John Adams
David McCullough, 2001
★ 4.09 from 386.8k ratings on Goodreads
The life of a prickly, eloquent founder, told through the letters he and Abigail exchanged while they helped invent a country. The book moves with steady curiosity through letters and public arguments, letting Adams's prickly, eloquent voice and Abigail's sharp replies carry you along.
Feels like curiosity, wonder and tenderness. About freedom, morality and power.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy political history told through correspondence and want a close view of how a new country was argued into being. It is a long, detailed biography, and the quoted eighteenth-century letters can ask for patience.
Why read it
The book gives you the Revolution as a change in minds before it was a war, and lets two sharp correspondents think aloud about duty and freedom.
A page from the book
A revolution begins in minds, long before the first shot.
As to the history of the revolution, my ideas may be peculiar, perhaps singular. What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760–1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington. What readers say
Sory; I must not use that word.
David McCullough.McCullough narrated Ken Burns's The Civil War and won Pulitzers for Truman and John Adams; the latter in 2002.
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Questions readers ask
- Is John Adams for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy political history told through correspondence and want a close view of how a new country was argued into being. It is a long, detailed biography, and the quoted eighteenth-century letters can ask for patience.
- What is John Adams like?
- The book moves with steady curiosity through letters and public arguments, letting Adams's prickly, eloquent voice and Abigail's sharp replies carry you along. Feels like curiosity, wonder and tenderness. About freedom, morality and power.
- What should I read after John Adams?
- If you liked John Adams, try The No Spin Zone (Bill O'Reilly), In Search of Excellence (Thomas J. Peters) and Decision Points (George W. Bush).
A taste of the feed
The sex talk that was really a lesson in being a barbarian.
Sex ed for me was “the talk” my father gave me when I turned thirteen. It was awkward for both of us, as the Irish aren’t exactly known for their Dr. Ruth-like candor in these matters. “The talk” was also somewhat unnecessary. I already knew the basics from seminars with my friends, using Playboy magazines as text. And my father’s words were highly theoretical because the reality was, I had about as much chance of landing the great white whale as I did of having sex. Teenage girls want to date smooth guys. I was a barbarian. But I gave my father points for trying.
The No Spin Zone · Bill O'Reilly
Can a company be excellent without knowing what it stands for?
Every excellent company we studied is clear on what it stands for, and takes the process of value shaping seriously. In fact, we wonder whether it is possible to be an excellent company without clarity on values and without having the right sorts of values.
In Search of Excellence · Thomas J. Peters
When the market stops following the rules, who is truly responsible for the collapse?
I was furious the situation had reached this point. A relatively small group of people—many on Wall Street, some not—had gambled that the housing market would keep booming forever. It didn’t. In a normal environment, the free market would render its judgment and they could fail.
Decision Points · George W. Bush
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