PBS Books Readers Club welcomes co-authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie to discuss their New York Times best-selling historical novel America’s First Daughter. The episode premieres on November 19th at 8PM ET as a PBS Books Facebook Live event, on the PBS Books YouTube channel, pbsbooks.org, and the PBS app.
America’s First Daughter tells the sweeping story of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson, the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson. From the heartbreaking loss of her mother, to traveling with her father in Paris, and standing beside him through the birth of a nation—Patsy becomes his confidante and protector. More than just a witness, she shapes American history through her strength and influence.
Grounded in thousands of Jefferson’s letters, this novel blends meticulous research with powerful, emotional storytelling. The result is a vivid and intimate portrait of a woman whose resilience and influence helped shape both her family’s legacy and the young United States.
Stephanie Dray reveals, “We really did not have to juice up much of Jefferson’s life… it gets pretty soapy, especially in the later periods. We did not invent any of that. The crazier something is an historical fiction novel, the more likely it is to be true.”
The PBS Books Readers Club will also explore Dray and Kamoie’s other bestseller, My Dear Hamilton, which shines a light on the often overlooked story of Elizabeth “Eliza” Hamilton. The novel follows her as she stands steadfastly beside her husband, Alexander Hamilton, through the triumphs and challenges of building a new nation. Together, these two novels beautifully bring the stories of remarkable women out of the shadows, giving them long-overdue recognition for their vital roles in supporting—and shaping—the men who helped found America.
PBS Watch-Alike: The American Revolution
This month’s watch-alike is The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. This six-part documentary series explores the country’s founding struggle and its eight-year war for independence. An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America. This series follows dozens of figures from a variety of backgrounds to paint a captivating picture of America’s founding and the war that turned the world upside down. Premiering November 16th on PBS and the PBS app.
About the Author
Stephanie Dray
Laura Kamoie
About the Hosts
Princess Weekes
Princess Weekes is an award winning writer and video essayist who works at breaking down the intersections between race, gender, and pop culture. Formally an Assistant Editor at The Mary Sue, co-host of Netflix’s The Geeked Podcast, and co-host and co-writer on the PBS Digital Series It’s Lit. On weekends she works as a bookseller at a local bookstore. When not reading or writing she can be found playing TTRPGs of cuddling with her cat, Lola.
Lauren Smith
Executive Producer and host of national PBS programming at Detroit PBS, Lauren develops content for PBS and other distributors of public media for broadcast, streaming, and other digital channels and has executive-produced and/or produced over 60 national broadcast and programs. Her passion is to develop inspiring, entertaining, and educational content alongside the best national and international talent, and to engage important content with communities across the country. Lauren loves to read and has worked to develop and produce PBS Books content for nearly ten years!
