false 2203 18 Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, David McCullough writes, was "not a man of the world" and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders. He found reason to dislike sectarian wrangling even more in the aftermath of war, when Federalist and anti-Federalist factions vied bitterly for power, introducing scandal into an administration beset by other difficulties--including pirates on the high seas, conflict with France and England, and all the public controversy attendant in building a nation.<p> Overshadowed by the lustrous presidents Washington and Jefferson, who bracketed his tenure in office, Adams emerges from McCullough's brilliant biography as a truly heroic figure--not only for his significant role in the American Revolution but also for maintaining his personal integrity in its strife-filled aftermath. McCullough spends much of his narrative examining the troubled friendship between Adams and Jefferson, who had in common a love for books and ideas but differed on almost every other imaginable point. Reading his pages, it is easy to imagine the two as alter egos. (Strangely, both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) But McCullough also considers Adams in his own light, and the portrait that emerges is altogether fascinating. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 963375 book 2001 John Adams total:8937|5:4315|4:3479|3:970|2:135|1:38| 8937 38709 14467 1963 5 6 false false Sat Apr 05 20:38:22 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 13:03:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 5 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 08:53:50 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 09:13:31 -0700 2008 John Adams is an extraordinary book, and an excellent political history of the beginning of the United States. This is the first book I've read by David McCullough, and I'm impressed at his ability to be respectful but blunt, and be serious but entertaining at the same time.

John Adams ...more...]]> 4 3 false false Thu Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 12:19:56 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 28 19:09:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Sep 28 12:08:43 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 28 12:12:11 -0700 2008
McMullough is a master. He takes...more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Jan 15 13:37:24 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 11:24:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 3 false false Wed Oct 08 15:57:52 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 29 10:11:24 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 08 15:57:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 22 09:59:51 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 22 10:10:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Dec 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 22 21:51:52 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 21 22:43:07 -0800 2008 5 1 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 02:50:51 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 02:51:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Feb 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 19:06:54 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 13:12:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Fri Oct 17 22:35:28 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 22:48:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 04 11:52:34 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 04 12:01:32 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Oct 01 08:46:56 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 19 09:42:58 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 11 08:52:05 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 11 09:12:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 03:58:13 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 04:32:55 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 08 21:41:20 -0700 2008 Sun May 25 08:54:26 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Mar 22 11:09:53 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 22 11:14:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sat Dec 01 16:12:15 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 01 16:14:17 -0800 2007 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2001
Length: 9 hours

Audie Award Winner, Non-Fiction (abridged), 2002
Pulitzer Prize Winner, Biography or Autobiography, 2002

Publisher's Summary

In this powerful, epic biography, Pulitzer Prize-winni...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Aug 19 16:02:22 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 19 16:20:22 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue May 22 19:21:47 -0700 2007 Fri Dec 28 05:05:19 -0800 2007 more...]]>