{"book":{"book":"History by a Hair","author":"Richard Kurin","publicationYear":"","description":"This book explores a centuries-old historical mystery surrounding Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. It addresses the enduring question of whether the nation's third president fathered children with Hemings, an enslaved woman thirty years his junior. Author Richard Kurin, a scholar and ambassador-at-large for the Smithsonian Institution, spent fifteen years searching for Jefferson's DNA in an effort to uncover the truth. The investigation originally began with strands of hair discovered preserved inside Jefferson's personal Bible. Throughout the work, Kurin details the scientific and historical investigative journey that uses DNA analysis to provide answers to this long-debated question in American history.","image":"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2160x2160+0+0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2F2e%2Fe17a8ba148dfa7b342774259dc2e%2F8b46f850-5907-4a5b-9c2d-db419533813c.jpg","date":"2026-10-06"}}