There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. (John Adams)

JOHN ADAMS! He is my President. Yes, I know he's been dead for some time now, but he is still my President. Honest and forthright. A lawyer and a farmer. An intellectual and a man of the earth. He also remains my favourite American revolutionary. Let others worship the hypocrisy of aristocratic Jefferson or the ambitions of power-mad Hamilton. Mr. Adams is good enough for me.

He didn't have the money or the influence of the Virginia elites and his refusal to accept the Brits as his overlord changed the world. He was short and pudgy. He didn't chase women and gambling was not a vice for him. However, he was President #2 for the United States and that means he is sandwiched forever between the godlike Washington and the salesman Jefferson. Yet it was Adams who pushed through the creation of the U.S. Navy, it was Adams who pushed Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence and it was Adams who foresaw the destruction of the French Revolution.

Everything will be pulled down. So much seems certain. But what will be built up? Are there any principles of political architecture?

Adams was loyal enough to keep Washington's Cabinet, a cabal of Hamilton supporters, who did everything they could to undermine him. Yet, he stood his ground and refused to go to war against France, an act that would have probably destroyed the still-unstable American Republic. When he retired, he tended to his farm, the Cincinnatus of his time. His eldest son would also become a President and the Adams line would be famous for a few more generations. A simple yet complex man. How can you not admire this lawyer who resented the British shackles yet went to court to defend the British redcoats of the Boston Massacre? That takes guts.

My fundamental maxim of government is never to trust the lamb to the wolf.

I have enjoyed reading several books about Adams but McCullough is a perfect biographer for this overlooked Founding Father. Everything is enjoyable, as though the author is simply telling a bedtime story. The respect is there as is the understanding of what made Adams tick. No overblown hyperbole. No resentful gossip. No false notes. David McCullough presents Adams for what he was, a man of reason ruled by gale-force passions.

Ballast is what I want. I totter with every breeze.

Book Season = Year Round (consider the results)

I LEARNED SO MUCH........
I'm moved - deeply moved......
at this 'book' and 'partly' at myself. SOMETHING HAS SHIFTED INSIDE ME THROUGH THIS READING EXPERIENCE. A handful of books have done this for me --but not usually 'two' in a very short period of time! But..... I can't deny what's so.

SNAP CRACKLE POP....... BOOKS THAT CHANGE OUR THINKING - OUR ACTIONS - MUST BE REMEMBERED..... this is another one of those books!!!!!!

A light switch is turned 'on' in my brain for the first time in almost 65 years. I haven't been reading biographies about past Presidents. I have some natural interest in Kennedy - Lincoln - and - Obama -- but I've never been the girl to run to the history or political sections in book stores... seeking out past Presidents to read about. WHY THE HECK HAVEN'T I? Fear of boring dry reading?? It's amazing how shallow and small my thinking is sometimes.

Has anyone else ever cried when coming 'nose-to-nose' with your own stupidity- laziness- and/or shame for allowing yourself to be ignorant? Really angry at yourself? I've been reading this book for 4 to 6 weeks ( other books too), but a couple of weeks ago I broke down: cried like a baby ..... facing the reality of HOW MUCH I DON'T KNOW.
At the same time ....,
I WAS FASCINATED WITH THIS BOOK - THIS STORY -
I'm left wanting to explore more!!!! Hallelujah! :)

John Adams worked his ass off LONG HOURS A DAY - RISKING HIS HEALTH - making constant sacrifices and contributions with the most humble heart!! A GREAT MAN!!!

I've read my share of the "The dreaded multiple POV novels". I'm discovering it's possible that reading historical books about past Presidents might 'not' be drudgery or work any more than it's been to read about Jack or Libby taking turns narrating every other chapter. If more books about past Presidents are 'this good'.... ( good storytelling), I have nothing to fear!

I FEEL LESS RESISTANCE TO READ ABOUT MORE PAST PRESIDENTS!!! ....That's what's shifted!!! I'm ready to read another, and another! Ha ha .... we certainly have plenty of past presidents to choose from!!! :)

JOHN ADAMS - inspired me!!!! His character was outstanding!!
Were all Presidents this honest, 'loving' toward his wife and children, down to earth, decent, .....really decent? He was bright - worked hard. Model integrity.
I didn't think of him as a politician. I can't imagine Trump ever saying these word....
"I only wish I were better qualified" .....John Adams

Ohhhhhh, and Abigail.... did you not love this woman???? Up at 5am to begin her day... taking care of the needs of their family and home. - running a farm during war - loss of children while her husband was away -sadness - loneliness- missing her partner -
She was a courageous independent woman ahead of her days.

