A review by nerfherder86
My Name Is James Madison Hemings by Jonah Winter

4.0

Beautiful picture book that is a fictionalized biography of James Madison Hemings, born both a slave and the son of his owner, Thomas Jefferson (and his slave Sally Hemings). The author shows what life may have been like for young James and his siblings, living in the shadow of their master and knowing he was also their father but that they must never acknowledge that fact. The author based the book on an 1873 newspaper interview with James in which he summarized his life and revealed his parentage--the only one of the Hemings children to do so. So the book really is historical fiction, because the author had to make educated guesses on things like who taught James how to read or did he play the violin like Jefferson did. The acrylic paintings illustrating the book are gorgeous, and the author's note explains the contradictions in Jefferson's life as well as the process of writing the book. I found it a compelling read and an important topic handled sensitively for a children's book.