Alf J. Mapp, Jr. (1925–2011)

The Founders often get pulled into all sides of current debates and none more so than faith. One side says that they are all a pack of church-hating Diests who would exile all Christians if they could. The other claims they were all Bible-thumping zealots who would create a theocracy if they could. The answer, of course, lies somewhere in the middle. Mapp has done some wonderful research and makes some intriguing points. Jefferson hated priests, yes, thought Christ was a mere man, yes, but show more he also believed in some sort of afterlife. Diest, not really, Christian, not really - actually something in between. This is just an example, but a good one. Mapp talks about some well-known Founders and the less-known ones like Mason, Carroll, and Salomon. An excellent work that takes the middle road. show less

This is one of those books I considered quitting multiple times; ultimately, I'm glad I didn't...but just barely.

It's Mapp's writing style that bothered me the most. He's a name-dropper, often without context. A rather arrogant style that assumes you know all the references he supplies and if not, well, you should; it keeps him from putting things in context. At the same time, when he introduces John Quincy Adams, he makes it a point to remind the reader that JQA is John Adams' son.

I also show more discovered about halfway thorough that this isn't a complete biography; it ends just as Jefferson ascends the Presidency. When a book's title doesn't make that obvious, I feel it's a little disingenuous.

Finally, I've read a lot of books about the Founding Fathers, the Revolution, our early Republic etc. and can't remember a book dependent so much on its subject's quotes. I'd wager at least 80% of the text in the book is comprised of quotes. Parsing Mapp's academic writing style along with 18th century prose can be demanding. And the book offers very few breaks in rather long chapters.

Having said all that, however, most of the content about Jefferson is good. There were several things I learned that I'd not read before. He's a decedent of the Angelo-Saxon king Alfred the Great, whom I've learned quite a bit about being a fan of "The Last Kingdom." I also think Mapp makes it very clear why Jefferson made the decisions he did as governor when the British were attacking in Virginia. Jefferson is often accused of cowardice but Mapp shows this isn't the case.

It isn't until the last chapter that we understand the book's subtitle, "A Strange Case of Mistaken Identity." Here, Mapp tries to explain why 20th century liberals and conservatives (the book was published in 1987) use Jefferson quotes to support their ideology. This I found quite interesting and is why I said I'm ultimately glad I didn't quit the book. show less

I picked up this book as an impulse buy Noble from the “Books for Grads” table as I was checking out of Barnes & Noble last month. The fact that Mapp has done the research from original writings for each of the founders he discusses, and bases his conclusions on this information made the book a worthwhile read for me. I have read a least one biography on most of the founders he discusses; several on some of them. It is my opinion that his conclusions are right on target. And, it is an show more easy read, also a plus. show less

A pleasant read, but not a scholarly one. More for popular dissemination. No new ground or prospective, just the same old doubts raised about this enigmatic American hero.