America's First Daughter

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

Patsy Jefferson has known since she was a little child that her father is very devoted to his nation even though he loves his family very much. After her mother passes away, she grows up to be Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter and travels with him to France when he takes a job as American diplomat. She also becomes his guardian, helpmate, and frequent companion.

Her father's problematic relationship with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age, is revealed to fifteen-year-old Patsy in Paris, during the dazzling court and the early turbulent days of the revolution. In the meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with William Short, the aspirational diplomat and ardent abolitionist who was her father's protégé. Patsy is divided between family ties, values, and love. She wonders whether she can be a loving daughter and choose to be William's bride.

Her decision will accompany her to farms in Virginia, Monticello, and maybe the White House in the years to come. Patsy must choose how much she is willing to give up to preserve her father's image as scandal, tragedy, and poverty put her family in danger. By doing so, she will be defining not just her father's political legacy but also the history of the country he built.