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John Adams by David McCullough
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John Adams (edition 2002)

by David McCullough

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13,638198430 (4.32)488
Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML:The Pulitzer Prizeā??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 scaleā??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
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Member:auntdodi
Title:John Adams
Authors:David McCullough
Info:Simon & Schuster (2002), Edition: Touchstone, Paperback
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:nonfiction, history, biography

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John Adams by David McCullough

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Showing 1-5 of 194 (next | show all)
One of the best biographies I have ever read. Learned so much about the Founding Fathers and have a great deal of respect for John Adams. ( )
  corliss12000 | Mar 16, 2024 |
I found this biography at a thrift store, and thought, oh, I really should know more about this time in our history. I didn't know very much about John Adams -- he is overshadowed by Washington and Jefferson in classroom history. I had some notion that he and his wife Abigail were influential, but that was about it. Well, after reading this book, I now say that John Adams is my new favorite president. Not only was he supremely intelligent, he was courageous and had a towering integrity. He was one of the few of those early founding fathers who was unabashedly opposed to slavery, an attitude he held throughout his life.

His relationship to his wife was a love story for the ages. He held her in the highest esteem, and consulted her on all things. They never failed in their love and respect for each other. She was his match in intelligence and fortitude, and their letters to each other are a treasure. Indeed, all the Adams family letters are amazing. McCullough quotes from them liberally, and it was interesting and touching to learn about their daily cares and griefs, the friendship he held with other people, and the care he lavished on his children and grandchildren. This biography makes him human, flawed and obstinate and sometimes pompous, but also a bulldog for democracy and a patriot in the true sense of the word.

I also enjoyed learning more about the other founding fathers, especially Jefferson. I was already aware of his long-standing and controversial relationship with his slave Sally Hemings, but I didn't know she was only fourteen when she joined him in Paris (shepherding his young daughter from Monticello, across the Atlantic and Europe). Fourteen! And pregnant two years later. This actually made me ill. Jefferson was a brilliant man in many ways, but his character flaws were deep, whereas Adams' flaws were mostly those of temperament and personality.

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. ( )
1 vote TheGalaxyGirl | Jan 31, 2024 |
Very good bio on 2nd President, readable.
  derailer | Jan 25, 2024 |
A first rate biography, engagingly written and compelling.
  Mark_Feltskog | Dec 23, 2023 |
McCullough is my favorite biographer, and this book just reinforced that. It's comprehensive and intimate and captures the titular man well. Easy to overlook among the giants Washington, Jefferson, and others, Adams maintains a firm grasp on his place in history and the founding of our country. My one complaint is that Abigail Adams sounded even more fascinating and I found myself wishing the book was about her more than once. ( )
  KallieGrace | Dec 18, 2023 |
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» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
David McCulloughprimary authorall editionscalculated
Herrmann, EdwardNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Runger, NelsonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
We live, my dear soul, in an age of trial. What will be the consequence I know not. - John Adams to Abigail Adams, 1774
Dedication
For our sons David, William, and Geoffrey
First words
In the cold, nearly colorless light of a New England winter, two men on horseback traveled the coast road below Boston, heading north.
Quotations
I must judge for myself, but how can I judge, how can any man judge, unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading,
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Disambiguation notice
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Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML:The Pulitzer Prizeā??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 scaleā??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

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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 ā€œout of his sensesā€; 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 scaleā€”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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