[1] It is based on the author's study of legal records, diaries, farm books, letters, wills, newspapers, archives, and oral history.

Gordon-Reed explores the tensions and connections between these intertwined families, offering insights into the complex social fabric of early American society.

[7] Gordon-Reed employs an interdisciplinary approach throughout the book, combining historical research with legal analysis and social psychology to provide a nuanced understanding of the Hemings family's experiences.

Historian Jan Lewis, while praising the book's "prodigious research," argued that Gordon-Reed occasionally "presses her evidence further than it can easily go" in her attempts to reconstruct the emotional lives of her subjects.

While many applaud Gordon-Reed for highlighting previously marginalized historical figures, others, like historian David Waldstreicher, have suggested that this focus might overshadow other important aspects of Jefferson's life and times.

Some reviewers, such as historian Gordon S. Wood, have argued that her depiction of Jefferson is overly sympathetic, potentially downplaying the moral complexities of his relationship with Sally Hemings.

[10] Historian Peter S. Onuf noted that while this approach offers valuable insights, it also risks making assumptions about historical figures' thoughts and motivations that cannot be definitively proven.