The Women Jefferson Loved

By Virginia Scharff,

Book cover of The Women Jefferson Loved

Book description

“A focused, fresh spin on Jeffersonian biography.” —Kirkus Reviews

In the tradition of Annette Gordon-Reed’s The Hemingses of Monticello and David McCullough’s John Adams, historian Virginia Scharff offers a compelling, highly readable multi-generational biography revealing how the women Thomas Jefferson loved shaped the third president’s ideas and his vision for…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission

Why read it?

1 author picked The Women Jefferson Loved as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The study of Jefferson has been dominated by men and has largely focused on politics and Jefferson’s relationships with men. Scharff presents an alternative perspective. She focuses on the women in Jefferson’s life—his mother, sisters, wife, sisters-in-law, daughters, granddaughters, and the enslaved mother of his mixed-race children. The result is an original entry in the vast corpus of books on Jefferson. It’s beautifully written, imbued with sympathy for its subjects. Scharff offers a new perspective on Jefferson but also sheds light on the varied experiences of women of different races and classes in early America. The result is a study…

Want books like The Women Jefferson Loved?

Our community of 9,000+ authors has personally recommended 10 books like The Women Jefferson Loved.

Browse books like The Women Jefferson Loved

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Thomas Jefferson, family, and Sally Hemings?

9,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Thomas Jefferson, family, and Sally Hemings.

Thomas Jefferson Explore 48 books about Thomas Jefferson
Family Explore 3,028 books about family
Sally Hemings Explore 7 books about Sally Hemings