America’s First Daughter

Author: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Genre: Historical Fiction
Location(s) Featured: Monticello, Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and Paris, France

When I visited Monticello—Thomas Jefferson’s beautiful hilltop home near Charlottesville, Virginia—I wanted to better understand the people who once lived there. Reading America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie was the perfect choice. This richly detailed historical novel brought Monticello to life, helping me imagine what it might have been like for Jefferson’s daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson, to grow up surrounded by both privilege and pressure as her father helped shape a new nation.

America’s First Daughter is a well-written, well-researched, and compelling historical novel (though based on thousands of real letters) about Martha “Patsy” Jefferson, the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson. The book traces her personal story and how it frequently overlaps with the development of the United States and her father’s influential role as a Founding Father.

Check out my full book review of America’s First Daughter to learn more about my thoughts.

There are several fascinating themes throughout the novel—made even more intriguing knowing they’re drawn from history—which makes this an excellent choice for a book club.

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. If Thomas Jefferson’s wife hadn’t died, how might he and his daughter have lived different lives? Historically, Jefferson is said to have made a deathbed promise to his wife, and in the novel, his daughter makes one as well. How might their lives have differed if those promises had never been made? (Question from book’s discussion guide)
2. What did you know about Thomas Jefferson before reading this? Did your opinion of him change?
3. The limited choices available to women during the Revolutionary era are a key theme in this book. What were the most important choices Patsy made throughout her life? Do you agree with why she made them? Could or should she have chosen differently? (Question from book’s discussion guide)
4. How are Patsy’s views on slavery portrayed? What factors influence her thinking? How do her views differ from her father’s—or from William Short’s? (Question from book’s discussion guide)
5. What did you learn about Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings? What about Martha’s relationship with Sally? Did your opinion of their relationships change after reading the novel?
6. What did you think of Patsy’s relationship with William Short? What outside forces affected their relationship? Why did it end the way it did?
7. What about Patsy’s relationship with Tom Randolph? How did it change over the years, and what external factors influenced it?
8. In what ways did Patsy shape her father’s legacy—and our nation’s? In what ways is she truly “America’s First Daughter”? (Question from book’s discussion guide)
9. The novel explores the tension between loyalty and duty versus personal happiness. What do you think about finding balance between the two?
10. What did you think of the book’s format—fiction drawn from letters? What creative choices did the authors make that surprised you? Did any change how you felt about the story or the real people behind it?

Fun Additions for Your Book Club

• Research real-life portraits or paintings of the characters and locations (Monticello, Varina, the President’s House, and more) and create a slideshow to share during your meeting.
• Prepare a dish inspired by Jefferson Family recipes or try making snow eggs, the dessert made famous by James Hemings.
• Schedule your discussion so you can take a virtual tour of Monticello together.
• The hit musical Hamilton portrayed Thomas Jefferson in a controversial light. Discuss why Hamilton—also historical fiction—was such a cultural phenomenon, and imagine if America’s First Daughter were made into a movie. Who would you cast in the key roles?
• The book is based on real correspondence between the Jeffersons. Since letter writing is often seen as a lost art, take a few minutes during your meeting to handwrite a letter to a friend or family member who lives far away.