Thomas Jefferson

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8A concise, well-organized, though workmanlike, account of the highlights of Jefferson's life and career. Old makes it clear that her subject was a far-seeing political philosopher and tactician, as well as a lifelong student and practitioner of law, architecture, agriculture, animal husbandry, and many aspects of science. The biography begins with an examination of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, an act that went against Jefferson's natural inclination to be a "strict constructionist" in regard to interpreting the Constitution, but was very much in line with his interest in expanding the territory of the U.S. The rest of the book is a traditional, chronological examination of the man's development and accomplishments. It is noted that Jefferson felt that "slavery was against the law of nature" and yet he owned slaves throughout his life and freed only five of them upon his death, all members of the Hemings family. No mention is made of slave Sally Hemings. The text is generously larded with appropriate, cogent quotes as well as a good selection of black-and-white photos, archival reproductions, examples of source documents, and Jefferson-related Internet sites. This biography could serve as a companion to Milton Meltzer's Thomas Jefferson (Watts, 1991).David A. Lindsey, Lakewood High and Middle School Libraries, WA