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Summary: Adams: The Beauty of Being Real
Review: I found this book absolutely outstanding. It is brilliant and written with expression and observation rarely found. The writings of Adams and his wife are a rare gift. Their manner of expression is beautiful. I found myself carefully reading and rereading segments again and again. We are most fortunate to have had this collection upon which to draw.While intergrating these portions of diary and letters with his own writing, McCullough opens the door to a philosophy and vision of a man who has been unfortunately under rated. He has done an outstanding job. Most of all we are introduced to a real person, who while serving his country, under circumsatances unknown to us today, is beset with problems and feelings not unlike we all suffer, extending from personal feelings and economic difficulties to the joy and heartache of children. A side of this man we have never seen. The politics of yesterday remain and I found it amusing to superimpose members of our Congress today with the representatives of the period. All the players are there, only the names change. The manner of man is remarkably constant. The relationship of affairs in America and Europe as simultaneous inter related functions has been an educational experience. My past learning about "the founding fathers" and the growth of our country has focused on each individual aspect separate and apart from the others. They certainly were not. Their interaction was exciting, enlightening, highly political, and yes, at times very funny. This book should be required reading of all students of American history.
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Summary: An excellent historical biography
Review: This book by David McCollough takes an in-depth look at the political career and personal life of John Adams. Starting with his humble beginnings as the son of a Massachusetts farmer, John Adams quickly rose into prominence as one of Boston's foremost attorneys. His opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765 revealed his strong convictions for American freedom and individual rights. Although he had strong patriotic views, he still found the courage and strength of conviction to defend four British soldiers who were accused of murder during the Boston massacre. Adams was criticized in many circles for taking the case but he earned high praise and respect for his dedication to the ideals of liberty. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the amount of coverage that the author devotes to the relationship between John and Abigail Adams. Despite being accused of being self-righteous, vain, conceited and arrogant, Adams is shown to be a very devoted husband and father. His frequent correspondence with his wife reveals his human side. His doubts, insecurities and impulses are all saved for posterity in his many letters to Abigail. The years that Adams served in Europe as a minister for the United States was also fascinating. His travels to France, Spain, The Netherlands and England on behalf of the newly formed country were filled with adventure and tribulation. McCullough's account of his diplomatic career served to demonstrate his initiative and persistence despite his disagreements with Benjamin Franklin and the comte de Vergennes, the French foreign minister. His success in obtaining Dutch loans was particularly significant because it came at a crucial moment. Not only did Adams secure badly needed funds but he also got the Dutch to recognize the new United States and sign a treaty of friendship and commerce. The author only devotes a few chapters to the Adams presidential administration but he does an excellent job of providing a quick overview. During his term as President, Adams was frequently accused of favoring a monarchial form of government when in fact he recommended a bicameral legislature balanced by executive and judicial branches. Like Washington, Adams sought to be above political parties or factions but he was nominally a Federalist refusing to be perceived as a party man. In 1798 despite his patriotic reputation and beliefs in liberty, Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts. At the time the threat of war with the French served as justification for the need of these Acts which severely limited free speech but nevertheless the passage of this legislation is seen as a dark spot in American history. His success in keeping the United States out of war with France is seen as one of the top achievement of his administration. The author also devotes a good deal of coverage to the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Their disagreements and opposing viewpoints are too numerous to mention so it becomes amazing that they found enough common ground to remain good friends and keep their admiration for each other. The relationship between John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams is also given a good deal of attention. John Adams took great joy in educating his son and seeing him rise through the diplomatic ranks as foreign minister to France and Russia. Ultimately John Adams lived to see his son become the 6th president of the Unites States which was a source of great pride for him. This book is an excellent biography, it provides an insightful view into the life and times of this little known founding father. It is easy to see why it has become a bestseller.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written - Excellent example of history
Review: David McCullough has obviously taken great pains in his research and development of this biography of the second U.S. President - pains that are rarely taken in today's world. The result is a work that exemplifies the term "researh", and provides what could be called the greatest look at a man who is largely unknown. John Adams' presidency is often overshadowed by the events of the time. Most people don't realize the impact that he made while he served as the leader of the fledging nation that would evolve into the most prominent nation in the world. McCullough delves into the man, without really taking away from the myth, going into various details that have been sorrowfully left out of other writings. This book has an appeal to me as a personal student of history, as well as an author of my own accord. Mr. McCullough has exemplified the methods by which historical information is presented, and delivers his work in a manner that is enjoyable for all, regardless of their degree of interest in the period. As the author of Strike Hard, I would firmly recommend this book to anyone who would like to have a better understanding of what John Adams was like, what he went through, and where his true philosophies came from. The result is amazing, shocking, and altogether a wonderful experience that is one not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it
Review: David McCullough has a real knack of getting down to the personality and character of his subject. He reviews the history in an exciting way, and helps the reader to feel like he really knows the man. Mr. Adams is a great subject because of the wealth of letters from John, Abigail, Thomas Jefferson and others, as well as the greatness of the man, and the lack of public understanding we have had of this great man. A great book!
