JEFFERSON'S SECRETS

The subject of hundreds of biographies, Thomas Jefferson has been extensively mythologized. Andrew Burstein examines several issues in Jefferson’s life--race, slavery, sexuality, and politics--during the period after he was president. The author draws heavily on Jefferson’s personal correspondence, a source often neglected by scholars. Burstein presents Jefferson’s thoughts on his own mortality, his legacy, and his predictions for American democracy. The book is thorough and, despite its controversial subject matter, a little dry at times. Simon Vance makes up for the dryness, not with artifice in tone or volume, but in pacing. He makes some of the more tedious sections flow, adding enough variety to ensure that readers won’t nod off. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]