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Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML:The Pulitzer Prizeâ??winning, bestselling biography of America's founding father and second president that was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough. In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history. This is history on a grand scaleâ??a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever… (more)
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Well, I certainly was wrong about the boring part! McCullough’s splendid biography of Adams brings both periods to life and provides a fascinating account of the politics of the time (sleazy). He offers truly intriguing portraits of the prominent figures of the times: Jefferson ( a lot less noble than he is ordinarily made out to be); Washington (fairly inscrutable); and of course Adams himself along with his remarkable wife, Abigail. all these people and more and the times they lived in are vividly portrayed mostly though their own words. It was a letter-writing era, and some of the most important and most illuminating have survived. The correspondence between John and Abigail alone is worth reading the book. Abigail was no demure “little woman”, submissive and silent, leaving important matters to her husband. On the contrary, she was quite a match for John, who was one of the most erudite men of his age--more so, actually, than Jefferson.
Through these letters, between these prominent figures (and Abigail kept up a spirited correspondence of her own with Jefferson), we see the age and its issues in quite a different, more vibrant light than is usually taught in history books. Far from boring, it actually is thrilling; we know the end of the story, that US independence was won, a constitution framed and signed, and a young republic born. But how this was done--what the controversies were, the terrible odds against all of it coming to pass, the intrigues in England and France--are never exposed so thoroughly as in the letters that passed among all the principals.
I know that many times I’m tempted to think that US politics has never been worse than they are at the moment, that there have never been politicians of such low integrity, such partisanship as exist in our times. Actually, slander of all types--lies, smearing of reputations (the noble Jefferson was adept at this), blatant falsification of positions--was much worse right after the US was born that it is even now. And the US public was just as gullible, just as uninformed as it is now. McCullough does modern readers a service to point out the origin of these attitudes and behavior; while it may be depressing, it perhaps can give some comfort to know that modern US politics is no different from the way it’s always been, and that the basic issues have not changed. That may not be McCullough’s intent, perhaps; if not, then it is a serendipitous result of an affectionate look at the second president of the US.
It's also an account of a remarkable family--not just John and his wife, but their other children as well who, with the exception of the brilliant John Quincy, led tragic lives.
McCullough is not the best writer of the current crop of historians, but he is more than adequate for his subject. A very fine book--highly recommended.
Not that McCullough fails to show that Adams was one of the three great revolutionaries of the period (Washington and Jefferson being the other two). McCullough admirably shows the reader Adams' central role in the American cause, and his efforts to keep the struggle alive by obtaining financing and support in foreign courts while Washington did his part by keeping the British army occupied in North America. Nor can one fault McCullough's efforts to bring an irascible and sometimes all-too-human and irritating character to life. The problem is that Adams clearly did his "best work" before and during the revolution, and his post-revolution career had little direct and lasting influence on the young nation. He was clearly out of his depth as President, adrift and ineffective in his one term, and after his wretched experience and bruising re-election defeat he essentially fled public life.
It is in his descriptions of Adams the private man that McCullough's book excels. Adams' self doubt and consciousness of his own foibles go a long way toward endearing him to us, and making the long tale of his post-Presidential exile (essentially a litany of health problems and private correspondence) hold our interest in McCullough's capable narrative. In the end, though, McCullough could not improve on Benjamin Franklin's one-sentence summation of Adams: "He means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise one, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his senses."
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- "the colossus of independence," as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared
One must be wary of the tendency of biographers to lionize their subjects. But McCullough has a very good reputation as an objective historian, and "Truman" was a warts and all biography. John Adams may have been the most important single figure of the American Revolution and formation of the country. He was the main drive for selecting George Washington to lead the military revolt against England, and for choosing Thomas Jefferson to compose the Declaration of Independence. He was chosen as our representative to France during the Revolution, when that country's support was desperately needed. During that time he worked with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, with whom he formed a deep and lifelong friendship. Adams later became our first ambassador of the new America to England, our first vice-president, and our second president.He was instrumental in developing the standing navy. Short, rotund and unprepossessing in appearance, he aroused strong loyalties and enmities, and was somewhat betrayed by Thomas Jefferson when running for his second term of president, a race which Jefferson instead won.