I knew nothing about John Adams relationship with Thomas Jefferson. Friends, ......then enemies, then friends again.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson 'both' died on July 4, 1826, ---same day!!!! Blows my mind!!!
John Adams lived longer than any other American President. I wonder if it was all that Apple cider he drank every day. :)

Question to those who are history buffs? Suggestions of 'which' President I might read about next? A few suggestions? And by whom?

Wonderful book.... great opening for me

Much thanks goes to David McCullough!!!!

When people say that history is dry they haven't read this book. David describes himself as a painter with words, and he is not wrong about that. Most people don't know much about this very important founding father. He was the second president of the United States and the voice of the Declaration of Independence. As Americans, we owe him a debt of gratitude for all he did. He was not the first President but was a first in many ways. He was the first President to serve one term and the First to also have a son become a President. He formed the US. Navy and the Marines and negotiated peace with France when America could not afford another war. Up until his death on July 4th, 50 years after the founding of our country he was clear of mind and a strong believer in our country. When asked at the end of his life what he wanted to say about his beloved country he stated "Independence Forever" they asked him then "anything else." To which he answered "No nothing else"

#5 Best Book I Read During 2020

When the door opened, they proceeded, Adams, as instructed, making three bows, or "reverences," one on entering, another halfway, a third before "the presence."
"The United States of America have appointed me their minister plenipotentiary to Your Majesty," Adams began, nearly overcome with emotion.
"I felt more than I did or could express," he later wrote. Before him, in the flesh, was the "tyrant" who, in the language of the Declaration of Independence, had plundered American seas and burned American towns, the monarch "unfit to be the ruler of a free people," while to the King, he himself, Adams knew, could only be a despised traitor fit for the hangman's noose.

If John Adams had only been the first ambassador to England after the war, that would have been enough to get a fascinating book about the revolution. What a cool moment, standing in front of King George after all that had happened. But ambassador to England was just one of about a zillion noteworthy things Adams did in his lifetime.

I'm in the middle of a project of trying to learn about the American Revolution by reading a biography of each of the founding fathers. With Hamilton I got a look at the foundations of the federal government. With Washington I got the view from the troops on the ground. With Franklin I got a look at the foundations of revolution - how people went from faithful subjects to rebels.

You get a lot of all those things with Adams too, but this book on Adams gives you something entirely unique to the rest - his relationship with Abigail. Their letters to each other are an American treasure, and they give you a view of the revolution through the eyes of a family.

Adams is the first of the founding fathers I've read about who was actually a family man. You might think that would make the book less interesting (Washington and Franklin were able to do the amazing things they did because they were able to make family less of a priority), but instead it makes the book more interesting. Adams' view of everything that happens is completely tied up in and shaped by his relationship with his family. It grounded him. He was a revolutionary hero, no doubt, but this is definitely the story of what happens when an ordinary man is thrown into the middle of world-changing events. And the events do not change him one bit.

I think if I'm ranking the founding father books so far, I would put them like this: 1. Chernow's Hamilton book. 2. This book. 3. Brands' Franklin book. 4. Chernow's Washington book. But I love all four.

Some notes:
- I had always been told that after the 1800 election, Adams and Jefferson hated each other for the rest of their lives. That's not at all true, mostly because Adams' wasn't really capable of hating anybody. He always managed to get rocky relationships smoothed back out. Jefferson and Adams were friends pretty much all the way through, even when their relationship was occasionally strained.
- Having said that, every book I read about the founding fathers makes me like Thomas Jefferson even less.
- Came away from this book really impressed by John Quincy Adams. Looking forward to reading more about him in the future.
- The best part of this book for me was Adams' first trip across the Atlantic, when he disobeyed the ship's captain's instructions and joined in a battle with a British warship. Great story.
- John and Abigail never wavered in their hatred against slavery, something only Hamilton and Jay among the founding fathers can say.
- Interesting to see the difference in how Franklin and Adams in Paris is handled by Brands in his book about Franklin and McCullough in his Adams book. In the Franklin book Adams is a bore and a killjoy. In the Adams book Franklin is a hindrance to progress and lazy. Both appear to be at least partly true, but it's interesting to see the same story from two different points of view.

