Jefferson’s Sons

Jefferson’s Sons written by Kimberly Bradley is a very interesting historical fiction novel about Thomas Jefferson children he had with his slave, Sally Hemings.

Although these children received better work assignments, better clothing and shoes, and even violin lessons, they were still considered slaves on their father’s plantation, Monticello.

I really enjoyed how well the author was able to give these children a voice – questioning slavery, freedom, the Declaration of Independence and why “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was only meant for white people at the time.  This book tackles slavery head-on and does an amazing job of showing how one of the founding fathers could own slaves, even his own children.

This is a fascinating historical fiction novel that pulls the reader into a place and time, quite foreign to us now. 

Title: Jefferson’s Sons
Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Publisher: Dial
Page Number: 368 pgs.