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David McCullough

John Adams Paperback – September 3, 2002

by David McCullough (Author)

2,926 ratings

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The Pulitzer Prize–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 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.

Print length

752 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

September 3, 2002
Dimensions

6.13 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0743223136
ISBN-13

978-0743223133
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Gordon S. Wood The New York Review of Books By far the best biography of Adams ever written...McCullough's special gift as an artist is his ability to re-create past human beings in all their fullness and all their humanity. In John and Abigail he has found characters worthy of his talent.

Walter Isaacson Time A masterwork of storytelling.

Michiko Kakutani The New York Times Lucid and compelling...[Written] in a fluent narrative style that combines a novelist's sense of drama with a scholar's meticulous attention to the historical record.

Marie Arana The Washington Post McCullough is one of our most gifted living writers.

About the Author

David McCullough has twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. His other acclaimed books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The American Spirit, and The Wright Brothers. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Visit DavidMcCullough.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; 1st Touchstone edition (September 3, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743223136
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743223133
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #12,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in U.S. Colonial Period History
- #24 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #29 in Television Performer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
2,926 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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E. Migliori

This book moved me

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016

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I don't know how to describe this book. I am an avid reader but have not read a lot of history because I never seemed to finish the books. I couldn't stop reading this one. Have you ever been so engaged that you walk and read and the same time? That you carry the book with you everywhere you go in the hopes you will have a spare minute to crack it open and absorb a few pages? Well this book did that for me. I did not think I would find John Adams compelling but the book won a Pulitzer and I had heard the hype so I thought "why not?". This book is very well written. It covers the scope of John Adams' life in it's entirety - with honesty and sensitivity. I was inspired by the genius cluster that founded our nation, the danger and uncertainty they went through with complete fortitude. This book is so relevant today because it helps us understand the thought and consideration Adams and other men went through when considering the construction of our government and their understanding of human nature that provided them the insight to create laws that to this day afford us the freedoms we enjoy. The topics of women's rights, slavery, military strength, the economy, immigration are all touched on as they had the forethought to understand what was coming. I wish there were more people serving in public office today like those original founders and especially John Adams.

219 people found this helpful

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Mark A. Wyatt

Powerful and Moving

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018

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The difficulty in reviewing a book like David McCullough's "John Adams" is that you know that whatever you write, it will not do the book justice. So, with that said, I will affirm that this is one of the best books I have ever read, much less one of the best biographies. It has been said that McCullough "rescued" Adams from relative obscurity, and I must agree. Having read this most important story, it is amazing to me that there is no monument on the National Mall in honor of John Adams. There are numerous points in his career where it may be said that if not for John Adams, the United States of America would not exist. His importance in our history cannot be overstated. I am glad that Tom Hanks took it upon himself to produce an award-winning miniseries based on this book, so that many more Americans who will not undertake its reading, may still benefit from the story of its hero. Let me just state a couple of brief takeaways: 1) Two of the most long-lasting and defining attributes of America are its form of government (bicameral legislature, strong executive, and independent judiciary), and the peaceful transfer of power; and 2) that there is nothing new under the sun. If you think that the extremes of speech or action undertaken in our times regarding elections, manipulation, the press, or the extreme passions on every part of the political spectrum are new, then you need to read more history. Compared to what has gone before us in this great nation, I am more convinced than ever, that we will be just fine.

64 people found this helpful

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Annapolis man

A lesser known founding father revealed

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2016

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John Adams seems to be the "forgotten" founding father, taking a backseat to Washington and Jefferson. I had never read much of anything about John Adams and his role in America's founding and early history and after reading this book I have a new appreciation for what a major contributor John A. was. He participated in all facets of the work to put together the new country and seemed to be one of the most humble of contributors. The interaction between John and his wife Abigail was fascinating. She was a learned woman with strong opinions and never hesitated to share those with her husband throughout his career. She was a strong independent woman and ran the family business when John was away for many years at a time doing the business of the new country as an ambassador to multiple European countries. Very impressive woman. The interplay between Adams and Jefferson was especially interesting, with Adams coming off as a well grounded, honest, humble adult while Jefferson came off as a spoiled, arrogant, not completely honest politician. It was of interest to find that Adams, being from Massachusetts, i.e. a northerner, was against slavery as was his wife while the Virginians, Jefferson and Washington, seemed to have no qualms about slavery even though they were fighting for freedom/independence themselves. I wish that I had a better appreciation for Adams long ago. This book provided a perspective I never had before and was an enjoyable read.

