Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Bradley wrote one of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, The War That Saved My Life, and Jefferson's Sons was sitting on my to-read list for a long time. Somehow to made it to the top of my list a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad I have finally read it, although it is slightly less readable than The War book was.

Jefferson's Sons is the story of Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation's most famous presidents, and the children he fathered with one of his slaves. The book does not give any background information about his first wife, Martha, except in a timeline at the start of the story that shows she dies quite young, in her 30s. Sally Hemings was one of Jefferson's slaves and it appears (through years of research by many people since) that she birthed many children with him. The rub here is that as the president of the country, and the author of the Declaration of Independence - stating that all men are created equal - was not only a slave-owner but also father to several children with a slave he owned. 

So the book tries to tell the fictionalized story of these very real people, growing up on Jefferson's land, Monticello, and trying to come to terms with having your father know you, yet not be able to be a true father to you. As the child of a slave mother, you were still a slave, even though your father was a white man, and president of the country, no less.

The first half of the book is difficult to follow, especially as it seemed normal for two children to have the same first name. It's the second half of the book where the story deepens into a very satisfying one. Jefferson's slave-born children grapple with being Black and slaves until they turn 21 years old, at which time they are free - except that they can't proclaim their freedom. They are slaves until they turn 21, and then free to leave, but without the chance of returning - ever - to their home and family. They struggle with whether Jefferson is a good man, as a founding father of the nation, but also a slave owner who owns and sells slaves, like property, which is legally what Blacks are considered at that time. The end of the story is terrible and difficult, bringing a lot of the conflicts to a head.

This is an important story, and complicated, but not always easy to sort out or follow. If the topics mentioned here are of interest to you, read this. Bradley's writing is above average. If these topics don't really interest you, but you like historical fiction, try The War That Saved My Life. It is simply brilliant! 3 paws and a tail wag.