Rating: 
Summary: The best short biography of Jefferson ever written"
Review: Interested readers should take note of eminent historian Gordon S. Wood's comments about this book that appeared in the Sunday New York Times Book Review on December 14, 2003. Wood calls Bernstein's book, "the best short biography of Jefferson ever written", and praises it as an "authoritative", "judicious" and "historically reliable account" of TJ's life. This is high (and well deserved) praise indeed coming from one whose writings on Jefferson and the early American Republic are classics of American historial literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Introduction to Jefferson
Review: Jefferson is of course an icon of our founding. This book sketches his life from birth to death focusing on those aspects that pertain to establishing the nation's political identity. Also, despite its brevity, the ambiguities of Jefferson are not ignored. Jefferson was a slave-owning aristocrat, yet he championed liberty for all people, at least in theory. However, Jefferson could not bridge the racial divide and he was hardly an advocate of any significant democratization of social and political affairs. His relationship, or lack thereof, with Sally Hennings, a household slave of Jefferson's, is mentioned several times (too often actually) with no hard conclusions drawn. If a brief, yet somewhat comprehensive, biography of Jefferson was needed, this book is a fine contribution.
What is obvious is that Jefferson and others constructed a basic, raw framework for a nation and its government. But in Jefferson's lifetime alone, the operation and even the distribution of power within government was an evolving process. In addition, much to Jefferson's dismay, American life was beginning to change from being mostly an agrarian society of small producers. It would be interesting to see a Jeffersonian scholar speculate as to the possibility of Jefferson understanding and accepting the vast changes in American society over the last two hundred years. Would the vast private power of corporations in an industrial society be of concern? What would he prescribe to countervail that power? Would he have accepted gender and racial equality?
One has to wonder about the legitimacy of directly invoking Jefferson to support positions on either the right or the left in today's complex society. Jefferson, like anyone else, was a man of his times, constructing ideas and dealing with issues in that context. What is really interesting is that Jefferson strongly suggested that the Constitution be rewritten every nineteen years. He seems to have known what we do not: that documents written to govern the affairs of men are not so sacred as to be untouchable. It makes the strict constructionists of our era appear to be silly. In reading this book, it is obvious that this nation has benefited greatly from a group of very insightful men from the eighteenth century. One would hope that similar wisdom can find a voice in a world where ideas have to compete with sophisticated public relations and propaganda of many forms.
Rating:
Summary: Essential basis for understanding Jefferson in his own time
Review: Jefferson will forever be ensconced in the hallowed halls of American Mythic figures. Indeed his eloquence in expounding the rights of the common man in the close of the 18th century give him an immortality which few in world history will ever attain. And yet, Jefferson has bedeviled his biographers. He almost seems to taunt at them from beyond the grave. He is a figure that echoes Hamlet's speech to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern back to the recorders of his history, "You would play upon me, you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mystery, you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass. ... 'Sblood do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me." In the face of this brilliant, enigmatic, contradictory figure Richard Berstein has taken the only legitimate interpretation of Jefferon possible. He reflects him in his own time. Pulling together a wealth of information from various sources Bernstein manages to create an image of the man himself, as judged by the values and ideas of his own time. And this is where Jefferson's Brilliance and Human Frailty come to the fore. And it allows the audience to understand how Jefferson became revered in his own time and how this reverance could last to the present day. Truly a first rate job, this is an excellent, balanced introduction to one of our greatest Founding Fathers.
Rating:
Summary: My Honest Opinion
Review: Out of fairness, I feel compelled to tell everyone this. As a history teacher and Jefferson reader, I immediately inhale each new book about Thomas Jefferson that comes out, and have just finished R.B. Bernstein's "Thomas Jefferson". Once again I come away thinking that this is another commendable book like the others. However, once again, I still come away thinking that the book by Norman Thomas Remick (West Point:..Thomas Jefferson), though not a full blown biography, is, because of just that, uniquely the only one that ever brought the mind and heart of Thomas Jefferson into clear focus to me. That's my honest opinion. But don't get me wrong. I fully enjoyed Mr. Bernstein's book and I do recommend it to you.