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Summary: I actually missed it
Review: Although this is my intro to David McCullough, I must say it is the first book I have ever missed. I went to bed the day after finishing this book eager to crack open its spine, when I remembered that I had finished it. I was actually disappointed, and I now miss the man. Every page, every chapter, heck the whole book was so well paced, and Adams was so well fleshed out that I truly feel like I know the man better than I know some of my best friends. Although this was my intro to this very talented author, it will definitely not be the last venture into the worlds this man explores.
Rating: 
Summary: John Adams Gets his Due
Review: McCullough has done a great service in reminding us what an important influence John Adams had in the founding of our nation. He is too often a forgotten figure in our nation's pantheon of founders. Adams' importance in securing our independence and protecting and perpetuating the federal government under the Constitution is arguably greater than Thomas Jefferson's. Among Adams' accomplishments: (1) He was an important influence in the committee that revised Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence and did the most to argue for and push for its passage by the Continental Congress. (2) He was the one who made the original motion to make George Washington the general of the army commissioned by the Continental Congress to prosecute the Revolutionary War. (3) He played a key administrative and political role during the Revolutionary War. (4) He wrote the constitution of the State of Massachusetts, the oldest functioning constitution in the world, and a key model upon with the Constitution of the United States is based. (5) He was instrumental in securing the aid of France and foreign loans during the Revolutionary War. (6) He was a key negotiator of peace with Britain ending the Revolutionary War. (7) He had the unenviable task of following George Washington as 2nd President of the United States and - despite a few serious mistakes - was able to keep the union intact and keep the U.S. out of war with France or Britain. The biography is well written and illuminating - really absolutely fascinating. It brings to life Johns Adams and his varied activities - from his loving relationship with his wife Abigail and her own important role in events to his love-hate relationship with Thomas Jefferson that spanned most of their lives. The only quibble I have with the book is that it sometimes does not give enough detail about some key issues that Adams had to grapple with. For example, too little attention is given the Alien and Sedition acts - one of the most odious pieces of legislation signed by Adams that thwarted freedom of the press. But then again - he would have needed multiple volumes to cover everything. (As a side note - you do end up empathizing for the act given that the newspapers of the time were vicious in their personal attacks and printed stories that would be libelous by today's standards.) Suffice it to say - this really is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: I love to find a book that it hard to put down and this book is one of those. The writing is beautiful and poignant. McCullough's account of Adams' life and this period of history in our young country gives one a great perspective of the fragile nature of freedom, and the courage and sacrifice it takes to preserve it. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those individuals who aspire to be "servants of the people".
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Summary: History as it can be....
Review: David McCullough's "John Adams" satisfies on three distinct levels: as a epic work of historical record, as a diary of a loving marriage, and as a testimony to the power and value of the written word. McCullough's panoramic narrative is based on an information lode that is pure gold: the network of letters, often written on a daily basis in the darkest of times, among the Adams family members -- and all the other luminaries of the era that literally changed everything. You will approach the conclusion with the same sense of dread you've felt reading your favorite novel: Don't end! I like being here too much! It is a highbrow beach read of the best sort, full of passion, intrigue, and consequence. My single question: Can Thomas Jefferson ever reclaim his former luster once this portrait of him seeps into our collective consciousness? Doubtful. But John, Abigail, and the kids have been planted firmly in the American heart at long last. Thank you, Adamses -- and David McCullough.
