every school in the USA. I just wish we had books like this in England because we too have a secret history like the Hemmings and Jefferson relationship, born from Britain's colonisation of Africa, India and the Caribbean, we too have a legacy that needs to be told and perhaps one day it will be. This story is catalogued as a book for teens and young adults, but I found it great reading for an older audience. It was written as a result of research done by twenty-year-old Shannon Lanier, a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings. With slavery as the backdrop, this book is an attempt to combine the history of one American family. Amidst the controversy surrounding the biography of Thomas Jefferson and his offspring, Shannon shares his family's story. Many descendants of Martha Jefferson and several generations of historians have resisted the claims of kinship to Jefferson by Hemings' offspring, and they feel these claims will tarnish his legacy. But the information collected by Shannon is not a myth, and it is his belief that he has found the final piece of puzzle to complete the search for the the Hemings' family tree. Shannon never intended to bring shame to Jefferson's legacy, but he is aware that his research will show an unveiled look at a man many feel is beyond reproach. The story is told with a collection of historical essays, interviews and family photographs, and is wonderfully illustrated by Jane Feldman.