Rating:
Summary: A Concise Biography of A Founding Father
Review: R.B. Bernstein set out to write a concise biography of a man who may be the most influential American ever. While a concise biography will no doubt omit some facts, Bernstein tells the important facts of the Thomas Jefferson story with commendable skill. Additionally, most biographies tend to be dry reading material. I found this particular biography to be a real page turner. Thomas Jefferson is best known for his interest in philosophy and issues of individual rights. He is credited with having significant influence in the writing of the early documents in American history. Most specifically, he is given credit for the Declaration of Independence and the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Because of Jefferson's importance in politics, Bernstein acknowledges all of the positive and negative highlights of his political career. Much of the mudslinging discussed in the book is reminiscent of contemporary politics. However, there is much more to the reluctant 3rd President. Bernstein paints picture of a man who hated the bickering nature of politics, preferring the his time to his studies and writing while managing his plantation in Virginia. His obsession was the legendary Monticello, which he designed and continually redesigned. Bernstein pays little attention to Jefferson's relationship to Sally Hemings except in the epilogue. While some may argue that this omission detracts from the quality of the book, I would disagree. Bernstein chooses to focus on the man and politician rather than his sexual escapades. Even when his seemingly conflicting views of slavery are brought into focus, these facts are not essential to the Jefferson story. When his concern for human rights is put into focus, any discrepancies in his views are only a reflection of his era. All of the essential facts of Jefferson are discussed in this handsome book. I would highly recommend this book either as a reference book for school papers or a leisurely read about the life of a truly great American.
Rating: 
Summary: Author Denies the Public Valuable Research Material
Review: The author states that Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson and Sally Hemings were half-sisters, an old unsubstantiated belief for many years. This would have been a good place to inform his readers that his new 2003 book does not contain reference to a most revealing 2002 book, "Anatomy of a Scandal, Thomas Jefferson and the Sally Story" by Rebecca L. and James F. McMurry, Jr. Their long and deep research of this issue resulted in no proof of this claim whatsoever. Mr. Bernstein has conveniently cited other media and some in academia and a favorite foundation "OPINIONS" and not factual research of the issue. He conveniently denies you, the reader, that 13 top notch scholars released their Scholars Commission Report in April 2001 debunking most of what had earlier been reported as truth in the media. The Monticello Report was exposed as being biased and not being balanced and a Minority Report was NOT released originally as part of their study, thus denying the public valuable research. He does not tell you that Madison Hemings statements were greatly "torn apart" and analyzed and found to be incorrect on several occasions. He does not tell you that members of the Hemings Family REFUSE to permit the gathering of valuable DNA which would cast doubt on whether Madison and Eston were brothers with the same father. Yet he tries to belittle "Jefferson defenders" who would dare suggest that Sally's children would have multiple fathers. In my opinion, the author joins several other recent academic members who have chosen the "Historical Revisionist" route to be politically correct. Herbert Barger
Jefferson Family Historian
Assistant to Dr. E.A. Foster on the Jefferson-Hemings DNA Study.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial Effort
Review: This author has given us a Thomas Jefferson made of extraordinarily light cardboard. Given the reputation of Oxford University Press, I'm surprised its imprint is on such a superficial effort. R.B. Bernstein committed factual errors and misrepresented an important source. When I finish reading this small work, I'll likely make further helpful observations. For now let's deal with a few errors of fact. The author called daughter Maria Jefferson's husband her "distant cousin." I find significance in the easily traceable fact that John Wayles Eppes was actually Maria's first cousin. (See Malone I:432, and work it out.) In listing Sally Hemings's "recorded" children, Bernstein made a factual omission of Edy, born 1796, entered in Monticello records, and dead in infancy. Jefferson's mentally-challenged sister Elizabeth wasn't older than Thomas, as Bernstein claimed, but was in fact younger. There are other date and age errors. They may seem trivial, but in the aggregate they raise questions of credibility. Unless one were to verify details and references in the entire work (which the publisher should have required of the author), one can't know where else or how else Bernstein may have failed his readers. Bernstein likes to quote John Adams as having said, "Facts are stubborn things." Bergen Evans, an authority on quotations, attributed those words not to Adams but to Ebenezer Elliott, author of a work titled Field Husbandry. As for misrepresenting a source, the author used Sally Hemings's son Madison's testimony about her relationship with Jefferson. On the subject of Sally's surrendering freedom in France to return with Jefferson to slavery in Virginia, Madison's words are essentially all we have. Bernstein wrote, "She exacted from Jefferson a promise that, if she returned to Virginia, he would free any children he fathered with her." That isn't what Madison Hemings said. Madison said, "(S)he refused to return with him. To induce her to do so he (Jefferson) promised her...that her children should be freed at the age of twenty-one..." Clearly there's no evidence here that she exacted, insisted, or demanded (see Webster). Instead, Jefferson offered. Big difference, one that credits the character of each. So why the Bernstein spin? And what other spins are contained in this hurried effort?