I greatly enjoyed this biography of the second American president, about whom I knew little. I was very impressed by his character, intelligence, humor, patriotism, life of service, and innate human decency. His marriage to Abigail Adams was apparently a true passionate partnership - the two shared affection, humor, similar outlook on responsibility to family, faith and country, and thanks to his life of public service, they left a rich correspondence from all of their time apart.

Abigail spent years on her own, raising their children and managing their farm in Massachusetts while John served various government and diplomatic posts, in the U.S. and in Europe.

I was astonished at the thankless, lonely years Adams spent in France, during the Revolution, trying to secure military and financial aid for the American cause. He was with Benjamin Franklin in Paris, whose work ethic, actions, and lifestyle he was not terribly impressed with, and embarked on his own to Holland to try and secure much-needed loans for the country.

Traveling back and forth across the Atlantic was dangerous, thanks to weather and British ships, and traveling long distances overland in Europe could also be difficult and dangerous. Yet he never wavered, despite loneliness for his wife, children and beloved farm, and the difficulties of maintaining appearances in European diplomatic circles without going into debt (unlike Jefferson, who was also attached to the diplomatic missions in Paris, and later London, and was always in debt). I found much to admire, and much that was relatable in both John and Abigail’s beliefs and outlooks.

I knew Adams and Jefferson had been friends, then had a falling out that lasted for years, before reviving their friendship through a remarkable correspondence after both had served as president and retired from public life. It was very interesting to see how very close John, Abigail and Jefferson had been in Paris and London, and how deceitful Jefferson had been, working against Adams, even as he served as Adams’ Vice President. Abigail apparently never forgave Jefferson, at least she never took resumed her warm correspondence with him. She also deeply distrusted the press, and Alexander Hamilton, who several times worked behind the scenes to damage Adams political career.

A wonderfully written, enjoyable, in-depth look at the life of Adams! I found much to admire in this very human, but innately decent Founding Father. I’ve read a few Washington bios, to get a feel for the man behind the mythology, and now have found a second Founder to admire, warts and all - though in fairness, as John and Abigail were never slave owners, I think Adams is a notch above Washington for me. I want to read a biography of Abigail, she’s delightful, and I guess I should give Jefferson and Hamilton a look, but not in a hurry! Definitely will read more McCullough, though, he remains one of the most readable, entertaining historians I’ve read.

As always with nonfiction reads, I’ve added several quotes and interesting passages to my reading progress, to give a taste of the interesting events and wonderful writing.

And five stars for me for finishing this frickin thing. It’s fun to learn history through a single person I think. Thomas Jefferson was a disgusting, mousy idiot shmuck and Alexander Hamilton was a little weasel man-baby. I liked reading it even though it was slow.

This is a masterpiece! McCullough writes history that reads like a novel. I know his access to all the Adams correspondence gave him an advantage, but still, the man can write.
I didn’t realize what a fascinating man John Adams was and the many personal sacrifices he made for our country.
I felt like I knew the Adams family and actually slowed down my reading because I didn’t want the book to end. In fact, I want to read it again instead of the Thomas Jefferson biography next on my tbr list.

An Excellent biographical book to read about John Adams.

John Adams is a politician, writer, diplomat.

He is also, the former President of America, one of the Founding Fathers.

The biggest take away -- I learnt from John Adams - What is it?

He says, knowing history is important.

Human nature doesn't change, this made him on the contrasting side with Jefferson.

John Adam's Political thought, could be summarized into

1. Practical Application of Past Government into Present Government (Study of History)

2. Scottish Enlightenment, that valued reason, expressed itself more egalitarian values

-All Members of Society could possibly achieve virtue and material progress

-Scottish writers gave a space for faith, through believing a person is truly human by being born in image of God

I fell in love with his constant correspondence of letters with his wife.

She was supportive of him -- I feel letters are special.
His marriage reflected his values. Adams was well read and taught me to be frugal.

Virtues are more important and you ought to stand what you believe for.

