Henry Wiencek was quite a draw for Central’s Regional Authors Series.  He talked about his up-and-coming book about Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved persons who lived at Monticello during Jefferson’s time there.  The talk itself was well presented and showed Jefferson within the context of his neighbors and time.  Using quotes from Jefferson, those enslaved, and Jefferson contemporaries Mr. Wiencek demonstrated that Jefferson was not always the “good owner” that we might have wanted him to be.  The talk was followed by a lengthy period of questions from the audience.  It was obvious that there was great interest in Mr. Wiencek’s comments and anticipation for his book.

More books in the JMRL system by Henry Wiencek:

The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White

The Imperfect God: George Washington, his Slaves, and the Creation of America

The next author of the series is Susan Kern who will talk about her award winning book, “The Jeffersons at Shadwell.”  She will speak on December 4 at 2 pm.  Her book will be sold at this time as well.  Ms. Kern teaches history at the College of William and Mary.  She received her PhD in History from William and Mary in 2005 and her masters in Architectural History from the University of Virginia in 1990.  In between she worked in the archaeology department at Monticello, including two years directing that research.  Her book appeared from Yale University Press in 2010 and has won the Richard L. Slatten Award for excellence in Virginia biography from the Virginia Historical Society and the Abbott Lowell Cummings Award for the best book in North American vernacular architecture and landscapes from the Vernacular Architecture Forum.

~ The Reluctant Blogger