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Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:What does it mean when the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence is your father and also your slave master? Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston are Thomas Jefferson’s children, but their mother is a slave, so they must keep their father’s identity secret. They get special treatment—better work, better shoes, even violin lessons—but they are still slaves. Their father has promised to set them all free when each turns twenty-one. Some of them are light-skinned enough that they will be able to enter white society—and thereby turn their backs on home forever. Others won’t have that option. So just what did their father mean when he wrote all men are created equal? Told in three parts from the points of view of three of Jefferson’s slaves—Beverly, Madison, and a third boy close to the Hemings family—these engaging and poignant voices shed light on what life was like as one of Thomas Jefferson’s invisible offspring.… (more)
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Most people now have a vague idea of this story and the issues it raises about Jefferson, the author of the
Jefferson’s Sons is a book that should be on the Newbery table. I see an author who has done extensive research and has used this research to tell a compelling and
My only real complaint is that it's a little expository, a character will answer a conversational question with a comprehensive overview of some element of Jefferson family history, but I can't see how else you could get the information out there so it might have to happen that way.
The fact that these are real people (and at least two of the primary characters in the book are based on real people who also wrote their own memoirs, which I will be seeking out) adds an extra punch of horror. Awful things in particular:
- the children realizing that 1. Thomas Jefferson is their father and 2. they are his slaves
- one of kids realizing that his lighter-skinned brothers and sister will eventually be able to live as white people, while he will not
- the recently freed father of another enslaved family explaining to his young son the order in which he (the father) will need to attempt to purchase the mother and sisters in the family, and the reasons why.
It wasn't one terrible thing after another, it also presented a lot of information on daily life at Monticello (any port in a storm, really), the cultural climate of the time, and the very dynamic relationships between and among the Jefferson family and the enslaved people on their farm.
One aspect of the book that I kept turning over in my head is that it's challenging, I think, to write a book where so much hinges on paternity issues without having it imply a lot of bedroom issues, and that made me wonder how this would work with younger kids. I tried to imagine (and couldn't, really) using this in a classroom setting. By the end, though, I was thinking that if nine year old kids could be slaves, it's not so much of an problem to worry about nine year old kids reading about them.
Grade: A-
Recommended: to fans of children's historical fiction
The book spans many years, and students will become very invested in the three main characters, all of whom are smart, empathetic kids. Each one approaches his origins and his fate differently, and it is interesting to ponder how they must have truly felt. Written in a way that is easy for them to read but still full of suspense and horror, it is a great way to introduce one of the great historical questions: how could a man so devoted to the liberty of mankind still own slaves? Bradley never answers the question for the reader, although she does make her feelings known from time to time. This book could inspire some great classroom discussion, as well as teach kids about the hidden side of a monumental figure in history. My one quibble is that the dialogue is not historically accurate, but it also is not full of modern slang or language; it could take place in any modern era.
Reading level: 5th grade and up.
Curriculum: this book would be an important addition to a unit studying early American history and American slavery.
Bradley, K. (2011). Jefferson’s sons. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
I will have no problem having this in my elementary library, because, despite the topics, there is an innocence to it. The story is mostly told through the eyes of boys aged 7-12. The violence against slaves is not overly graphic or gratuitous, but necessary to tell the story. Likewise, the discussion of illegitimate children and men "forcing women to have babies they don't want." Readers who are mature enough to read through the lines will, and those who aren't will see what they are ready to see.
As in her other books the author creates incredibly believable characters, both children and adults.
It was brutal though. There was one scene that I thought would be the worst but then that happened twice more. Given the subject matter it was proper that this story should be tremendously upsetting. Disconcerting. Shocking. Distressing. Heartbreaking.
It was interesting to read this book right before a Presidential election and this election in particular. Oh the flaws we’ve always had!! I felt that what I was reading was so disturbing that I didn’t want to have to finish it after Election Day so I made sure to finish reading & reviewing prior to then.
The book got better & better & better as it went along. What keeps me from giving it 5 stars is it’s hard for me to read about that much conjecture about real people in history, even though the author did a superb job. I wasn’t sure though about the talking by Sally Hemings and some of the other slaves as it seems “too modern” for me. Did they really talk in these ways and with that perspective and did they really know what these characters seem to know? I’m doubtful. Too modern and psychologically sophisticated sensibilities??? Too modern ways of talking to and explaining things to children?? I could be the one who’s wrong though as the author definitely did her research.
I did get curious and I did do a bit of research as I read though I didn’t go to the back to read the author’s note/any extra material, though I was tempted. As usual, the author wrote an excellent note in the back and included research and other information.
There are many quotable quotes including: “…they couldn’t forget, but they could choose to move on. He said anger was like a heavy rock, hard to carry every day. It was easier to get through life if you could set your anger down.”
As I was reading I thought it would be a 4 star or 3 star book for me but it kept improving and it left me very emotional and I’m glad that it did. It also has me wanting to read and learn a lot more. I can’t give it less than 4 stars, 4-1/2 stars really.
4-1/2 stars