Some quotes which are in my head,

Quotes I enjoyed:

"I will not die as an ignorant fool." - Adams

"Never speak unkindly of anyone, speak only handsome things." - Abigail


Have fun reading the book.

6 stars! I appreciated what this biography revealed to me about the character of John and Abigale Adams' lives so much that I have purchased the hardcover editions for my two grandsons (ages 12 and 11) who love reading and history for their birthdays. (There's a 20 dollar bill inside to use as a bookmark.) John Adams is the kind of man I hope they will try to emulate as young men and adults without desiring to go into politics.

n  

“The American Revolution was made by British subjects, individual men and women who, by our modern sense of proportions, were amazingly few in number. The war they fought was the most important in our history, and as too few today seem to understand, it very quickly became a world war. But the revolution began well before the war. As John Adams famously observed. ‘The Revolution was in the hearts and minds of the people.’ And it changed the world.
“There was no American nation, no army at the start, no sweeping popular support for rebellion, nor much promise of success. No rebelling people had ever broken free from the grip of the colonial empire, and those we call patriots were also clearly traitors to the King. And so, we must never forget, when they pledged ‘their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor,’ it was not a manner of speaking.
“We call them the Founding Fathers, in tribute, but tend to see them as distant and a bit unreal, like figures in some costume pageant. Yet very real they were, real as all that stirred their ‘hearts and minds,’ and it has meaning in our time as never before.
“With change accelerating all around, more and more we need understanding and appreciation of those principles upon which the republic was founded. What were those ‘self-evident’ truths that so many risked all for, fought for, suffered and died for? What was the source of their courage? Who were those people? I don’t think we can ever know enough about them.” — DAVID McCULLOUGH

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No introduction could be more powerful than the author’s own words. Reading John Adams by David McCullough over the Fourth of July holiday was an inspirational read. Coincidentally both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of one another on the Fourth of July in 1826, their day. This epic and extraordinary narrative history was riveting and enthralling in the telling of the life of John Adams. Although John Adams was one of the more conservative Founding Fathers, he attended the First Continental Congress in 1774. John Adams became increasingly committed to the cause of independence over the next two years. He led the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. When the time came to argue for its passage, Adams used his superior debate skills to move it through both houses of Congress. John Adams was appointed to a select committee charged with building an alliance with France during the upcoming war. John Adams served as a diplomat throughout the American Revolutionary War, taking him to Paris, London and Holland, ending with his role in establishing a peace treaty with Great Britain. After the war he was appointed as the first ambassador to Great Britain. Following the presidency of General George Washington for two terms in office, John Adams was elected president in 1797 with Thomas Jefferson serving as Vice-President. His presidency was plagued with controversy although his accomplishments were many going down in history as one of the best presidents. Adams felt that his biggest accomplishment was the appointment of John Marshall as Supreme Court Justice, Thomas Jefferson easily defeated Adams in 1800. The two men became estranged for years until they renewed their friendship later in life, much to the enjoyment of both. Although one was the son of a Massachusetts farmer and the other a Virginia aristocrat and slavemaster, they were both devoted to their country. The life of John Adams was an all encompassing historical arc as he lived longer than any president. We witness events ranging from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, to the Court of St. James with King George III, to the half-finished Capital by the Potomac River, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House. This is history on a grand scale, not to be missed, as this is the story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans ever.

A solid and satisfying biography of a key leader in the birth of the American Republic. This book helps make him my favorite of the bunch because of his paradoxical mix of humility and ambition, idealism and pragmatism. Unlike Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton, he didn’t have aristocratic bearings and valued honesty, sincerity, and free thinking as the highest virtues. He appreciated the simple things in small town life and farming and liked doing his own physical tasks like chopping wood. I also admire his 50-plus years of devotion to his wife Abigail and his family. By contrast, Franklin effectively abandoned his family for 17 years in Europe and was allured by the high life and ladies in France.

