John Adams |  | Author: David McCullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
List Price: $20.00
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Seller: umango2
Rating:  851 reviews
Sales Rank: 1969
Media: Paperback
Pages: 768
Number Of Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.7
ISBN: 141657588X
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.44092
EAN: 9781416575887
ASIN: 141657588X
Publication Date: January 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, David McCullough writes, was "not a man of the world" and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders. He found reason to dislike sectarian wrangling even more in the aftermath of war, when Federalist and anti-Federalist factions vied bitterly for power, introducing scandal into an administration beset by other difficulties--including pirates on the high seas, conflict with France and England, and all the public controversy attendant in building a nation. Overshadowed by the lustrous presidents Washington and Jefferson, who bracketed his tenure in office, Adams emerges from McCullough's brilliant biography as a truly heroic figure--not only for his significant role in the American Revolution but also for maintaining his personal integrity in its strife-filled aftermath. McCullough spends much of his narrative examining the troubled friendship between Adams and Jefferson, who had in common a love for books and ideas but differed on almost every other imaginable point. Reading his pages, it is easy to imagine the two as alter egos. (Strangely, both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) But McCullough also considers Adams in his own light, and the portrait that emerges is altogether fascinating. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description
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 most moving love stories in American history. 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 851
 Frustrated November 5, 2009
L. Thomas Fife
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I never received this book. I submitted an inquiry but received no reply. Not at all a good experience.
Please advise.
L. Thomas Fife
 engrossing history October 24, 2009
Vicki L. Taylor (seattle, WA USA)
Learning about John Adams is to learn about how America came to be and no matter how much things seem to change in politics, they really stay the same. I was enchanted with Abigail Adams, their happy marriage and the enormous sacrifices they made. I aso learned a lot about Thomas Jefferson and how different he was than how I imagined; brillant but yet a man who struggled to just be himself without a lot of fanfare and extravagence. Something John Adams didn't endure. The story of how they both stayed alive as they were dying until they knew it was the 4th of July and hence died the same day was a touching piece of history.
McCullough a Literary Genious October 21, 2009
George A. Prete (Westerly. RI USA)
Perhaps the best writing of any biography I've read. The ease of moving from the 3rd person to the 1st is so smooth its hardly discernible. The storyline is so interesting and entertaining it reads like a master fiction novelist wrote it. Just spectacular. Even knowing what the facts are, its almost a page-turner wanting to continue reading.
Truly a masterpiece of writing and prose. The review has to be about the author as the art is in the writing about events and facts which have already occurred.
 A Tribute to John Adams October 21, 2009
BT River (Northern CA USA)
I missed the HBO miniseries, so I had no idea of what to expect in David McCullough's biography of John Adams. I was in a bookstore looking for a book, when this title presented itself in front of me. It is a "hefty" book at 651 pages not including bibliography and notes, though that should not discourage one from reading it. For me, it started a bit slow, but it is not written as a textbook in a dry monotone by any means. McCullough makes Adams come alive in these pages with frequent quotations from letters written by Adams, his wife, Abigail, his sons, daughter, Thomas Jefferson or other of his contemporaries. Cullough is obviously a fan of Adams, which might be a drawback for anyone looking for a more objective review of his life.
Other reviewers have commented on the completeness of McCullough's biography, so you should be aware of that. I, however, was looking for something to read during my lunch hours. Something not frivolous, but not too weighty; something that I would occupy my mind and through which I might learn a little. After the first couple of chapters, I was hooked.
My favorite Adam's quote: "Her face and heart have no correspondence," written of Hannah Quincy.
One of my favorite biographies of all time. October 21, 2009
Florida Beachcomber
I couldn't put this book down. McCullough is a masterful story-teller who made me feel as though I was living alongside John and Abigail Adams, immersed in their place and time. I read somewhere that great books disappear in one's hands - in other words, we are so engrossed in the story that we forget we're reading a book. I had this experience reading McCullough's John Adams. I was moved by the portrayal of this man -- a great man, though certainly an imperfect man -- and how he responded to, and shaped, his world. I was particularly moved by the portrayal of his relationship to Abigail, as well as the way McCullough makes John Adams feel truly 3-dimensional, presenting strengths, weaknesses, and simple facts about his life. Biographies sometimes run the risk of getting caught up in dry details, but this one, though highly informative, never lost the art of telling a story. After reading this, I've become something of an addict for reading all things American Revolution, and it's opened up a world of rich reading, researching, and thinking about the origins of this nation and the people who made it happen.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 851
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