In many ways, Adams as portrayed here reminds me of Truman; they had similar qualities and beginnings, and both were fortunate to be married to strong and supportive women who made it possible for them to devote so much of their lives to their country. By comparison, Ben Franklin, Jefferson and particularly Alexander Hamilton do not fare so well. The first two are favorite historical figures of mine. I have lengthy biographies of both waiting to be read; I'll be interested to see if McCullough's interpretation of Franklin and Jefferson reads true in the hands of other biographers. I already knew it, but the death of both Adams and Jefferson on the same day, July 4, 1826, 50 years after the country declared its independence, was incredibly moving and was seen as an omen favorable to the future of the young America.
Of the many factoids presented, I especially appreciated learning that it was The Netherlands which lent us money that kept our fledgling country afloat.
I have to laugh at Adams' description of Quakers: he found most of them to be as "dull as beetles."
I honestly find myself reflecting on my life and wondering what I could emulate from him, and find myself emboldened in our similar characteristics.
As David McCullough so thoroughly demonstrates, the accomplishments of John Adams cannot be overstated. And while McCullough does a superb job of cataloging both the pieces and the whole of John Adams, it is his writing style that so completely brings us to know John Adams as both a person and a statesman even two hundred years after his death. As he mentions in the afterward, nobody during the revolution wrote as much as John Adams did…not even close. Just his correspondence between him and his valiant wife Abigail will fill tens of volumes of history. Somehow McCullough manages to take the impossibly large collection of writings and not only condense them into a single resource; he is able to piece it together masterfully.
But John Adams isn’t just a history lesson…it is a love story. His love of his children, his friends and his country are poignant. However, no love was greater than for his wife and best friend Abigail. Not only was she the rock that his whole existence leaned upon, but she was his sounding board on politics. No woman in the revolution had more influence on the birth of the new nation than Abigail Adams did. Still, it was John and Abigail’s passionate love for each other that allowed John’s greatest contributions to come to pass.
I could point out all of the amazing accomplishments that John Adams managed in his illustrious 91 year life, but I would be better served to simply say – buy this book! It was a joy to read, insightful in its detail and immensely readable. If you are going to read only one book about the American Revolution at all, start and end with John Adams. Not only will David McCullough’s masterpiece give you more information than any other, it will leave you both in awe of John Adams and the special times he lived in. Simply the best biography of its kind and a must-read!
What drives John Adams throughout his life is a very high sense of integrity. There is nothing he wouldn't do if he thought it the best thing for his country. Abigail is the perfect match for him, able to manage the household and farm during John's long absences, and never afraid to speak her mind. The relationships among Adams and Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were fascinating. All were flawed in different ways, all accomplished some remarkable things during their lifetimes. I found the portrayal of Franklin especially interesting because he seemed to live much differently that his homespun wisdom would have led me to believe.
McCullough included many excerpts from letters and speeches, and the family letters especially brought the writers to life. For me, there was occasionally a little too much quotation, and a few of the author's sentences seemed unnecessarily complex but that disappeared for me once I got used to his writing style. Numerous illustrations, especially reproductions of portraits and documents, made an enjoyable addition.
This biography won a Pulitzer Prize, and with very good reason. I highly recommend it.
The actual reading experience of this book was a little slow, because there is so much packed into this 700 page volume. I put it down several times but always picked it up again. This book is not only the story of one man, but also of the birth of a nation and the many complex individuals that were present at the time. It is utterly deserving of the Pulitzer it won.
This book really is monumental - over 700 pages. But for the most part, it didn't really feel too long. There were some great pictures in there, which helped a bit, but I think the main thing that made it a fun read is that there were so many stories; that's what I love to read.
I had read a little about Adams before, and about his wife, Abigail. But I loved the story of their courtship and their abiding love for each other. I was also interested to read of the complex relationship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Despite their serious differences, both men had an abiding respect for one another.
I couldn't help thinking that there are few such patriots around today. Patriotism is in fact a sort of code word that some political groups use to throw around, but most of us feel a little uncomfortable with such a concept. And yet how long would the United States have lasted if it weren't for unabashed patriots in the infancy of the country? Adams contributed much towards making the continuation of our country a possibility. He had enemies on almost every side, including his own cabinet, but he was able to leave a lasting legacy.
I gave this book 5 stars. It kept my attention, despite the size, and I felt that I knew so much more about John Adams than I did before I started. A really great book.