The book is at its best in explicating Adams’ character. He came from a 100-year line of farmers and common Puritan folk in Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston now part of Quincy. His father was devout, a deacon of his Protestant church, and expected John to become a minister. Instead he chose law after graduating from Harvard College and a boring stint as a schoolteacher. He wanted to accomplish something of lasting significance and law was a more likely path. On the one hand he criticized himself for the sins of vanity and selfish ambition, while on the other was always driven to fulfill the image and succeeded like few others. Taking Abigail for his wife kept him down to earth, as she was his sounding board and most significant advisor through the rest of his active life. The letters between them are the main window to Adams thinking and personality, and McCullough harnesses them well to reveal his steady good humor, love of people in general, and overall moral optimism

Soon his cases began radicalizing him against the powers exerted by the colonial government, like customs searches without a warrant and the imposition of import taxes without representation. I liked his courage in acting on his belief in a fair trial to the point of defending the British soldiers who killed several colonists who were protesting the Stamp Act in 1770 in a dangerously rowdy manner. He learned the arts of public speaking, of applying logic to negotiation, and of reading people’s motivations and likely actions. His ability to inspire trust and his reputation for honest dealings contributed to his becoming a leader among the Patriot crowd. His effective service as a Massachusetts provincial legislator led to his being included in their delegation to the Continental Congress. And the rest is history, as they say.

After the violence of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, Adams could readily lead efforts to build-up the local militias into an integrated Continental Army and was responsible for nominating the Virginian Washington for command. One last hurrah of the Loyalists had to play out with a failed petition to King George to relent before the majority was ready to assert independence. Compared to Adams, Franklin and Jefferson were surprisingly restrained and inarticulate in terms of pushing their ideas in debate. When it came to drafting the Declaration of Independence with them and two others on the committee, it fell to Jefferson to compose most of the writing, but Adams was its chief advocate and most responsible for its passage.

When the British response was cutting off trade and blockade, the key to success and survival as a nation became recognition of American independence by counties like France, including a source of naval muscle to assert rights of free trade. Adams was sent with the delegation to France to help pull this off. The dangerous trip, accompanied by his young son John Quincy, in a stormy February crossing was nicely covered in the book. Success in Paris came slow, and he only had a junior role. Upon return, he took up the task of drafting a constitution for Massachusetts, which was one of his accomplishments he was most proud of. In 1779 he was sent back to head up negotiations for a peace treaty with Britain. This time he took Abigail and their daughter along. McCullough is especially engaging in probing for the changing reactions of their plebian family to the fashionable and decadent lifestyles of Parisian society and the state of filth and misery of the lower classes.

The book seems to lose energy after this point. His languishing as the first vice president and tenure as president have few high points. The dissension between his Federalist Party and the Republican Party of his vice president Jefferson is given short shrift. When the French began seizing American merchant ships doing trade with Britain, Adams broke with his cabinet advisors (and Abigail) in refusing to join Britain in their war against Napolean’s forces. The libelous press became a target with the Sedition Act, which he felt violated the First Amendment, and did not support aggressive prosecutions as even Abigail wished. Life winds down for Adams after losing the next election to Jefferson. The high point in this book for the long succeeding decades of private life was his ten-year correspondence with Jefferson starting in 1812 through the encouragement of mutual friend Benjamin Rush to put aside their differences. I wish McCullough had done even more than pulling out a few choice sections on their play of ideas.

In the end, I felt the book was great for conveying a sense of the man in his times, but t was missing the elements of critical analysis and perspectives that provided a better balance in his biographies of Truman and Teddy Roosevelt. For example, in Isaacson’s biography of Franklin Adams comes off a bit as a drudge and moralistic party pooper in his time with Franklin in Paris. And the Wiki summary on Adams reveals unclear or contradictory positions of Adams on slavery and heredity legislators like Britain’s House of Lords. For readers interested in the American Revolution, McCullough’s “1776” is a better resource for the drama and broader understanding of how it was that ordinary rural people in a diverse set of colonies came together to form an independent nation. I loved Philbrick’s “Bunker Hill” even more. These relative judgments are subject to the caveat that I did this “read” as an abridged audiobook. I am only aware of missing sections that cover what his reactions and activities were during the period of British blockage of Boston and early battles of revolt, the course of his contentious relations with Jefferson and with Hamilton, and much of Adams; time as an ambassador to England.

I haven’t read a book this good in years!

I cannot imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this book.

