Jefferson's America

Julie Fenster's new book entitled Jefferson's America is a refreshing change of pace from the usual books about Thomas Jefferson.  Haven't we read our fill on Jefferson's personal life--from the did he or didn't he story about Sally Hemmings, to the crazy collector of books and natural history to the he died bankrupt with Monticello in disrepair kind of thing.  This book focuses on his brilliance as president and his incredible foresight in choosing explorers and their exploration of America's undiscovered frontier.

Fenster does a good job setting the political background of the age--giving just enough information to set the stage of all the countries vying at the time for a piece of America's natural history and territorial riches.    We all have heard about Lewis and Clark--but Fenster weaves the tale that also included Zebulon Pike and William Dunbar and others.  She is a good story teller--this is not a simple book to read--but if your history of that time is a bit fuzzy--she does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed.

Fenster tells the riveting tale of the American adventurers, and also tells what Spain, Great Britain and France are doing at the time in a sort of race around the clock.  Who will come back first--and which map will be correct?    Her stories of the explorers' travels are written with good descriptions without getting bogged down in excessive historical details.

This book was not a fast read--but was a compelling read.  Sometimes we can forget what a really remarkable and exceptional country the USA is.  Well worth your time.

Thanks to Blogging for Books which provided me a copy to read and review.