His Shadow

Well finally, after two months, I finished reading American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis. I’ve read two of Ellis’s other books, Founding Brothers and His Excellency. I can’t believe it took me that long to read the book. I guess I got distracted and found it difficult to get back to. I probably only read the book for about 2-3 weeks, with breaks in the middle. I’ll ramble out a review after the link.

It’s funny. Ellis wrote Sphinx first followed by Brothers and Excellency, but I read it last. Also, I should mention that Sphinx also won a National Book Award complimented by the Pulitzer Brothers received. Anyway, the first thing you notice when you compare the books is that this one is much thicker. The paperback I have is 440 pages long. But you must realize that the last 70 pages are index and notes. Even with that, it is much longer. I assume being the first may have something to do with it, but there are other reasons.

Ellis decided that others had written much more expansive biographies of Jefferson before, and that he didn’t want to duplicate that. He wanted to do what he has continued to do in the later books. Ellis wanted to provide better understanding of the man named Thomas Jefferson rather than simply communicate dates. Therefore the book covers some things in detail with much analysis, and it skips other things. The book doesn’t always follow chronology either. Both can be somewhat annoying, like when he talks about something that happens later or skips the second term only to disperse some of the information in later chapters. It makes me want to read another biography just to fill in the gaps.

However, Ellis does an excellent job at what he sets out to do. As you get into the book you start to realize the reason for the length. It’s necessary in order to help you get a grasp on one of the most enigmatic characters in US history. Jefferson is often quoted by varied and conflicting groups in order to support their stance on certain topics. This occurs because people misinterpret Jefferson’s words, and because he seemed able to hold more than one contradictory ideal to be true without ever letting them touch or realize they were incompatible with each other or the realities of the world itself. It is truly amazing the complexity and peculiarity of the man.

I look forward to reading more about the Revolutionary Generation, and I thank God we were lucky enough to have them when we needed them.