Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr.

A rarely told chapter in the life of an American legend, Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr. is a revelatory look into post-presidential life – a detailed and enthralling peek at the man and his experiences, but also the ongoing state of the young nation.

Most Americans have some image, opinion, or high-school recollection of Thomas Jefferson, but this biographical tome offers a different glimpse into his life, focusing on a less-discussed era of the 3rd US president. Charming scenes of high-ranking visitors arriving at Monticello to find barefoot children underfoot give the aging president a humanness that could never be shown in a dry textbook, and has not been given such service in other biographies.

Most of the revelations and fresh perspectives on Jefferson’s later years are dutifully referenced, evidence of the author’s deep commitment to this elusive narrative portrait. The plethora of uncovered facts and the glue-like fictions of Hyland’s storytelling blend seamlessly in the prose, with subtle descriptions and subjective scene-building bumping up against an impressive array of quotes, telegrams, letters, and other first-person pieces of record.

An absorbing work of history, this biography presents an ex-president in a decidedly vulnerable space, descended from political legend to a more tucked-away life amongst family, resulting in an intimate and intriguing character portrait that is a must-read for readers of American history to get a fuller portrait of the man, and of the country.