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: 05/10/2022

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 has recorded more than 650 audiobooks since beginning his career in 1981. He's been named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" as well as a "Golden Voice" by AudioFile magazine. Gardner has garnered over 20 AudioFile Earphones Awards and is the recipient of an Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, as well as a three-time finalist. In 2005, Publishers Weekly deemed him "Audiobook Narrator of the Year." Gardner has also narrated hundreds of audiobooks under the names Tom Parker and Alexander Adams. Among his many titles are Marcus Sakey's At the City's Edge, as well as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and John Irving's The Cider House Rules. Gardner studied Theater and Art History at Rollins College and received a Master's degree in Acting from George Washington University. He lives in Oregon with his significant other and daughter.

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