The Women Jefferson Loved

Historian Virginia Scharff breaks through the seemingly impenetrable wall separating Thomas Jefferson’s public legacy and his private life, offering an intriguing new portrait of the founding father as seen through the lives of a remarkable group of women. Scharff brings together stories of the women who surrounded and, in many ways, defined Jefferson, including his mother; his wife, Martha; his mistress and Martha’s half-sister, slave Sally Hemings; and his daughters and granddaughters. Based on a wealth of sources, including family letters, and written with empathy and insight, The Women Jefferson Loved is an unprecedented new look at this legendary American—one that offers a fresh perspective on American history itself.