Written in 1854 and published the next year,this book is fascinating in providing personal sketches of distinguished Americans Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson,Henry Clay and John Randolph with many references to other prominent men who were their contemporaries. The author's
analysis is interesting not only in the spirited description of the individuals profiled but in his comparison of each of them with their political antagonists. The unique perspective he brings a man whose life overlapped some of these figures is worth a read for history or politics buffs. His admiration and defense of some he buttresses with argument. His passion is clear.
His oratorical style is typical of the time yet conveys a vivid impression of his subjects, and reminds one of a time before soundbites and simple words geared to a mass audience.

Lewis uses diaries and other personal writings to support her argument that the value Virginians placed on family and emotion changed from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. Virginians of the pre-Revolution era equated happiness with independence (freedom from debts or even social obligations to others). Their primary goal was a "peacable life," which was attained when one was independent and had domestic tranquillity. Emotional outbursts could upset domestic tranquillity, so displays of emotion were to be avoided. Parents displayed their affection for their children by financially establishing them in the world (providing them with independence) and children displayed their affection for parents by being obedient and cheerful. Moderation in all things, including emotion, helped to maintain the desired domestic tranquillity. Moderation applied to religion brought the non-emotional, rationalistic Deist religion into favor. Unfortunately, this moderation applied to child-rearing habits produced genial but lazy adults.

After the Revolution, Virginia's economy faltered and the genial, but lazy, offspring of the pre-Revolution Virginians could no longer rely on their parents to set them up financially. People who grew up not expecting to work for a living, and who grew up looking down on those who did, found themselves needing to "run after money." Many who were unsuccessful placed part of the blame on their own laziness which they attributed to how they were raised as children.

Evangelical religion also became popular at this time. This emotion-filled religion described the world as a dark, cruel wilderness which could only be escaped by dying and going to a peaceful Heaven. This bleak description of the world hit the mark for the Virginians who were having a difficult time in the changing Virginian economy, but the only hope religion offered was death. Virginians began to turn to the family for emotional fulfillment and to the home as an asylum from the cruel w! orld. Family and emotion became preferred over financial success and independence. Now parents displayed their affection for their children by giving them love and an education that would enable them to be self-reliant. Children displayed their affection with love as well. Family and emotion reigned supreme.

A promise made: "If you ever need me..." is a promise to keep as Jefferson Cade opens a mysterious envelope only to find the handwriting of a woman who loved him and left him four years ago. Marissa Alexandre of Argentina returned to her country to fulfill a debt of honor for her father and marry a man she did not love. Now Jefferson holds the news account of a plane going down over the ocean. The article reports the following passengers: Marissa's husband, herself, and her parents. But if she were dead, he couldn't be holding an envelope in her handwriting.

Now Jefferson requests the aid of The Black Watch, a mysterious government organization dedicated to justice. Evidence suggests a drug lord brought the plane down, and he does not know Marissa was not aboard. They must move quickly to rescue Marissa from Argentina before she becomes a victim of his vicious vendetta. Four years and the death of her husband and parents have built a lot of guilt, and Marissa no longer feels free to give into the passion she still feels for Jefferson. Worse, she knows her presence threatens the safety of a number of people, and the only way the drug lord will stop will be when either she or he is dead.

A riveting tale of passion and danger, THE REDEMPTION OF JEFFERSON CADE will keep the pages turning. Author BJ James once again demonstrates her remarkable gift for strong characterizations, exploring the emotional nuances that bring them dramatic flair. Indeed, this irresistibly sexy hero and the unforgettable ambiance of THE REDEMPTION OF JEFFERSON CADE will linger long after the last page is turned. Highly recommended.

The problem with books about history is that they are almost always an interpretation: the author's. At best the author is willing to share the conflicting evidence with his reader, at worst the author omits it and pretends it doesn't even exist. But even the most faithful author can't put everything in a book so a selection has to be made. That's why the critical reader ends up reading a lot of books about the same subject. To be able to grasp most of the material, evidence and theories that are circulating. That way he/she is able to form his/her own opinion about an issue. But if the issue is Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings the reader will likely end up digging through tons of material and will still be very confused and very indecisive. Until recently one of the only books on the topic worth reading was Anette Gordon-Reed's "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Heming: An American Controversy". Because of it's painstakingly revealing of the mistakes, omissions and lies that previous writers had committed and for it's refusal to take a final stand.

This book however was written after the 1999 DNA tests that revealed that Thomas Jefferson very likely fathered Sally's last child Eston. And that he didn't father Thomas C. Woodson. But one has to keep in mind that the recent testing still don't prove Jefferson's paternity exclusively. Another male relative from the Jefferson line could have fathered Sally's last child, since they share the same Y chromosome. The book offers a number of refreshing essays written by scholars. Each one of them looks at the relationship from his/her own field. Trying to describe and explain what this new evidence means to themselves and their previous writings and views on TJ. Sometimes describing how they fell into the trap that so many historians fell into when dealing with TJ. They also try to describe the way the American mind thought about TJ and how this new evidence will influence peoples views and opinions.

The strength of the book is that it has been written after the revealing DNA tests. It also presents a lot of authors, each with his/her specific knowledge, views and convictions. Rather than just one author. But the really weak point is that the book fails to give a clear outline and explanation of the recent DNA test. That's the chapter that it should have started with. Since that test is the core, the very foundation upon which all these "revisionist" writings build. And also because a test like this needs explanation: not everyone is familiar with cellular biology and what it really means.

