The Stevensons: A Biography of an American Family

by Jean H. Baker

"[A] sweeping narrative, beautifully written and scrupulously evenhanded, [that] does full justice to Stevenson and his people. . . . Ambitious, elegiac, and provocative."--Richard Norton Smith, Chicago Tribune , front page review Jean H. Baker tells the compelling story of four generations of an American family and its most celebrated member, the high-minded, eloquent, and perennial also-ran icon of liberal politics, Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (1900-1965). The Stevensons is also a book about the relationship of a family to its times: With Baker's characteristically deft blend of the public and private, set on a broad canvas, the Stevenson story becomes an American saga.

Baker's biography "affords [Stevenson's] life a depth, historical and personal, that few other writers have acknowledged" ( Kirkus Reviews ).
Photographs

Genres: Biography

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Jean H. Baker is a professor of history at Goucher College. A graduate of Goucher College, she earned her doctorate at Johns Hopkins University.

Reviews

[Richard]

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Told: the history of a political family committed to public service and public office—The Stevensons.

Told; the story of the family's most notable son—Adlai E Stevenson II.

Revealed Along the Way: the shift of a nation's political system from party electioneering to power marketing campaigns and from long-range, principled governance to special-interest power plays.

I do not agree with every point made, but a point of view is presented…
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[Grandma Sue]

This is good for getting acquainted with members of the family over several generations, including those still living.