John Adams | David McCullough | Pulitzer Prize Winning for Good Reason

John Adams | David McCullough | The life and times of John Adams

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John Adams

	John Adams David McCullough Simon & Schuster, 2008 - 768 pages average customer review:based on 786 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Pulitzer Prize Winning for Good Reason

It's pretty much an excercise in repeating praise to comment upon this stellar biography of John Adams, and so I'll just limit my comments to say that the lauding of the readibility of this book combined with the well written insights into this Founding Father and early president are all well placed. There is clearly a well researched effort that brings the reader into the world of John Adams and family as well as by necessity in close brushes with Washington and Jefferson too.

It's sadly interesting to see the attempts at criticism from the lesser luminaries whom it appears, probably have more chance at being read in rebuttal to McCullough than their own primary efforts would appear otherwise.

The proof, as it were is in the pudding. While this work is very well referenced and based in solid research, it's value is that it reads cleanly and clearly inviting the common reader in to know and understand better both the man and the times. To have approached it otherwise, as some appear to suggest with a more academic emphasis, would no doubt have endeared it to those whose lives are spent in the midst of dusty tomes and intellectual sophistry , but the point is that because it is so seamlessly written and interestingly presented, the impact is much broader for the effort and the bonus is that the accurasy really doesn't suffer for it, except to the narrowest of academics who appear to need to justify themselves by casting stones from their ivory towers.

Well worth the time and effort to read.

5 undisputed stars.

Bart Breen

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The life and times of John Adams

I remember being taught much of the life of Jefferson and Washington in the creation of the United States but little of John Adams. Thank goodness for David McCullogh's work and for making John Adams live again. Some of the most interesting reading for me was the number of trips to Europe for treaties and for loans to our young country that Adams made at great risk to himself and to his family. Also I was surprised at Jefferson's treatment of John Adams. Jefferson was really treacherous and undermined Adams at every turn. However, Abigal Adams made sure that Jefferson, in her letters to Jefferson, gave him his set down. John and Abigal Adams supported Jefferson in friendship and even took care of his daughter for a lengthy time and Jefferson seemed to disregard that friendship. Enough can not be written or said about this founding father of our country. As Americans we need to understand the contributions that Adams made in the founding and the setup of our country and how it works and functions to this day. Adams is also the founder of the American navy and insisted that we needed to have this security in the early days of our country to protect the country. The biography also shows the press during this time to be just as strident, vindictive, overbearing and deceitful as it is today if not more so. Also Abigal Adams by virtue of her letters is very much a modern women in beseeching her husband for the rights of women in the new country. John Adams should be read and reread to understand the forming of our country and its continuance today

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Details give it life

The book is marvelous in the detail which fleshes out the bones of the very good, but time limited, HBO series. For those who like to know the little things that influence and produce the large picture this is book will not be disappointing.

Read it twice, no, three times!

This book deserves it's award-status of the Pulitzer times two. McCullough is at his best. His narrative historical writing style never bores. I've read it three times and have listened to the audio version twice. Can't say enough good about it. The author is especially strong in writing in a way that helps the reader feel like s/he is experiencing the world of Adams as a contemporary.Too bad McCullough hasn't written a biography on all the Presidents although his Truman time also won the Pulitzer!

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John Adams - a much unappreciated man

Like everyone in America I knew who John Adams was and remembered some few facts concerning him from history classes in school - however, I never knew just how great the man was and how important a part he played in the birth of the United States.
In fact, from the information in this wonderfully written book, it is obvious the United States would not exist had it not been for his tenacity, stubborn determination and his great personal sacrifice along with that of his amazingly strong, loving wife Abigail.
I had always thought Thomas Jefferson to be "the man" of our revolution; I was wrong - it was John Adams!

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