The School That Refused To Die by Daniel Duke is the story of how a school went from a prosperous and thriving entity to a shell of its former self.

I found the begining of the book to be very slow and uninteresting. I wasn't until the author began to describe the school and the "glory days" that the book began to come to life. In the beginning, Thomas Jefferson High School had a purpose and a goal of greatness. Teachers and students both shared high expectations and strived for the best. Not only for their sakes, but for the sake of the school.

The author takes us through the 60+ year exsitance of Thomas Jefferson High School and its downward spiral. While reading the book, the correlates of effective schools seemed to jump off of the page. The author did an excellent job of pointing out the greatness of this school, as its struggle to somehow stay "alive" through all the the years and changes in society.

Unlike most historians who consider slavery as an unfortunate sidebar to the ideological and political foundations of America, Finkelman boldy places slavery at the center of America's founding. Beginning with the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and continuing through to Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, his views on race and slavery, and his relationship to a woman enslaved to him (Sally Hemings), Finkelman makes a very valid argument that the "traditional" political leadership of the Jeffersonian era was perpetually - not occasionally - in debate about the issue of slavery, with most of those leaders falling on the pro-slavery side of the argument. The real value of the book is Finkelman's two chapters on Jefferson, whose political influence and opinion where nearly as revered by his peers as they are by contemporary early American historians. While noted historians such as Dumas Malone, Joseph Ellis, and Merrill Peterson have stretched the bounds of interpretation of the few seemingly anti-slavery comments Jefferson made or wrote in order to cast him as the unfortunate victim of an institution which he disliked, Finkelman is one of the first to put all of Jefferson's views on slavery and race - the few that seem anti-slavery, the majority that are anti-black, all of which are contradictory - together in one place, IN THEIR PROPER CONTEXT, up for public scrutiny. For anyone wanting an approach to understanding Jefferson's true views on slavery - based on the historical evidence - this is the book to start and, for now, end with. I didn't give it five stars because its focus is kind of narrow, but that could be because Finkelman has done such a great job of narrowing his focus and successfully arguing his understanding of "Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson."

This June, I was diagnosed with havining a social phobia/anxiety disorder. Although my therapist helped and tried to explain things to me, I never quite *got* what he was saying.

In an effort to better understand the workings of my brain, I began reading every book about shyness and social phobia that I could get my hands on - and I have to say, so far, this is one of the best I've come across.

With its easy to understand explainations, and many personable literal illustrations that get right to the point, this work helped me to understand a little bit more about the *why's* of my irrational fears, as well as the *how's* of coping with them. I've always been one to gleen more from the text before my eyes than a neatly dictated lecture, and lots of medical jargon and cryptic phrasing turns me off - and I was relived to find none of that here!

I would say that anyone suffering from social phobia should take a look through this book. It will be most helpful for those who want a clear-cut explanation of *why* they're reacting to things the way they are or for those who need a little comfort to know that they're most deinatly *not* crazy!

Social phobia is a pain to live with, and it helps to know that we who suffer from it are not crazy, and also not alone.

Written in a slightly more readable style than Penfield's own autobiography (_No Man Alone_), this work explores the life and times of Wilder Penfield, the revolutionary neurosurgeon who mapped the human cerebral cortex for the first time and pioneered surgery for epilepsy.

I recommend Penfield's own work, because after the first couple of chapters, this book devolves into a recapitulation of that autobiography; whole sentences and even chapters appear to have been lifted wholesale from that work, with only the person changed from first to third. Still, the opening, explaining Penfield's little kindnesses on the eve of his 85th birthday, is worth a read for the true Penfield devoteé.

Although this juvenile biography of Thomas Jefferson is part of the Encyclopedia of Presidents series, it actually does one of the better jobs of looking at the third President as an inventor, scientist and naturalist through the use of photographs of several of his inventions and pages from his notebooks. Jim Hargrove follows the standard format for the volumes in this series by beginning with the story of how Jefferson came to write the Declaration of Independence, including some of the better reproductions of the early draft written in Jefferson's own hand with various changes. Chapters are devoted to Jefferson growing up in Colonial Virginia and his public life divided into discrete units ending with the American revolution, his election to the presidency, and his leaving the White House. A final chapter looks at Jefferson's final years as the Sage of Monticello, which ended with his death on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration (and includes his instructions for his tombstone). Because each volume runs about 100 pages (including chronologies and index), the Encyclopedia of Presidents series is able to provide more detailed information about each President than any other comparable series. There are other juvenile biographies that will work much better as introductions to the life and work of Thomas Jefferson, but this is where you can find the most detailed information about this or any other president short of turning to an adult biography hundreds of pages long. Sometimes it is hard for an author to stretch out the life and accomplishments of a President to a hundred pages (e.g., Warren G. Harding), but Hargrove does a nice job with the exact opposite problem in covering the enormous accomplishments of Jefferson in these few pages.

This work is fascinating to read. The editors have updated both Jefferson's language and punctuation, but also the 18th Century forms of measurement as well. One could takes this book to Europe today and recognize the places where this early American thinker traveled.