That said, even if he did father Heming's children (which Kerrison takes as undisputed fact), Kerrison admits to a lot of speculation. As there is almost no historical information on Hemings or her children, Kerrison is forced to make assumptions and say what "could have" or "might have" happened. Also, Sally Hemings was only 1/4 black and her children would have been 1/8. From what I've read in other sources, most went on to become part of white society after Jefferson's death. This complicates the narrative, I think. Generally Jefferson is thought to have basically repeatedly raped a very young slave (Sally) and then neglected the resulting children. If the children are his, this is a bad story. If they are not, Jefferson was very generous with what were possibly his philandering brother's offspring, setting them up to eventually go on to lead lives as they chose.
So those assumptions bothered me.
But the parts that were more definitive, about his daughters with his wife, were much more interesting. I especially loved reading about the education they received and the desire they had to pass that education onto their children. As much as possible, he wanted them educated like boys when in America and then with the finest female education France had to offer. While Jefferson may not match up to our standards today for a female-affirming man, he definitely displayed some traits that were most likely rare in those days.
His friendship with Abigail Adams was also touched on vis-a-vis his trips to Europe. Having read a book before about Adams, his relationship with her and her sentiments rang true.
The book is worth reading, if only for a different glimpse into Thomas Jefferson.
