Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets

Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, the public man, and with good reason: he was the architect of our democracy and a visionary who expanded the nation's physical boundaries to unimagined lengths. But the intensely private Jefferson joined in a conspiracy to make himself unknowable to the public.

Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets is a new and unprecedented examination of the "intimate" Thomas Jefferson--from his return to Monticello after two terms as president until his death. Author William G. Hyland Jr. pierces Jefferson's private family veil and reveals little-known, poignant scenes of the relatives closest to Jefferson in his last years. Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets is the first biography to uncover the dynamic relationship Jefferson had with his adult grandchildren.

With a novelist's skill and a scholar's meticulous detail, Hyland explores new ground in Jefferson's autumn years as a waning patriarch, enduring physical illness and family strife. These glimpses of Jefferson's inner character will change the way readers think about this American icon: as a flawed--but benevolent--man.