The Hemingses of Monticello

An American Family

By: Annette Gordon-Reed

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 30 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, History, 2009

National Book Award, Nonfiction, 2008

This epic work tells the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president had been systematically expunged from American history until very recently. Now, historian and legal scholar Annette Gordon-Reed traces the Hemings family from its origins in Virginia in the 1700s to the family's dispersal after Jefferson's death in 1826.

It brings to life not only Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson but also their children and Hemings's siblings, who shared a father with Jefferson's wife, Martha. The Hemingses of Monticello sets the family's compelling saga against the backdrop of Revolutionary America, Paris on the eve of its own revolution, 1790s Philadelphia, and plantation life at Monticello. Much anticipated, this book promises to be the most important history of an American slave family ever written.

©2008 Annette Gordon-Reed (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fascinating, wise and of the utmost importance.... Gordon-Reed's genius for reading nearly silent records makes this an extraordinary work." ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review)
"This is a masterpiece brimming with decades of dedicated research and dexterous writing." ( Library Journal Starred Review)

Great book, glad I was not dissuaded by the negative reviews

The narrator is not my favorite, and I found certain of the chapters -- including one near the beginning regarding John Wales -- to be long and tedious. HOWEVER, the story as a whole is riveting, and Annette Gordon-Reed does a great job of both pulling together factual details and re-orienting the reader's focus from the well-known great man at Monticello to the vast network of people supporting him, most of them enslaved, some of them related to him by blood and marriage. While the story of Sally Hemmings is a key part of this book, Gordon-Reed cautions at the outset that it is not the focus of this study, which looks more broadly at all of the descendants of Elizabeth Hemmings, Sally's mother. I purchased this book after touring Monticello, where I learned so much, but in retrospect, the informative tours of Monticello only scratched the surface compared to this book. While a number of the facts uncovered in this book are not flattering to Jefferson, Gordon-Reed also does a good job of humanizing him as she does all of the people who figure in the book. Both histories and families are more complicated than they appear on the surface, and this book delves into all the complications. It's long but it's divided in a way that makes it easy to listen to a chapter or two at a time, as if you were listening to a podcast. Highly recommended (and I'm sorry I didn't read it when it originally came out)!

Brilliant

For anyone who wishes to understand more about slavery and sexism while America became a country.

Fascinating

I loved the book, but I have a considerable interest in history, anthropology and the law. I have read the other reviews, and believe they reflect that this book is not for everyone, but is very much for some. I found the details about the legal system pertaining to slavery in Paris, Virginia, and elsewhere in the U.S. VERY interesting. I also loved the detail about the daily life of Sally Hemings, her brother, Thomas Jefferson and his household. For some, an abridged version would probably be a better choice, but I loved all the detail.

Fantastic

A wealth of information a good history lesson on the art of power....Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings both making decisions that has effected our country up to now.. A great listen☺️

phenomenal

Excellent perspective on history that is rarely given voice. Thoroughly engaging. And still sadly relevant.

A well told history lesson.

Gordon-Reed does an excellent job of analyzing Jefferson's hypocritical view of slavery, family and Negro intelligence. His life seems a narcissistic oxymoron regarding his loyalty to family, yet refusal to free his slave relatives until his death. This was an extremely interesting piece of work, that, for me generated a much better understanding of Virginia slavery in Hemmings' and Jefferson's time. I couldn't stop listening. Well done.

Skip the Introduction, the Rest is Good

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is a fascinating examination of the real-life details of slavery in early American history. The details are well researched and go far deeper than the stereotypes we are all familiar with. Once the book gets to the history, it's very interesting and entertaining.

The only problem is that at the beginning there is a 45 minute long introduction in which the author drones on about herself without saying anything interesting about the subject of the book. The introduction is long, boring and pointless.

Just hit the "skip" button for the introduction, you aren't missing anything. The rest of the book after the introduction is much better.

I tried, I really tried.....

I really had wanted to hear this book, and was delighted to get started... but the narrator just appears to be reading a dictionary. Her voice has very little inflection, and no emotion.
The book itself appears to go into detail that anyone should already know, who has any knowledge if that part of American history. Many long drawn out explanations are superfluous. I even wondered at one point if the detailed explanations of some things were an effort to pad the word count- and (presumably) that’s just silly.
I will be returning this pitiful volume, but I really did try!

Very informative. Very detailed

This book is very well written and goes into meticulous detail. It’s not for everyone, but if you are a history buff and/or want to conceptualize Thomas Jefferson, slavery in America, and learn who the Hemmings family was, this is the book for you. It gave me a lot to digest and think about. I have so many questions about what actually took place. And the author gives as much detail as she can with the historical resources we have. Really gives you food for thought and allows you to reflect on the complicated emotions of the lives of enslaved Americans.

Great book

Once again why isn’t this taught in schools great insight into the past you might not like it but history is history a must read