Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain [Paperback]

Natalie S. Bober (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

Natalie Bober's critically acclaimed biography of Thomas Jefferson brings a human dimension to this president. This comprehensive biography includes a wealth of helpful supplemental material. "A marvelously readable and informative biography."--School Library Journal. Young Adult.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up Jefferson has been briefly described in a number of series biographies, especially for younger grades, but he has, surprisingly, been neglected as a subject for young adults. Bober's excellent biography does more than fill that gap. She presents a portrait of a very human, immensely gifted man who lived at the critical time of the formation of the American polity. An insatiable reader, he absorbed the learning of his time (happily the period of Enlightened thinking) and directed his energies to the law, the government, and the arts of living. His achievements in public life as well as in the private sphere were equally impressive. But Bober does not spare readers the sorrows and griefs of his family life, the criticisms leveled against his public policies, or the self-doubts, financial troubles, and sometimes tempestuous but always honorable emotional life of this charming man. Using Jefferson's own writings, quotations from contemporaries, documents and historical data, she has constructed a marvelously readable and informative biography that breathes life into an ``American hero'' and shows him as the person he must have been. Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, N.J.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Bober has taken on an extremely vital, but difficult, task: writing a history that speaks to young people, black and white alike, in a way that is respectful to both cultures.... Hits all the relevant points that young readers should know about the third president, while adding new perspectives that are always nuanced. The detail is rich and her presentation is elegant.

(Annette Gordon-ReedNew York Law School, author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689815239
• ISBN-13: 978-0689815232
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain (Paperback)

Probably one of the best books I've ever read- it is very informative, but I was able to read it like I would a novel- a rare trait in nonfiction literature. It was written in a way that even one who is not a history buff can enjoy it. It shows that Jefferson was quite ahead of his time, but he was not superhuman as some sources lead us to believe.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Lively Biography On The Market, July 11, 2000

By 

Kyle W. Faylor (Allentown, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain (Paperback)

Thomas Jefferson is to me: one of the most admirable people in history.This book has an amazing fictional aproach but yet it is still factual and educational and you can still be one of the biggest Jefferson buffs out there and not have to do years of studying.This book is to me the most animated biography that mosturizes dry facts to fertile entertainment.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but selective history, November 17, 2007

By 

D. Thompson (Somerville, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain (Paperback)

As a life long Jefferson fan, I enjoyed this book immensely, but am concerned that Bober does not offer a critical analysis of her subject. She says that one of her goals in writing this book is to make Jefferson appear more human. While she goes into great detail about Jefferson's family values and other interests aside from politics, she omits any mention of his mortal flaws which are exactly what make him human. Any reader can tell that Bober reveres Jefferson like a Revolutionary God (and indeed he was one), but she is unable to maintain any degree of impartiality as a biographer.

For instance, Bober enthusiastically discusses the various ways Jefferson tried to bring an end to the peculiar institution of slavery through his writings, but she never questions why if this was so important to him, he failed to take advantage of his executive power as president to ensure that the Louisiana territory he purchased in 1803 remained slave free? Why didn't he fight harder to retain the clause prohibiting slavery in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence? The Jefferson of Bober's imagination is not capable of such double standards or inconsistencies in character.

Bober only briefly mentions that while Jefferson professed to be against slavery, he owned several hundred slaves at Monticello and his other plantations. Why was his rhetoric inconsistent with his actions? Bober conveniently ignores the fact that Monticello was built entirely by slaves. (This I know because I have a degree in history, but a less informed reader would be misled). Jefferson may have thought that ending slavery was a good idea, but he did not pursue this cause with the same passion with which he fought for the freedom of white Americans from the British.

Bober dismisses the notion that Jefferson had an affair with his slave Sally Hemings and instead suggests that the president's nephew was the father of Sally's children, yet Bober's evidence to support her argument is scant. In fact, she spends as little time as possible on this topic, preferring to discuss Jefferson's contributions to his country. While this approach is refreshing when compared to the massive number of volumes out there on "Jefferson's scandals," Bober has neglected an important part of Jeffersonian history. Recent DNA testing has proven that Sally Heming's children were fathered by a Jefferson male which could be Thomas or possibly someone else.

All this said, Bober does an excellent job of bringing Thomas Jefferson to life and articulating his accomplishments in a meaningful way. It's a shame that her work is decidedly unbalanced and therefore irresponsible from an historical point of view.