Thomas Jefferson
A Biography of Spirit and Flesh

Name: Thomas Jefferson
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Thomas S. Kidd
ISBN: 9798200963218

Author: Thomas S. Kidd

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Unabridged: 11 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 07/09/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Political Biography, Religious Nonfiction, History, Us History

Synopsis

A revelatory new biography of Thomas Jefferson, focusing on his ethical and spiritual lifeThomas Jefferson was arguably the most brilliant and inspiring political writer in American history. But the ethical realities of his personal life and political career did not live up to his soaring rhetoric. Indeed, three tensions defined Jefferson’s moral life: democracy versus slavery, republican virtue versus dissolute consumption, and veneration for Jesus versus skepticism about Christianity.In this book Thomas S. Kidd tells the story of Jefferson’s ethical life through the lens of these tensions, including an unapologetic focus on the issue where Jefferson’s idealistic philosophy and lived reality clashed most obviously: his sexual relationship with his enslaved woman Sally Hemings. In doing so, he offers a unique perspective on one of American history’s most studied figures.

About Thomas S. Kidd

Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. His books include Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father and Who Is an Evangelical? The History of a Movement in Crisis.

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Glenn on May 14, 2022

Fascinating dude who lived a bougee, elite and full life. Nevertheless, that life ended in financial, political, and spiritual ruin.......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on January 31, 2024

An expansive life in brief. A short "ethical" bio of our founding dillettante and a missed opportunity. Kidd's 2022 biography of Jefferson purports to be a biography of his ethical life. Any combination of Jefferson and "ethics" is always a risky venture as the author invariably has to grapple with t......more

Goodreads review by Desirae on April 18, 2023

This book is a serious consideration of Jefferson's philosophical journey that unfolded throughout his life. He studied many subjects, among them history, philosophy (political and otherwise), religions, languages, botany, engineering, and agriculture to name a few. The author tries to open the reade......more

Goodreads review by Justin on November 25, 2022

Kidd focuses his Jefferson biography on the beliefs and thoughts of his subject, leaving off many of the particular events that surrounded his life. Enough history is woven in to provide context. He expertly and convincingly lays out the self-evident contradictions of Jefferson: frugality vs. debt,......more

Goodreads review by Sam on June 16, 2022

Kidd skillfully charts a course through Jefferson's "moral universe" as he also goes over the major events of Jefferson's life. I was intrigued to learn about Jefferson's habits of wine consumption and his attachment to honor in connection to his habits of hospitality. In short, this is an ambivalen......more

Quotes

“Set aside everything you think you know about Thomas Jefferson and religion, and read this book. This is the definitive account. It is well written, well researched, judicious, and entirely convincing.” Timothy Larsen, Wheaton College