This is a book about a man, John Adams, but it is also much, much more. It is a book about American Independence, the American Revolution and n  alln the Founding Fathers, the seven most important being George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, George Madison and Benjamin Franklin. The book follows all the events from the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution, through the presidencies of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Madison, James Monroe and finally John Adams’ son, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president!
This is a book about people, each very different in character, but the author brings each one of them to life. I adore learning about people. I loved the book for this reason alone. You understand how the individuals think, what they feared, what they loved, what made each one special. You understand their differences. It is the little details that will make you LOVE this book. John Adams, this guy wrote volumes in the margins of his books. Jefferson loved his books too, but rarely did he write in them. The relationship between these two men is extraordinary. John Adams relationship with his wife Abigail is extraordinary too!

I love how it taught me history, and it was never ever boring. I don’t read books about politics, but this book is definitely about politics, and I adored it! I normally avoid books on politics because I find them confusing. Why? Because for me politics doesn’t follow the rules of logic. A party claims they stand for a given set of principles, but then the politicians do not follow these principles. The result is that I get confused. A central theme is, and particularly John Adams presidency and the following election where he sought his second term but lost it to Jefferson, was a battle of politics, and yet I understood exactly what was happening. This book is clear, informative and presents a balanced view of all the prime players.

John Adams by David McCullough is stupendous. I cannot help but compare it with Walter Isaacson’s Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, which I recently read and loved, but Isaacson’s book doesn’t come near to McCullough’s. John Adams wrote letters to all his contemporaries, to newspapers, public officials, friends and his dear wife Abigail. He kept diaries. John Adams was opinionated. Jefferson and Franklin were close-mouthed! After his presidency, when he was much older, Adams wrote copious letters to his dear friend and previous arch-enemy, Jefferson. Adams is the person to follow if you are interested in learning about American Independence, American life in the colonies during the 1700s and about France and England and Holland too, about the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. It is all here and it is all interesting.

Every page has quotes. Don’t assume that this makes the book dry and difficult to read. The opposite is true! You learn about the peculiarities of all the important Founding Fathers. Jefferson bought and bought and bought. He couldn’t stop buying. It is the way the author depicts these small idiosyncrasies that will make you laugh out loud! Jefferson lists all that he buys, but the funniest is that the columns and columns of purchased items are never added up. Never. Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, fifty years after the Declaration of Independence!!!!! Guess which one was wealthy then! I REALLY love this book and I want you to understand that this is the book to choose if you have any curiosity about any of the Founding Fathers, about American Independence or about life in Europe during the 1700s and early 1800s.

Have I convinced you to choose this book? Here is another reason why! The descriptions of the people, places and events are vivid! When the British ships are set to attack at Staten Island you see them in the sun and you feel the imminent threat. At Washington's inauguration he travels in a canary yellow carriage pulled by white horses. I am skipping all over the place, I know, but the descriptive quality of the lines is perfect throughout the entire book. I personally adored the depiction of French, English and Dutch mores. I adored how family problems are described so you laugh. Charles, one of Adams’ sons, had some difficulties in Harvard and almost got thrown out. Yes, they were running around naked. But wait, you will cry too when you learn of his final fate. “Moral” and so very devoted to his wife as Adams is, you should hear his conversation with the French women! “Instincts” will show us what to do, he replies to a tricky question about men and women’s sexual behavior! :0) This reply is just so perfect; it is so “Adamsee”! And Hamilton, oh what he does! I could wring his neck!

All the details are amusing, engaging, thorough, and accurate. When I compare Isaacson’s versus McCullough’s portrait of Benjamin Franklin, I feel that McCullough’s is superior. His is unbiased and clear-sighted. An author may not “fall in love” with the character being portrayed; impartiality is essential. So here is my advice: read John Adams first! The two are similar, but this one is superior. Read Walter Isaacson’s Benjamin Franklin: An American Life afterwards if you then still want a little bit more about Franklin’s scientific inventions. Nelson Runger is the narrator of both of the audiobooks. Yes, he slurps and seems to need to swallow his saliva repeatedly, but there is less of that in McCullough’s book. His French pronunciation could definitely be improved, but otherwise the narration is fine. Don’t shy away from either audiobook for these reasons. The narration’s speed and clarity is fine, and that is what is most important.

I really did enjoy Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, but I absolutely loved John Adams! And I think I sort of have a crush on John Adams, even with his faults! What a man! What a time! What writing!