Helpful Score: 5
There is so much more in this book than the life of John Adams. You become entwined in the birth of a nation and also learn many little bits of history that are not common knowledge. It makes you wish the era of telehones, radio, TV, etc. had never been invented. So much more is to be learned of history through the writing of personal letters, etc. This is the first "history" book that, in the end, made me cry.
Helpful Score: 5
Very much enjoyed reading this book. He was an interesting man with humble beginnings and his journey was very American! I learned a lot about the history of the American revolution. The writing was quite readable, not too dry or stuffy for the subject. I had trouble at times, but overall was very glad I read this book.
Helpful Score: 2
Fantastic book! This biography reads like a novel--engaging, period detail, and delivers a clear, authentic picture of the greatest of our founding fathers. One grows to appreciate the unsung hero who was Adams--not always likeable, not willing to bend to popular opinion, but always putting his country's long term needs first. My respect for Adams only grew.
Helpful Score: 2
It is a life encompassing a huge arc -- Adams lived longer than any president. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, from the Court of St. James's, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation, to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House. This is history on a grand scale -- 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 lived.
