John Adams

Rarely have I read a book where, as I come to the end I am saddened that I must leave the character(s) and read of them no more. This is no dry historical record. McCullough has written as if he had been present at the time. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover.I had no prior knowledge of John Adams, having first encountered him when I was enthralled by the HBO mini-series with Paul Giamatta as Mr. Adams.The size of the book when it arrived was somewhat daunting. However the easy style of writing and the layout made for a fascinating insight into one of the chief movers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as Washington, Jefferson and Franklin.From birth to death we follow John Adams in his single-minded approach to life, which didn't always assist him in his endeavours. We can be thankful that he and his wife, Abigail were prolific, detailed and eloquent letter writers as the author had a treasure trove of material from which to gain an insight into their personalities, relationships and the times they lived in. The horror of his daughter Nabby undergoing a mastectomy without anesthetic is an example of the tough times people endured without our modern inventions.Adams, perhaps like no other President in the history of America travelled extensively BEFORE he became president, established the first American mission in The Hague, secured funding for the new born republic, was ambassador to the Court of St. James, vice-president and then President. It was remarkable to learn that on the day of his departure from the White House, he caught the public stagecoach at 4am for Baltimore. Can we imagine Obama catching the 4am bus as he leaves the White House? Fascinating insight after fascinating insight.I cannot rate this book highly enough. The 18th century truly was a time of tumultuous changes in America and Europe and that so many 'famous' Americans lived in that period and were players in the times they lived in is truly remarkable. Buy the book. Take your time. Enjoy the eloquence of the letter writing. Read of a life lived to the full and to the end!

From a life time of reading biographies, there are a number that are outstanding and a few that are exception. McCullough's life of John Adams is however beyond even beyond that. I knew about Adams from the DVD based on the book, but not surprisingly, no adaptation could possibly reflect the written word (narrative) McCullough provides.The portrayal of Abagail ( Adams wife) is superb & the correspondence between them have not just spirit but heart to their years of marriage. I wept at her passing, and in terms of Adams, I will hold for what remains of my days admiration and even awe! I learnt so much about the early years pre & post the American Revolution, the 2nd, 3rd & 6th Presidents and the conception, birth and early years of the Republic.A 5 star rating is totally insufficient to reflect my view of this book.

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.

Finding out things that I did not learn in school. The Adams were get people.

John Adams foi o primeiro vice-presidente e o segundo presidente dos Estados Unidos. Disputou a reeleição e perdeu para seu vice, Thomas Jefferson. Anos depois seu filho, John Quincy Adams se elegeu presidente e igualmente só conseguiu um mandato.Adams, o pai, foi indiretamente responsável pelo nascimento do controle de constitucionalidade das leis, que surgiu durante a presidência de Thomas Jefferson (1803/1811) e pelas mãos do Chief Justice (Presidente) da Suprema Corte dos Estados Unidos, John Marshall. Ocorre que um ato de Adams não foi implementado na presidência de Jefferson o que motivou o ajuizamento de um Mandado de Segurança, que teve como autor William Marbury e "réu" os Estados Unidos, representado pelo então Secretário de Estado James Madison, daí o caso Marbury v. Madison (1803).No livro "Suprema Corte dos Estados Unidos - Principais Decisões" (Atlas, 4a edição, 2021) o autor João Carlos Souto discorre minuciosamente sobre o tema, dedicando-lhe todo o capítulo II.Com relação ao livro de David McCullough, é um clássico, escrito por quem conhece a fundo a História/EUA e escreve com clareza e objetivdade.

Uno dei più bei libri che io abbia mai letto.Emozionante, avvincente.Scritto con maestria ed accuratezza.E poi John Adams.Una vita incredibile, un uomo che diede, e dà ancora, lustro al suo Paese, al quale dedicò tutta la sua vita con devozione, senso del dovere ed equilibrio.Un esempio anche oggi, tremendamente attuale, per l'amore che profuse per la libertà, la democrazia e la pace, che ricercò sempre lottando strenuamente e incessantemente per ottenerle.Un grande uomo che McCullough, un maestro in questo campo, ha saputo valorizzare egregiamente.Indimenticabile.

Mein Sohn studiert Anglistik und Amerikanistik und war über diesen großen Schinken sehr erfreut und angetan! Alles richtig gemacht :-)

A very well written book which covers a momentous period in American history. John Adams contribution to the early development of the USA was incredible.