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Summary: A FOUNDING FATHER TO BE PROUD OF
Review: I am an avid reader of biographies and David McCullough's John Adams is one of the best. McCullough obviously admires Adams and creates a vivid portrait of our second President without apologizing for his shortcomings. And when these are measured against the likes of Bill Clinton, Gary Condit and Tom Delay, it is painfully clear that our Founding Fathers were virtuous, brilliant, competent and dedicated to the public good and too many of their successors are not. John Adams' story is the story of the founding of the American Republic. He was the most influential member of the Continental Congress in declaring independence from England. Adams then drafted the Massachusetts Constitution that became a model for other state constitutions. He served as Chairman of the Continental Board of War and Ordinance during the initial phase of the Revolutionary War and then served as the diplomatic representative of the United States to France, Holland and England. Adams next served at Washington's Vice President and was elected President in 1797. John Adams was a devoted husband and father who longed to remain a simple Massachusetts farmer but always responded to the call of his country to serve her interests. McCullough captures the extraordinary life-long love affair between John Adams and his remarkable wife Abigail. Their marriage certainly had romantic love and intimacy but was much more than that. John and Abigail transcended romantic love and had an enduring friendship based on mutual respect, intellectual curiosity and deeply held common values. "Let us have ambition enough to keep our simplicity, our frugality, and our integrity," John wrote to his wife while serving in Paris, "and transmit these virtues as the fairest of inheritance to our children." John and Abigail sacrificed each other's company which they prized most and faced great hardship so that John could serve their country. Their long separations were for each of them "the times that try men's souls." "I recollect the untitled man to whom I gave my heart and in the agony of recollection," Abigail wrote to John in 1783 during a prolonged separation, "when time and distance present themselves together, wish he had never been any other. Who shall give me back my time? Who shall compensate to me those years I cannot recall? How dearly have I paid for a titled husband." Adams was a proud, doting father. Siring three sons and two daughters Adams loved the company of his children, especially his protege, the brilliant John Quincy Adams. Father and ten-year-old son make a perilous journey to Europe together and remain boon companions for the remainder of the father's life. Adams advised his son to be frugal but never to love money or position. "The Dutch say that without a habit of thinking of every doit before you spend it, no man can be a good merchant or conduct trade with success. This I believe is a just maxim in general. But I would never wish to see a son of mine govern himself by it. It is the sure and certain way for an industrious man to be rich. It is the only possible way for a merchant to become the first merchant or the richest man in the place. But his is an object I hope none of my children will ever aim at." McCullough describes the very close friendship that developed between Adams and Thomas Jefferson and manages to draw a very illuminating portrait of the Sage of Monticello. Adams had his critics including Jefferson's closest associate from Virginia, James Madison, who thought Adams vain and, at times, a bull in a china shop. Jefferson expained to Madison that Adams "is vain, irritable and a bad calculator of the force and probable effect of the motives which govern men. This is all the ill which can be said of him. He is as disinterested as the Being which made him: he is profound in his views, and accurate in his judgment except where knowledge of the world is necessary to form a judgment. He is so amiable that I pronounce you will love him if ever you become acquainted with him." David McCullough has written an engrossing, inspiring portrait of one of our Founding Fathers who has risen greatly in my estimation after reading this wonderful book. I would recommend it highly as a guide for choosing a spouse for singles contemplating marriage, an antidote for cynicism about politics or the value of virtue and as a handbook to live by. I enjoy freedoms and unlimited potential that were wrested from a treacherous, despotic, selfish world by great men and women such as John and Abigail Adams. I am grateful to David McCullough for providing me with insight into their sacrifices and the grandness of their gift.
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Summary: Finally Famous after 200 years
Review: David McCollough has taken the smallest of the first three presidents and allowed him to tower over the others. John Adams , speaking in his own words, under Mc's skillful editing , comes alive. He is passionate about independence, brave about serving his country, a humble servant to his God, and loyal to his wife! I was proud to be an American when I finished this book, reaching the last page on July 4th. The fireworks that night, celebrating our independence, were exceptionally beautiful. I sat on the lawn, children and grandchildren surrounding me, all of us living in freedom,and gave thanks to all those who gave so much for our country. John Adams should be read by or to every citizen.
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