51 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey J. Ward

Another Great Presidential Biography by David McCullough

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017

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I just finished this great book while watching for the second time the marvelous HBO miniseries that is based on this book. One of its themes is the remarkable friendship between Adams and Jefferson while serving as American representatives in France, followed later by political rivalry in which Jefferson ousted Adams from the presidency, followed years later by a great deal of friendly correspondence between the old friends and former presidents in their declining years. The extravagance of Jefferson and the slavery based system that supported Jefferson and others of the Virginia aristocracy is contrasted with the frugality and physical farm labor of Adams. Both were among the best educated, most cultured and well traveled Americans of their day and both champions of liberty. Adams was much more than the pious Puritan as he is sometimes portrayed. At the end, Adams left his family with a quite sizable estate while Jefferson left a great legacy but mountains of debt. Adams had a great marriage to Abigail and their surviving letters illuminate perhaps the greatest love story in American history. This is the second McCullough presidential biography I have read. The first was Harry Truman which was also great.

28 people found this helpful

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Nicholas Casley

How Amazing Is That?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2017

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I was inspired to read this biography of the second president of the United States, as it was the basis for the excellent HBO series.

As McCullough's writes in the introduction, "John Adams was a lawyer and a farmer, a graduate of Harvard College, the husband of Abigail Smith Adams, the father of four children. He was forty years old and he was a revolutionary." Why was that so? The biography reveals a man passionate about virtue and liberty, a man who would never give up the fight, and a man who was the real driver of independence. When people think of the fight for independence, they naturally bring to mind Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin - but it was Adams who was the driving force.

I am also glad that I read this book because I was able to see where the truth of Adam's life has been sacrificed for the drama of the TV series: the Hollywood version of history is just as active on America's own as well as the rest of the world's! For example, in the first episode I learn that Captain Preston was actually tried separately from his men, and of the eight soldiers, two were found guilty of manslaughter.

But there are also scenes that should have been in the series but which did not make it, scenes such as Franklin and Adams sharing a bed and arguing over whether the window should be open or closed. David McCullough's clear and highly-readable prose also covers much of the important but undramatic work of Adams, including his drafting of the constitution of his home state, Massachusetts, written whilst back home between time spent as ambassador to Holland and France.It is "the oldest, functioning written constitution in the world."

Much of the series played on Adams's relationship with his wife, and I was glad to see how true it was that they were a meeting of minds in so many ways and had a long and happy marriage, supporting each other and their children, although Adams himself had such high ideals that he was a difficult father to please.

The end came dramatically, like Beethoven, with a thunderstorm. And I still cannot get over how he died on the same day as Thomas Jefferson - and they both died on the fiftieth Fourth of July since independence! How amazing is that?

3 people found this helpful

T. G. S. Hawksley

Just wanted to read it all over again

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2017

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When I finished the book I really just wanted to read it all over again, to be taken again by the author into the vivid world of John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and Elbridge Gerry and Benjamin Rush and Timothy Pickering and Alexander Hamilton and the many others who lived through the birth and early years of the USA.

This is an exceptionally superb biography, one reason from many is that the author paints his scenes with such an abundance of detail that you really feel you are there, and can hear their voices. Just from memory I can now see Adams watching slaves at the new White House with a heaviness in his heart; I can still feel the joy the whole family experienced when John Quincey returned from Russia; or the satisfaction felt by Benjamin Rush when Adams and Jefferson start to correspond again.

So it is much more than just a political biography. This is a work of art, taking us into all that was going in and around the Adams family. And as with all good art while there is no polemic, nevertheless it is impossible not to draw some moral lessons from the lives as they are drawn on the author's canvas.

This is especially true with the contrast between Jefferson and Adams. Adams the hard-working farmer, the faithful husband of Abigail, cautious with money who died with an estate to pass on; Jefferson the extravagant land-owning aristocrat, suspected of having an affair, who died in debt. Adams the enemy of slavery; Jefferson the owner of slaves. And when he died, those slaves had to be sold because of his debts.

