In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson

Rating:
Summary: Is "grandson" a subset of "grandfather"?
Review: Am I missing something or did "[e-mail]" from Texas not read the Jefferson DNA report that he cites in his review of Noble Cunningham's book?

The notorious DNA report established only that Thomas Jefferson was guilty of being his paternal grandfather's descendant, not that he fathered children by Sally Hemmings. The DNA test was run on Grandpa Jefferson, not TJ.

Joseph Ellis and the other Clinton apologists who publicized this report last year during Clinton's impeachment investigation can draw their own politically-driven conclusions from the report, but in this universe, "grandson" is not implied by the term "grandfather."

Rating:
Summary: a fair and brief biography
Review: I am only an undergrad student, so I admit I'm not all that well read. A wealth of literature has been published on Jefferson. There are a great many books carry out in-depth studies on various aspects relating to Jefferson. This book, is, however, a brief account of Jefferson's entire life.on that account,it is obviously a limited book. Even so the dicussion on Jefferson;s two terms as president are too brief. Yet Cunningham's approach to various subjects-the Embargo, for example are fairly good. The book includes a section on jefferson's last years (in the chapter "The Sage Of Monticello)which is brief yet intersting. Overall, the book tries to encompass Jefferson's personal as well as political life in its contents.Thus it compromises with many aspects.Yet it is a fairly good book overall.It is written in lucid style and would be useful to anyone wanting to obtain a bird's eye view of the life and career of Thomas Jefferson.

Rating:
Summary: A better title would be "Jefferson: His Public Life"
Review: I've been reading biographies of the presidents in the order they served, and I have to agree with Andrew Wagner's review: I don't really feel like I know Jefferson after reading this biography. Unlike McCullough's "John Adams" or Ketcham's "James Madison: A Biography," this book deals predominantly (just shy of exclusively) with Jefferson's public life. The author seems to begrudgingly deal with Jefferson's personal life only because some exposition of it is expected at certain points (e.g., formative years, Sally Hemings). He barely mentions Jefferson's friendships with Adams, Madison, and others. You'll know more about Jefferson's personal life from reading McCullough's book on Adams than reading this biography. That said, if you're, in fact, looking for a good synopsis of Jefferson's public life only, this book does a good job.

Rating:
Summary: The Bureaucrat of Monticello
Review: In this book Noble Cunningham has managed to make one of the most fascinating figures in American history pedestrian. He provides a dutiful recounting of the facts of Jefferson's life, but never makes him come alive. His thesis--that Jefferson saw the use of reason as the highest human undertaking--is certainly valid, but Jefferson was a man of enormous contradictions, none of which are truly explored here. This book makes the man who said "Democracy ought to be periodically washed in blood" seem like a hardworking civil servant.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhere between fine and good?
Review: Okay, so let us concede that nobody can write a singly comprehensive book on Thomas Jefferson. Let's also try and find a common ground between revisionists and conservatives. This isn't the place to find either.

However, this book offers a reasonable account of the more significant events in the life of the Sage of Monticello.

Rating:
Summary: brief and fairly good
Review: There is no dearth of literature on Thomas Jefferson.there are numerous books that offer detailed studies on various aspects of his life, political theory and his career. This book is obviously a brief account of the life and career of Thomas Jefferson. As such, it compromises on a detailed discussion on any one aspect of Jefferson's life, but this is understandable, given the limited scope of the book. Even so the discussion on Jefferson's presidency is a little too brief. However certain topics-such as the Emabargo, are handled fairly well. overall, this book is usefull to anyone who wishes to obtain a bird's eye view of Jefferson's life.

Rating:
Summary: Good Biography for the Masses
Review: This book has received unwarranted bad reviews and press simply because it is 'short.' Noble E. Cunningham's purpose, it seems, for this biography of Jefferson, was to present the essential life of Jefferson in such a way that all could enjoy. There have been so many biographies written on Jefferson and most are massive multi- volumes which can come across as very daunting to the average reader.

However, this book, while very well researched and authoritative in its content, is a biography which can be read by the average Joe and the scholar alike. Cunningham's research is very well documented, and the book is put together systematically from "The Formative Years" to "The Final Legacy." So, in a brief space, one can read this volume and learn the essential/perennial events which occurred in Jefferson's life. Moreover, Cunningham delves a little into Jefferson's personal affairs, such as his lost first love - Rebecca Burwell, to his admiration for Patrick Henry. Cunningham also details Jefferson's early intellectual influences and his love for law. In fact, in 349 pages of text, the most crucial and important events which occurred, and have been documented, in Jefferson's life are present in this text.

Therefore, Cunningham's attempt in writing this size biography was not to press his reader down in certain detail. Rather, Cunningham attempted to present a Jefferson which could be widely read by most anyone. His efforts are noble and successful on that level.

However, it must be stated that if you are wanting an intricately more detailed work of Jefferson, then this book will only wet your appetite for more. There are other biographies available (massive multi- volumes) for one to delve much deeper. But here, Cunningham just simply lets his reader know some of the most crucial events and facts. That being the case, this is a good book to begin your research and study of Thomas Jefferson.

Rating:
Summary: An average biography (Two and half stars)
Review: This book is a fairly good introduction to Jefferson, although it is rather short for a biography of one of our most intelligent presidents. The book seemed to quickly skim over his life, for example giving only one chapter to each of his presidential terms. The Lewis and Clark expedition is barely mentioned and I would have liked to know everything that led up to that famous journey. His scientific achievements are also only alluded to during the course of the book. Although it is an easily readable book, I came away wanting to know much more and feeling I did not know the man. Compare this to the excellent John Adams: A Life, and this biography falls well short. If you want a short summation of Jefferson, then this book will suffice.