Rating:
Summary: Jefferson 101
Review: This is a great introduction to Thomas Jefferson. It's not possible to give a detailed description of the life and accomplishments of Jefferson in a mere 200 pages of text, but Bernstein has presented a fine basic summary of Jefferson' life. I don't necessarily agree with all of Bernstein's conclusions, and he seems to allow a bit of liberalism to skew his viewpoints, but nonetheless, there is a definite market for a book of this sort.
This is not an indepth, detailed analysis of Jefferson. For that, see such works as Dumas Malone's 6-volume set which took over 30 years to compose. What this book is, is a quick easy introduction and overview of Jefferson. If you are wanting to learn about Jefferson but not wanting to wade through 600 pages of Willard Sterne Randall's account, or even a the brief version by Joseph Ellis, which is just over 300 pages of text, then this is a perfect fit for you. At less than 200 pages, this is a quick, easy read.
I only have a couple of knocks on the book. For one, Bernstein seems genuinely disturbed that Jefferson did in fact own slaves and spends, I think, too much time debating the issue of Jefferson fathering the children of Sally Hemmings. Let us not forget that Jefferson was, in fact, a southern planter and owning slaves was accepted and commonplace. That is not an endorsement, but simply a statement of fact, and one that I believe Jefferson should not be condemned for considering the time in which he lived.
The other problem I have with this book occurs on pages 144 - 145. Here the author is addressing Jefferson's efforts to Christianize Native Americans. Bernstein states;
"Setting aside his commitment to strict separation of church and state, he sent Christian missionaries to establish schools in western territories to educate Native Americans - and convert them to Christianity."
Never does Bernstein ponder that perhaps Jefferson was not the "strict separationists" which revisionist historians have led us to believe. In fact, this statement stands as a testament that Jefferson's metaphor of a "wall of separation" has in fact, been greatly distorted. Sending missionaries to educate and convert Native Americans, was not, as the First Amendment forbids, "an establishment of religion", but does give weight to the argument that America was, in fact, founded as a "Christian" nation. It is difficult to accept this type of short-sightedness by the author, but then, we live in a society where this type of short-sightedness is commonplace.
The book skims through Jefferson's life from birth to death and beyond and includes 16 glossy pages of black and white plates, 30 pages of notes, a chronology and biographical essay. If you've read other books on Jefferson, you may be disappointed as this is, for the most part, a condensed version. However, if you know little of Jefferson and seek to learn, this is a great little book to start with.
Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com
Rating: 
Summary: Just too short for a book on Jefferson
Review: This is kind of harsh to say, but I thought the book was a waste of time because it was simply too short. Yes, if you absolutely have to learn about Jefferson and need to do it in less than 200 pages (little pages...), this book is about as perfect a one to read, but because it was so short and there is soooo much about Jefferson, the book ended up being a bunch of summaries. If you need a quick look up, this book is OK, but if you want some good reading, the book is kind of dry. Nice try.
Rating:
Summary: Enough already!
Review: This public display of reviewers' bickering neither honors nor dignifies the person we all revere, Thomas Jefferson. He, too, was sometimes critical and impatient, even manipulative. He also suffered more disappointments and losses than most and was a product of his circumstances, trapped in the events and standards of his time. At the very least, however, Jefferson read and listened to others and tried to understand their side of issues. With faith in common people and common causes he directed his gifts--during what he saw as practical opportunities--toward advocacy and action in their behalf. He didn't always succeed, but when he did the results were spectacular. Will there ever be another like him? Last evening a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings notified me, "Today I gratefully passed my Masters Thesis Defense!" Shannon Lanier will receive both a Bachelor of Science degree in electronic media production and a Master of Arts degree in media management from Kent State University next month. Shannon, a gifted and extremely likeable young man, co-authored JEFFERSON'S CHILDREN in 2000 and has done more than most to try to reunite the Jefferson and Hemings families. To honor my friend Shannon and all in his blended family, I'll put aside petty resentments. R.B. Bernstein, for all his self-confessed "kvetching" and self-doubts and his shots at me, deserves more than the one star I awarded him, but I can't go for five. I think he would agree that in current affairs we're seeing too much of settling differences by shooting instead of listening to one another. We can all set a better example for those who will soon inherit a world we're currently mismanaging. For my part in this, I know that (1) anyone's vetting of my book DIAGNOSING JEFFERSON will reveal no misstep in my scholarship, though they can argue with my hypotheses, that (2) my descriptions of the compatibility of Jefferson's traits with Asperger's are well grounded and validated by experts, that (3) my work was edited by one of the best in the business--Hillel Black, that (4) the book has inspired countless young people with the condition, and several have told me it turned their lives around, and that (5) those who belittle the work without doing more than leaf through it may be surprised when they take the trouble to read it.
|
