Jefferson's Sons

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.  Jefferson’s Sons. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2011. 360 pages. $17.99 ISBN: 9780803734999 (trade)

Plot Summary:

Bradley’s Jefferson’s Sons is told in three parts by three different narrators: Beverly, Maddie and Peter.  Beverly and Maddie’s mother is the slave Sally Hemmings and their father is their master President Thomas Jefferson.  Though everyone knows Master Jefferson is the father of Sally’s children, no one at Monticello verbally acknowledge the fact.  Beverly, Maddie and their siblings Harriet and Eston will all be free when they turn 21, but their friends like Peter and his older brother James, will remain slaves, their lives subject to the whims of their master.  Beverly and Harriet’s plans to go live as white people when they are old enough is hard on Maddie, who takes after his mother more than any of the other children and cannot pass for white.  Maddie has a harder time than the other children accepting his fate.  He feels very alone, especially after his father sells Maddie’s best friend and Peter’s older brother James.  Maddie knows when his siblings are free and living as white people he will never see them again, they will not be able to acknowledge their black family.  Maddie’s future looks much different than that of his siblings, though Maddie will be free, he will still be black and will be subject to racism. 

Critical Review:

Jefferson’s Sons explores the topic of slavery differently from other young adult novels on the subject.  Bradley imagines the lives of Jefferson’s children by his slave Sally Hemings.  And explores how these children must feel knowing that their father and their owner is the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence and claims to belief in liberty for all men.  All of the children have mixed feelings about their father.  Jefferson’s Sons touches on hypocrisy, racism and what the true meaning of liberty is. 

Genre:

Historical Fiction

Reading Level:

7^th grade and up

Subjects/Themes:

Slavery

Thomas Jefferson

Sally Hemings

Racism

American History

Awards/Honors:

ALA Notable Children’s Books 2012

Kirkus Best Children's Books 2011

Author’s Website:

http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/index.htm

Annotation:

Jefferson’s Sons is the story of Presidents Thomas Jefferson’s children by his slave Sally Hemmings.

Book Talking Ideas:

Jefferson’s Sons is an interesting historical novels that deals with slavery, one of the less pleasant aspects of American history and the hypocrisy committed by our founding fathers who claimed to believe in liberty for all, but kept slaves.  The story is a fictionalized account of President Thomas Jefferson’s children by his slave Sally Hemmings and their lives growing up as slaves in their father’s house.

Why I Chose to Include this Book:

I included this book because it approaches the issue of slavery from a different and unique angle.