xennicole's Reviews (2.27k)

It is only 500 pages, with the remaining 300 as endnotes, bibliography and so fourth. It was a easy to read, chapters are short and interesting. It is a great single volume on the life of a President who who was much more than his eight years in office. Jefferson was a contradictory man, but is love for America trumps everything. Whatever he did, he did it for his belief in a new society and the protection of it.

I wanted to give it 5 stars, but I could not. I do love Susan Jacoby as an author and her way of explaining the masses about reason, freethinkers and the privilege of the separation of church and state. However, this book was short, too short to do any real justice to a man that help spread scientific ideas and the ideas we are still fighting to bring to fruition. I knew about Robert Green Ingersoll before reading this book and I was hoping this book would would include transcripts of is lectures (you can go to http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/, for most of his lectures). I wish this was more historical information about his personal life and interactions with other people. But it was a good introduction to Ingersoll and his desire that people would use their common sense and think things through instead of being sheep following a shepard without understanding way they think they way they do.

It is a quick read. It is easy to read and understand. It will make you research more. I recommend it.