Jefferson's America

18142328

Jefferson's America
Julie M. Fenster
Crown Publishing

     Despite being a lifelong history lover, there are certain "blind spots" that I have--and Jefferson's administration is one of them. I never knew much beyond the Louisiana Purchase, and even that was just the basics (Lewis & Clark & Sacajawea - that's all, right?) For instance, I had no idea about the tensions with Spain, which played a HUGE part in the tale, and I certainly didn't know very much about all of the many other men who were exploring the continent around the same time. This book was informative, although I also found some of the information hard to grasp. Not so much that it was difficult to understand, but simply that it was written in such as manner as to be difficult to remember. However, I do believe that this problem lessened as the book went on. Still, having read several non-fiction history books within the last month, this one wasn't as pleasurable to read; it could be very dry at times and I didn't find it terribly engaging.

     However, if one can get past the less-than-compelling narrative style, it does give a good overview of the explorers of Jefferson's day and helps set the stage for the story of America's expansion into the west, and the subsequent chapters of our nation's history.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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