Jefferson's Children: The Story of One American Family by Shannon Lanier Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Jefferson's Children: The Story of One American Family
Book Review: Jefferson's Family Brought to Life
Summary: 5 Stars
The authors are very successful in bringing to life an old American story in a new way. Not meant to be a historical thesis, it brings depth and soul through the voices of Thomas Jefferson's children (many generations removed). The photographs capture much more than words can convey, permitting the reader to travel the generations along with those whose relatives they are. The authors created a wonderful book that eduates and heals. It is presented in a manner that children, adolescents, and adults can appreciate and grow from.Book Review: Food for Thought
Summary: 5 Stars
This book gives the reader much food for thought. Thoughts about Thomas Jefferson the man, and his descendants, and thoughts about one's own family heritage. This book is not only for the young!Book Review: Politically Incorrect
Summary: 3 Stars
For anyone who has followed the Jefferson-Hemings story this is an interesting book. However, it glosses over much of the historical evidence, and seems to suggest that anyone who questions the conclusion that Jefferson fathered Hemings children is a racist. Media sound bites and Lanier to the contrary, the DNA evidence for Jefferson's paternity is very shaky and Lanier neglects to mention that the descendents of Madison Hemings (of whom he is one) refused to be tested at all (although he does mention that the DNA testing eliminated the 150 year old claims of the Woodsons) Regardless, Lanier believes that ALL the families should be accepted by the Jefferson family to order to support racial harmony (which seems a little ridiculous since there are always people who try to claim descent from more illustrious forbears). Most of all, you are left with great sadness that the Hemings descendents are so desperate to be related to Jefferson it has become the focus of their lives, and even when their claims are proven impossible (as with the Woodson families), they still cling to a belief that they are descended from a great WHITE man (which is pretty sad). Whether Jefferson never acknowledged the Hemings children or treated them differently than any of the other house slaves because he was a really bad guy, OR because they were not in fact his children is a question that will remain (at least for me) until more sophisticated DNA analysis can link paternity not to one of 27 Jefferson males, but to Thomas Jefferson himself.Book Review: CONTINUATION OF THE JAMES T. CALLENDER STORY
Summary: 2 Stars
Shannon and Jane did an excellent job in gathering family oral historyinto a well designed and readable book. However having said that, I
must highly disagree with some of the information therein.
As the
Jefferson Family Historian, who assisted Dr. Foster with the DNA
Study, I mentioned in my interview in the book, there was NOTHING to
prove that Thomas Jefferson fathered any Hemings child. There was not
even a historian collaborator on this amateurish project. Dr. Foster
made ALL the decisions to deny Nature Journal valuable family
information and told me he knew nothing of history, yet he rendered a
historical opinion. He even saw the false and misleading headline
prior to publication.
There are too many statements of fact,
beginning with the title, that there was a relationship...there is
NOTHING to prove that. The Woodson family were surprised to learn that
DNA had eliminated their ancestor, Tom Woodson, yet their oral history
is longstanding. All of this misinformation started in 1800 with the
Campaign Lies and continued through Callender in 1802 until the
present when historical revisionists and politically correct
"authorities", some individuals, some foundations and some
centers of learning, are taking over.
Because of the shallow,
incomplete, miss evaluated and denied information of the Thomas
Jefferson Memorial Foundation, who are reported to be soon DROPPING
the word "Memorial" from their title, a new society, Thomas
Jefferson Heritage Society, was formed to carry
forward the "MEMORIAL" and are sponsoring a Scholars
Commission of over 14 prominent professors to re-evaluate the ENTIRE
DNA Study and will issue their report in January 2001.
Books such as
this, reporting information that has NO FACT as to the Sally
Hemings-Thomas Jefferson relationship should not be used as a factual
text to be believed by our students. The book does serve a useful tool
to permit family members to understand more of their family's rich
heritage. In order to enable historians and researchers to compare
science with oral history we challenge the author, Mr. Shannon Lanier,
Ms. Shay Banks-Young and other descendants of Madison Hemings, whose
oral stories fill the book, to permit the gathering of DNA from their
ancestral uncle, William Hemings. Since October 1999 they have refused
and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation (Monticello) researchers
have made no effort to request that be done. Buy the book, it's
interesting and full of excellent pictures and charts (though partly
inaccurate).