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Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for Her Family’s Lasting Legacy
Maybe someday
45
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
50/100Critics
40/100Scholars
Author:
Gayle Jessup White
Publisher:
Amistad
Date:
November 16, 2024
Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father's family that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jeffersonâlore she firmly believed. For four decades the journalist and genealogy enthusiast researched her connection to Thomas Jefferson. After she was named a Jefferson Studies Fellow, Jessup White discovered her family lore was correct. Poring through photos and documents and pursuing DNA evidence, she learned that not only was she a descendant of Jefferson on his father's side, she was also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemings's brother. In Reclamation she chronicles her journey to definitively understand her heritage and reclaim it and offers a portrait of what it means to be a Black woman in America, to pursue the American dream, to reconcile the legacy of racism, and to ensure the nation lives up to the ideals advocated by her legendary ancestor.
What The Reviewers Say
... meticulous research.
This timely, relevant, and important book should find a home with readers interested in American ancestry as well as those seeking information about Jefferson and Sally Hemmings and the history of slavery in the U.S..
Multilayered.
A vivid account.
