Jefferson's Daughters

Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America

By: Catherine Kerrison

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s three daughters — two White and free, one Black and enslaved — and the divergent paths they forged in a newly independent America 

Finalist for the George Washington Prize

“Beautifully written.... To a nuanced study of Jefferson’s two white daughters, Martha and Maria, [Kerrison] innovatively adds a discussion of his only enslaved daughter, Harriet Hemings.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Thomas Jefferson had three daughters: Martha and Maria by his wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson, and Harriet by his slave Sally Hemings. Although the three women shared a father, the similarities end there. 

Martha and Maria received a fine convent school education while they lived with their father during his diplomatic posting in Paris. Once they returned home, however, the sisters found their options limited by the laws and customs of early America. Harriet Hemings followed a different path. She escaped slavery — apparently with the assistance of Jefferson himself. Leaving Monticello behind, she boarded a coach and set off for a decidedly uncertain future. For this groundbreaking triple biography, history scholar Catherine Kerrison has uncovered never-before-published documents written by the Jefferson sisters, as well as letters written by members of the Jefferson and Hemings families. The richly interwoven stories of these strong women and their fight to shape their own destinies shed new light on issues of race and gender that are still relevant today — and on the legacy of one of our most controversial Founding Fathers. 

Praise for Jefferson’s Daughters 

“A fascinating glimpse of where we have been as a nation.... Catherine Kerrison tells us the stories of three of Thomas Jefferson’s children, who, due to their gender and race, lived lives whose most intimate details are lost to time.” (USA Today)

“A valuable addition to the history of Revolutionary-era America.” (The Boston Globe)

“A thought-provoking nonfiction narrative that reads like a novel.” (BookPage)

©2018 Catherine Kerrison (P)2018 Random House Audio

Don't waste money on this book.

I found the book tedious and boring. I love reading History but this author kept injecting her own political agenda. It was more subtle at first but toward the end all pretense of simply reporting was abandoned.

The narrator reminded me of a disapproving teacher. At the end of the book her contempt was palatable.

Snoozer

I listened to 3 hours of this book and was bored stiff! I love historical novels, but this was worse than someone reading a history text book to you. The reader was monotonous - put you to sleep. I wish I could get my money back! Don't waste yours!!!

Summary

Very good history story regarding Jefferson and his family, Not much history on the African American daughters but it was a interesting read.

fabulous history

this book reads like a novel but teaches us so much about each of the three daughters. and about the era, jefferson in paris and at Monticello, about slavery and day to day life, and about the daughter Harriet who passed over into white culture and out of Jefferson history.

BORING

After 100 minutes, this book sounded more like a text book. It is neither interesting nor exciting and should only be used for a reference guide, as the information comes directly from the Jefferson's daughters and T.J's diaries themselves.

DAR Book Club Choice...painful to listen to

The author still seems pretty mad that the world used to be run by white men. I did learn interesting facts about the girls, but could have done without all the preaching and outrage since I already knew about the slavery and patriarchy. And the narrator drove me to distraction by saying EVERY SINGLE WORD with desperation and urgency.

Good if you’re into history and like analysis

This is a really good analysis of the times in which Jefferson’s daughters lived.
If you’re really into history and don’t mind things being very detailed and informative, this is a book you would enjoy.
If you’re looking to be merely entertained, like reading a novel, or having personalized diary entries as the entire book, this is not for you.
The last 15 mins of the book gets a little preachy when comparing the struggles of black people today by comparing and contrasting with the struggles they had during the 18th and 19th century.
The author has difficulty finding hard evidence of what exactly happened to Harriet after phasing into white society, but she does in depth research about logical possibilities of her life.

A very good listen! I enjoyed it very much.

changes some historical facts to fit agenda

the books potential is lost in the author's political agenda with basic facts changed and assumptions made losing what could have been a good although long winded read.

Lacking

This book like other books of its kind down play parts of slavery. Like most historical documentaries it is white washed or downplayed when referencing any race other than the European race. I was hoping for a more honest version of the Jeffersons.

Very Informative, A little long in some places

I heard about this book from the podcast The History Chicks and wanted to read it. I was glad I did an audible version because I think I would have struggled to read it on my own. I enjoyed the information though the layout was a little wonky for me because of going back and forth between all of the sisters. But I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these women.