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marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
I fell in love with her other book, [b:The War that Saved My Life|20912424|The War that Saved My Life|Kimberly Brubaker Bradley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1453342842s/20912424.jpg|40277782] last year so I was curious about this one. When my library had it available one day, I figured it was worth a shot and was not disappointed. This author does an excellent job portraying historical situations for a middle grade audience.
thebrainlair's review against another edition
4.0
While I "enjoyed" reading this, there were many times I didn't feel like this book was written for middle grades, unless its upper middle. The child' narrator voices seemed much older, though with what they were expected to do as slave children, I'm sure they would seem older than a 9 or 10 year old today.
madcat29's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mary00's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Excellent. This author is becoming one of my favorites. She does not shy away from introducing children to difficult but important topics.
This middle grade book provides a nuanced look at Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with slavery, specifically focusing on his own children that he fathered with his slave (but did not claim).
On the one hand, Jefferson undoubtedly did a lot to help establish and inspire America. On the other hand, he coined the phrase "all men are created equal" while owning a sizable number of slaves himself. Rather than freeing them all upon his death, his extravagant lifestyle had forced him into significant debt which required most of his slaves to be separated and sold. His actions make his words ring hollow.
This work really does do a wonderful job of looking at all sides of Jefferson, while remaining engaging.
I found the ending to be especially powerful and it choked me up.
Great on audio.
Excellent. This author is becoming one of my favorites. She does not shy away from introducing children to difficult but important topics.
This middle grade book provides a nuanced look at Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with slavery, specifically focusing on his own children that he fathered with his slave (but did not claim).
On the one hand, Jefferson undoubtedly did a lot to help establish and inspire America. On the other hand, he coined the phrase "all men are created equal" while owning a sizable number of slaves himself. Rather than freeing them all upon his death, his extravagant lifestyle had forced him into significant debt which required most of his slaves to be separated and sold. His actions make his words ring hollow.
This work really does do a wonderful job of looking at all sides of Jefferson, while remaining engaging.
I found the ending to be especially powerful and it choked me up.
Great on audio.
katiecakes91's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so touching and thought provoking. I visited Monticello once and remember learning that even though Jefferson was a slave owner, he treated them amazingly. While there may be some truth to that, his slaves were still enslaved people. Families were separated because of Thomas Jefferson. It's odd to think that the same person that wrote the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed freedom didn't quite practice everything he preached. I grew to love the children in this story. It's a shame their histories are lost after leaving Monticello. Really appreciated the author's afterward discussing her research. The narrator is fantastic for the audiobook.
elsanore's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
diana_reads_and_reads's review
3.0
This was part of Elizabeth’s curriculum this year and I read it with her to be able to discuss it. It was fine. Parts of the story seem very repetitive and that gets annoying by the third section. How does a man who championed “all men are created equal” also own slaves? Can there be a “good” slave owner (spoiler: no)? I thought the point was well made near the end that Jefferson didn’t live in such a way that his slaves could even be freed at the end of his life because he left so much debt.
Slavery was such a cancer to our country that it is hard to see how it will ever be rooted out, especially these days with open KKK members running for office.
Slavery was such a cancer to our country that it is hard to see how it will ever be rooted out, especially these days with open KKK members running for office.
tyson_and_rainbow's review
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
eh
ecthompson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jaij7's review against another edition
5.0
Really well written historical fiction. I loved learning about Sally Hemings and her children. The descriptions of life for these people was so heart breaking but too important to turn away from.