Just as the author states, there are numerous books written about Jefferson and deservedly so. It can be very difficult to choose which one to pick up. It is an obviously researched book, yet the author still makes claims and states certain information as fact, when it really isn’t. Rather than choosing to be an entirely fact based book with just direct quotes, he decides to through in conversations between the subjects and make it seem as if the conversation actually took place when in fact it did not. He will also quote directly but there are no footnotes to be found s it makes it difficult to tell which one is which. That being said, I do not recommend this as your first book on the life of Jefferson. There are plenty other books that I would recommend first and I would say to pick this up once you truly have a strong grasp on Jefferson’s life and beliefs as well as a strong understanding of Jefferson’s direct family; including children and grandchildren and those who marry them. As well as knowing a bit about Monticello, his time in France, as well as his closest friends and enemies. Please also read this carefully and never hesitate to research more about some of the minor stories.

I found the topic of his book quite interesting, I have yet to read a book about Jefferson that focuses truly on the just the last twenty years of his life which in my opinion I find him to be the most fascinating.He is being questioned about the writings of his early life, making political choices that will have lasting effect and we can see the effects of his spending habits directly effecting his children and grandchildren. What we also see is a Jefferson who is a dreamer, always thinking towards the future and what he can do to ensure that the next generation is as prepared as possible yet also realizing there are faults in his generation. I enjoyed the focus the author had on Thomas Mann Randolph Jr, his son-in-law; Thomas Jefferson Randolph, his eldest grandson; and Charles Bankhead the husband of his granddaughter Anne Cary Randolph. These three men are integral parts of Jefferson’s life both in his happiest moments but also his darkest moments. Crawford gives TMRJ a fighting chance amongst the history books a he is often painted in just a very negative way, that I greatly appreciated.