Very well-researched and presented story of what happened to Monticello after Thomas Jefferson's death. A colorful family including an iconoclastic Navy commander and his nephew, a New York financial speculator, purchased and kept up Jefferson's home during many years in which no one else wanted it, and during which it would certainly have gone to ruin. Then, a vehement campaign on the part of a disgruntled woman, which may have been partially anti-Semitic in intent, browbeat the owner, Jefferson Levy, into putting the home up for sale, and it was eventually purchased by a historical foundation dedicated to Jefferson. But for years, the ownership and contributions of the Levy family were swept under the rug, until recent scholarship restored the "rest of the picture" of the saving of Monticello. Fascinating read.

As someone who spends her entire day talking about Thomas Jefferson and his legacy while working at his home, knowing and understanding Monticello's entire story is of the utmost importance. I was given this book by a colleague of mine because the long history of the Levy family has become a research topic that I have jumped head first into. Uriah Levy is a Jewish-American hero and so is his nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, without them, it is very likely that we would not have Monticello still today. Or at the very least the way that it is today. The Levy family's story at Monticello is just as important as Thomas Jefferson's story and this book does a great job at describing just how many hardships they went through just to simply keep ahold of the home. Through trials of war, finances, the public showing up to the property, anti-Semitism, and the many times it was almost forcibly taken from them. This book is good for anyone interested in learning about the perseverance behind those who were caretakers of our national treasures as well as anyone interested in Jewish history and preservation of history. Well researched and fabulously put together.

Fascinating preservation story, which is not a bit like many other preservation stories. Well-researched and well written.

Very well researched. Interesting enough to finish, but could have been much shorter. Somewhat confusing at times.

Very well-researched and presented story of what happened to Monticello after Thomas Jefferson's death. A colorful family including an iconoclastic Navy commander and his nephew, a New York financial speculator, purchased and kept up Jefferson's home during many years in which no one else wanted it, and during which it would certainly have gone to ruin. Then, a vehement campaign on the part of a disgruntled woman, which may have been partially anti-Semitic in intent, browbeat the owner, Jefferson Levy, into putting the home up for sale, and it was eventually purchased by a historical foundation dedicated to Jefferson. But for years, the ownership and contributions of the Levy family were swept under the rug, until recent scholarship restored the "rest of the picture" of the saving of Monticello. Fascinating read.