Sally Hemings: A Novel

I always vaguely admired Thomas Jefferson and knew that he was an interesting sort of man and quite the genius. However, I was completely surprised and interested to read about his relationship with Sally Hemings. I couldn't put this book down and I resolved to read more about Sally Hemings. How sickening and dreadful we "humans" have treated each other and still treat each other! How could Jefferson had slaves? (How could anyone?)
I think that this sort of book should be required reading in high schools and colleges instead of some of the deadly boring books assigned in Lit classes. Most people don't think about and don't know how people of color and how women have been so ignored, disrespected and hidden in American history.
SALLY HEMINGS is a novel, but this story tells the sad truth of slaves and women. I'd recommend it for men and women... It's a good read and it's thought-provoking... There are women in parts of the world in similar circumstance right now and we are oblivious to their situations. Hopefully, their stories won't stay buried as the story of SALLY HEMINGS has been.
Good book. I really recommend it.

Barbara Chase-Riboud did an amazing job with creating fiction using true historical documentation. It was a compelling and informational read. One of my friends recommended it, and I am glad she did. If you want to read about Sally Hemings and get as close to an accurate information, this is probably as close as you can get. The quotes from Jefferson's writings and other documents connect this story like nothing else I have read. Definitely a must for history buffs.

I was a guide at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello when the DNA evidence linking Jefferson to Hemings exploded in the mid-1990s, and know how affected many were by the mere thought of this relationship being real. The reverberations are still being felt a full decade-plus later.

Barbara Chase-Riboud published this novel a full 15 years before the Jefferson-Hemings relationship was all but confirmed (despite the protestations of a still vocal minority), and what better way to contextualize something about which we know so little than with a work of fiction? With actual evidence to contradict her being quite scarce, Chase-Riboud is able to turn the tale into a detailed, dramatic story. It really doesn't matter who the main protagonists happen to be. I am reminded of Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels", in which the author used very well known situations and "characters" (Lee, Chamberlain) to create tense, gripping scenes that undoubtedly did not occur exactly as written.

It's not a work of history, and regardless of your opinion re: whether Jefferson did or didn't you'll find yourself turning page after page.

After reading "John Adams" I became interested in the Thomas Jefferson - Sally Hemings story. I could not put this book down. It is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read and I'm a voracious reader. I'm eager to read the sequel, "The President's Daughter."

This is the book that started me on my hobby of collecting Sally Hemmings books. When Barbara Chase Riboud wrote this novel critics --mostly Jefferson fans sneered.They were so determined to wipe out the idea that Jefferson and Sally may have had an affair that they forgot that this is a great book. Sally Hemmings and Thomsa Jefferson come alive in this novel. This historical fiction/love story does a finer job of showing the tragedy of slavery than many history books.

I have read several books about Sally Hemings. Even listened to a 26-taped recording, but Ms. Chase-Riboud has the most comprehensive insight into the whys and hows of this type of relationship that was lived daily in the South and became a way of life that is still being lived out in daily life. Ms. Chase-Riboud helped me understand the mentality of complex relationships in the face of the most unconscionability way of treating others.

Thank you Ms. Chase-Riboud for your well-researched insight into the minds of men (and especially women).

great