It is never stated, but there is no doubt which man the author - with good reason - admires more.

3 people found this helpful

S. Smith

A Rose-tinted View

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2015

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John Adams’ reputation has suffered because his single term as president was sandwiched between Washington, the unanimous choice for first president, and Jefferson, the founder of Democratic Party. As Jefferson's reputation has recently declined, so Adams’ has revived. David McCullough’s book follows this trend and is more about Adams’ character than his political theories and writings, which Adams thought were his most important work. He initially intended a joint biography of Adams and Jefferson and says much about their contrasts; Adams stocky, hard-working, combative and frank; Jefferson tall, retiring, hating disputes and devious. They had much in common politically, and were originally friends but became opponents in the 1790s before resuming relations in old age

McCullough presents Adams as essentially honest and a good man, true to his origins and very talented. He was also suspicious, pessimistic and stubborn with a knack for making himself unpopular. He had a fiery temper and his enemies claimed he became insane with rage; McCullough tends to play down his outbursts, but even his family and friends admitted Adams was very irritable. Except for a short time in 1798 during the XYZ affair he was an unpopular president, and in 1800 many in his own party opposed his re-election. McCullough understates his flaws and fails to explore the central paradox of Adams’ political career. Although his political writings and work in the Continental Congress greatly promoted independence, and although he assisted Washington to establish constitutional government in the United States, he had become almost irrelevant by 1800 and left no legacy guiding later political developments.

Perhaps Adams’ most productive periods were in the Continental Congress, where Jefferson called him ''the colossus of independence'' in 1776, and his time as a diplomat in Europe in the 1780s where he defended United States’ political and economic interests. During his eight years as vice-President, Washington rarely sought his advice and, although he frequently used his Senate casting vote to support Washington’s administration, he was frustrated by the limited influence of the vice-presidency.

His presidency was turbulent, but McCullough devotes only two chapters to it. He claims Adams was right in seeking a settlement with Britain, his antipathy to the French Revolution and supporting an American Navy, and his opponents including Jefferson were wrong but says little about the results of the Alien and Sedition Acts which are a blot on Adams’ his reputation. These included the imprisonments of opponents after unfair trials and the flight of French citizens from the anti-foreigner hysteria these Acts produced.

Overall, this is a rather cosy portrait of Adams with some blemishes, but also the originality of his political thought, removed. He did much to establish the United States and its government, but had some unattractive personal traits and made political mistakes and influential enemies in his presidency. Although he deserves recognition and some rehabilitation, Adams’ presidential career hardly compares with those of his predecessor or successor.

R Helen

Fascinating biography

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2017

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Like all David McCullough's books, this one doesn't disappoint. It's the story of John Adams, America's second, and underappreciated, President. It's a biography and not an in depth look at the historical and political issues surrounding his life, so you'll have to have a good working knowledge of the events surrounding the American Revolution. But it will surprise you too. The 4th of July is the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a day every school child in America knows. But it was actually 2 July when Americans declared their independence and the day Adams thought would be the "most memorable epocha in the history of America." And I was equally surprised to know that Adams represented the British(!) in the trial of the Boston Massacre, that famous moment of British tyranny before the Revolution. As a child, learning about the Revolution in school, it seemed almost inevitable to me that the Americans would win. Until I read this book, I never appreciated how close America came to losing and how many promiment colonial men supported the Tory cause! It's an amazing book, well written, and brings to life one of America's greatest statesmen. It's also a bit irreverant when it comes to that other great statesman, Thomas Jefferson! Adams has always taken second place behind those prominent and celebrated leaders (Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, among others), but McCullough shows us that Adams was much more than he has been remembered for. I would highly recommend it (as I would any of his other books). Five stars is not enough.

One person found this helpful

homehelp

Great read really fascinating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2021

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I read this book having watched the John Adams serial on Sky Atlantic. The series closely followed the book and gave a fascinating insight into the lives of the Founding fathers of USA with all the politics. A very personal account of the relationships of friends and foes and at home and abroad. It filled in a big gap in my knowledge of this time. Very readable, thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone interested in American Independence