McCullough’s biography deserves all the accolades. It is written with depth and with passion. More than just a history, this is a penetrating look into the minds of Adams, Jefferson, family, friends and enemies that brings them and their times to life for us. This remarkable accounting of the birth of a country and how it found its early footing foreshadows the civil war and debates that still rage in America. Contrasting the beliefs, politics and personalities of Adams and Jefferson, McCullough exquisitely illustrates the divisions and binding forces of early America that persist to this day. That the deaths of Jefferson and Adams, the pen and the voice of the Declaration of Independence, occurred only five hours apart on July 4, 1826 exactly fifty years after its proclamation is simply astonishing. A must read for every American and anyone who wants to understand America, past and present.

I saw the John Adams miniseries on TV and then wanted to read this John Adams biography. Entertaining, interesting, and accessible, McCullough's biography didn't leave me disappointed. Lots of primary resources are used, and I learned a lot more than was covered in the miniseries (Paul Giamatti made for the perfect John Adams).

This is a must-read for anyone interested in the American Revolution. I would call this David McCullough's masterpiece, except I've read several of his remarkable books, including Truman and The Wright Brothers, and they are all so good I don't think I could pick a favorite.

But let's get back to John Adams, who, along with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, was a critical founder of America. If you've seen the impressive HBO miniseries based on this book (starring Paul Giamatti and the amazing Laura Linney as Abigail Adams), you already know the outline of events. John Adams was a lawyer in Massachusetts, and after the Boston Massacre in 1770, he agreed to defend the British soldiers, arguing that "facts are stubborn things." Despite widespread anger toward the British, John Adams won the case.

Meanwhile, the colonists were growing increasingly dissatisfied with their English overlords, especially with their "taxation without representation." When a Continental Congress was formed in Philadelphia, Adams was chosen to represent Massachusetts. It was there that he found his voice in politics, and met the other men who helped design the American government we know today.

Adams was also sent to France and England as an ambassador, and the stories of him abroad were charming in their fish-out-of-water-ness. Oh, and let's not forget Adams became our second president (and his son, John Quincy Adams, became our sixth).

In short, John Adams lived an amazing and full life, and had an impact on history that few have the opportunity to do. Aside from being a fascinating person, what really makes this biography shine are the passages from letters that John and Abigail wrote to each other. This is where McCullough excels as a writer of history, in weaving together the best quotes and stories and making the narrative flow as smoothly as a novel.

I came away from this book a great admirer of John Adams, and grateful that he was in the right place and the right time to help build this new country. He was smart and fair, but also stubborn and vain. He was a good man with flaws, as many of us are. As I write this, Hamilton the musical is a huge hit on Broadway, but in my mind, John Adams deserves his own show.

Favorite Quotes
"The source of our suffering has been our timidity. We have been afraid to think ... Let us dare to read, think, speak, write."

"Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives."

"So, it was done, the break was made, in words at least: on July 2, 1776, in Philadelphia, the American colonies declared independence. If not all thirteen clocks had struck as one, twelve had, and with the other silent, the effect was the same. It was John Adams, more than anyone, who had made it happen. Further, he seems to have understood more clearly than any what a momentous day it was and in the privacy of two long letters to Abigail, he poured out his feelings as did no one else: 'The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.'"

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know ... do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough."

"John Adams" is the gold standard for biographies and easily makes my list of favorite books of all time. When I took up "John Adams" I had just finished biographies of Franklin and Washington. Both had the opportunity to work closely with Adams (but interestingly, not each other). However, Franklin found Adams an abrasive partner in Paris and Washington chose to ignore his vice president for years at a time. Let's just say I would not have next turned to a 651-page biography of Adams had it not been for David McCullough.

Even during the periods when Adams's accomplishments were few and far between (in Europe or as vice president), the picture that McCullough paints is captivating. It didn't hurt that Adams had one of the most fascinating and loving wives of any of America's presidents. I still can't believe how many letters they wrote to each other as well as their family and friends. As a result, we get fascinating descriptions of their voyages to Europe and portraits of Louis XVI and George III. Of course you also have the side-stories of their enduring friendship with Jefferson and their eldest son becoming president just as John's life is coming to a close.

There are so many great quotes by John and Abigail as well as those around them. I have never written "wow" so many times in my marginalia. My favorite quote with relevance today is one that is carved in the mantle of the White House's State Dining Room: "I pray Heaven to Bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that hereafter shall inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." Has the Trumpster seen it?

Okay, I'm giving this 5 stars, even though I've only made it to Page 40! That's because I just finished the 3-disc movie/documentary of John Adams based on David McCullough's book -- one of the best movies I've ever seen. The documentary also includes a half-hour portrayal of David McCullough at the end and I have fallen in love with the man. What a decent human being -- a seemingly rare thing these days.

Even at Page 40, I'm already impressed as it reveals so much about Adams, like his childhood and youth, that the movie didn't have time for. And so well-written.

When I finish the book, I guess I can edit this comment later, right? So I'll be back. Though I doubt the rating will change.
==================
Finished! Wow, it's been a long time since I cried at the end of a book, or got to know and love a "character" so thoroughly. The book was full of surprises, including about Jefferson and Franklin. These three larger-then-life iconic figures are now real people to me, with strengths and weaknesses.

Abigail Adams was also fascinating. What a strong woman! She would have made a good president too, had she been born in another era.

Davis McCullough -- touche! On to more of your many good books.

