Thomas Jefferson
Author of America
“Hitchens . . . levels the Monticello of cant that has been written about our third president and offers a balanced, readable portrait. A refreshing perspective.” —New York Times Book Review
In a literal sense, Jefferson “invented” America: he more or less designed and built it. The edifice he constructed, both through his copious writings and his forceful policies, inevitably fell short of his vision, but he left an indelible legacy.
Christopher Hitchens, the fearless and renowned commentator on political and social issues, adroitly sketches Jefferson’s protean gifts as a philosopher, a politician, an architect, and a man. In the background is the drama of a new nation’s struggle for independence; Hitchens gives us a portrait of a formative figure and a turbulent era.
“Masterful . . . Hitchens sets out to debunk not so much Thomas Jefferson as his biographers.”—New York Sun
“Imaginative without being inventive, Hitchens is the rare author who can prune a complicated life such as Jefferson’s to reveal its salient characteristics.” —Booklist