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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 973.44092 EAN: 9781416575887 ISBN: 141657588X Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 768 Publication Date: January 29, 2008 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Studio: Simon & Schuster Editorial Review: Amazon.com's Best of 2001: 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. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Best History Book I Ever Read!I love American History around the time of the Revolution and the early American Republic. This book is great; you can feel like your back in-time along with John Adams and the others experiencing what they went through. Very imformative; there is a TON of stuff here you never read in your high school or college US History class and it is all genuinely interesting, for instance, the not so noble mud throwing and scheming that went on amoung the men of the early US. Not to mention how divergent these ... Read More Rating:  - I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!I have sent 2 e-mails to this seller and have NEVER received an answer or the book. I HATE to give bad reviews and have in the past worked with sellers and avoided many problems, but with this seller it is not working, either my book, or my money back!!!!! Rating: - A Must ReadMcCullough does not disappoint. I couldn't put this book down. Especially touching was Adams' close relationship with his wife Abigail. McCullough draws you in and transports you there. He details the excitement of the times and the struggles of the men trying to form a new country. It's an amazing account that will leave you wanting more! Rating: - A Great Story With Real InsightsIn the past I have considered studying our history more but, I had a taste of high school and the university in my mouth even after almost 40 years. I am now inspired by this exciting and insightful story to read more history. I realize how much more I have to learn to fully appreciate what we, the citizens of the United States, have had handed down to us. As a nation, we take so much for grated we are at risk of losing it. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I should ... Read More Rating: - So much fun to read!Having grown up in Quincy, Mass., I learned about John Adams at a young age (the birth places, the church, "Peacefield" -were everyone's first school field trip). It was probably that that made me love history. Very young I then read everything I could about John Adams, Abigail, John Quincy. As an adult, this was a perfect continuation of that education. I LOVED reading this book. It was so full of information, but read like the best written novel. It was so much fun to read! |
