Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty

"John Boles has been a student of Jefferson and the early American Republic for his entire career. This is an all-encompassing, cradle-to-grave biography. Boles brings a balanced perspective to both positive and negative aspects of Jefferson’s character. It’s a sympathetic biography, but it’s not a whitewash. It takes a very strong look at Jefferson and slavery , something the present generation of historians has been fathoming, because of the obvious paradox that this champion of human liberty took no appreciable action to remove slavery from his native Virginia. Boles makes the complex story of Jefferson’s character easy to process. It’s detailed and entertaining. It brings into clear focus a complex human being. On a psychological level, it’s a profound analysis of a person, his political vision and his political practice. And it’s very engagingly written."