Independence Forever

I have revisited this review written in 2001 after reading the three volume Library of America set of John Adams' writings and the one-volume LOA edition of Abigail Adams' letters. I revisited the review again after reading the recent book by Isenberg and Burstein "The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality" which is critical of McCullough's book for its giving short shrift to John Adams' philosophy and writings. The authors are right in their criticism but McCullough's book has performed a great service in introducing Americans to John Adams.

John Adams has been the most overlooked of the American Founders. David McCullough's large, epic-scaled biography seeks to correct this omission and to bring the character and achievement of Adams alive for today's reader.

McCullough describes well the essential role Adams played in his long life in our Nation's founding. The stages of Adams career, each filled in their own way with accomplishment, can be divided as follows: 1. early years as a young attorney culminating in his courageous defense of the British militia responsible for the Boston Massacre; 2. ceaseless advocate for American Independence during the First Continental Congress; 3. Diplomat to France and Holland during the Revolutionary War and American negotiator of the peace treaty; 4. Diplomat to Britain to negotiate commercial treaties for the fledgling nation 5. first Vice-President of the United States; 6. second President of the United States who successfully kept the country out of war with France; 7. retirement in Quincy.

Each of these periods of Adams's life is described in detail with good attention paid to giving the reader a feel for time and place. I thought the descriptions of early Philadelphia and of Paris both before and after the Revolution were well done.

McCullough also concentrates on Adams's character. He emphasizes his honesty and integrity, admitted to even by his opponents, his love of learning, his relationship with his remarkable wife Abigail and his sometimes sad relationships with his children, and his relationship with other leading figures of the time including, of course, Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin and many others. Adams's vanity, his sharp temper, and his ambition also come through well.

For all of Adams's accomplishments, I was most impressed with the final stage of his life following his 1800 loss of the Presidency to Thomas Jefferson. Adams retired to his farm in Quincy, Massachusetts and devoted himself to reading and to extensive correspondence. In particular, Adams and Thomas Jefferson effected a reconciliation following the conclusions of their Presidencies and exchanged a remarkable series of letters on their thoughts on government, their political experiences, their reading, and simply on growing older and wiser. These letters are indeed treasures of American literature and thought.

Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as befitting the stature they have for our country. Virtually on his deathbed, Adams was asked for a toast for the celebration. He responded with the words that are the title of this review -- "Independence Forever".

This is a deservedly popular book. May it awaken in the reader an appreciation of our country's revolutionary past and a devotion to its present.

Robin Friedman

One of the best books I have ever read.

4.5 stars, but with a few flaws. A great biography overall. It did take a while to get through, but by the time I hit the halfway point, I was really into it. The author focuses quite a lot on John Adams's relationships, especially with Abigail, but even more so, I would say with Thomas Jefferson. It almost felt like a dual biography in a lot of ways. It was as if McCullough saw these two men as the most significant of the signers of the Declaration and wanted to show how America as a nation was birthed and grew up by contrasting the lives of these two men. A lot has been written about the Founding Fathers, especially Adams and Jefferson (along with Washington, Franklin, and Hamilton, the books are almost endless). I did go into this wondering how much new information I would learn.

I did learn quite a lot of new information. McCullough spends a lot of time discussing Adams's career as a diplomat. This period, when Adams lived in Paris, London, and Amsterdam was the section of his life that I knew the least about, so it was nice to see it covered so thoroughly. Adams was a solid family man, and McCullough goes in depth about the relationships he had with Abigail and how he had ambition for his sons, but also loved his daughter so deeply. Interestingly, the section on Adams's presidency felt a little underdone. The author does a good job showing the transition that the government took under Adams in moving from Philadelphia to Washington DC, but politically I don't think the analysis on the major events of his administration were sufficiently as high level as the rest of the book. The XYZ Affair and the Alien and Sedition Acts are given time and effort to, but I feel McCullough handles the relationships in Adams's life more convincingly. And maybe, as a biographer, that's what he's supposed to do. I guess I liked Morris's book on TR and Caro's book on LBJ better and high expectations after reading those. I will say I liked this book better than the one other McCullough book that I have finished, 1776, and I am willing to read some of his others, as I mostly was amazed by this work.

P.S. -As a side note, I was interested to learn just how much of his presidency, he did his work from Quincy, Massachusetts rather than being in either Philadelphia or Washington DC.

This is a superb portrait of a man whose multifaceted life and vital deeds have been largely forgotten. Readers get to know not only Adams the statesman, but also the husband, father, friend, revolutionary, and lawyer. McCullough also includes enough background information to put Adams' actions and views into context.

This book was fantastic!

I enjoyed this. I learned a lot and appreciate being able to read letters of people who lived then. And. This could have been 200 pages shorter. There was a lot of duplication especially when talking about John and Abigail’s love for one another.

Such an endlessly engrossing masterwork that five stars do not really seem to be enough. Informed by peerless research and thousands of personal correspondences between Adams and multiple luminary figures of Americas founding and early years, I am left awestruck by the fortitude and love of life Mr Adams possessed. Selfless in the service of his country, yet crabby and vain, deeply connected to his family, yet gone from them for years at a time, giving his best effort in all things, yet accepting (at times begrudgingly!) of his failures, this book paints a beautifully full picture of a man at the center of a continent in flux, with his faith, code of honor, hardheadedness, and deep belief in humanity's potential as his guiding lights. What a read!

5 Spellbinding Stars