every possible angle works much better here for me than her other book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. The length of this made that style feel more manageable and I was able to follow the threads better, as well as being a bit more interested in her detective work in this text. While both books are critical reads if you are interested in this topic/time period, The Hemingses works much better as a written text while this flowed fine on audio.
camboron's review
4.0
while the question of “did they?” is the main topic of the book, what is more relevant and revealing, especially given today’s social unrest, is an unsurprising exposé of how racism exists in scholarship and written histories.
dianecori's review against another edition
3.0
Eye opening History
Whether you believe it or not Sally Hemings story needed to be told. This is one of the most objective accounts I've read.
Whether you believe it or not Sally Hemings story needed to be told. This is one of the most objective accounts I've read.
neiljung78's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Really good. Absorbing, written with clarity, seriousness of intent but also wit.
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