Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest of the Great
Review: David McCullough's book has done yeoman's work in restoring John Adams's reputation as America's greatest Founding Father. After reading this book, it is hard to put Thomas Jefferson in the same league as Adams. I do have one criticism of this book. It focuses almost exclusively on Adams as a political actor. It neglects to discuss in any satisfactory way that other important element of Adams's life: his political thought. The best book on Adams's political thought is C. Bradley Thompson's JOHN ADAMS AND THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY.
Rating:
Summary: "Not a Word!"
Review: So said Adams, shortly before his July 4th death, upon being asked if he wished to elaberate on his wishes for Americans on Independence Day. Instead, he left it as "Liberty forever!" In reading this account in McCullough's new biography of Adams, you want to reach through the years and shake his hand. I read McCullough's biography of Truman, mainly because, for a best-selling biographer, his choice of subjects was so brave. For a biographer to dedicate effort to raising the historical capital of a man who graduated from public life in such low stead is a brave thing, indeed. The same can be said for his new profile of John Adams. With his stature, McCullough could have written another Jefferson bio and received the same adoration. Instead, he boldly selected Adams. It is Adams, of all the Founding Fathers, about whom we knew the least. We knew that he was from Mass., we knew that he was the 2nd President and that his son was the 6th, but somehow details about the man never became part of the national curriculum. But rest assured, in his trademark, eminently readable and delightful way, McCullough will fill you in on the details.
Rating:
Summary: "Independence Forever"
Review: Although the relative failure of the Adams presidency, book-ended as it was between Washington and Jefferson, has meant Adams has mostly languished unappreciated in our history, he certainly hasn't deserved to. This book does much to correct this and does it mostly by letting Adams speak for himself. Adams' contributions to the early years of the US are the equal of any of our other Founding Fathers and McCullough shows this time and again in this well researched biography. (Of course, several historians who eschew the "Great Man" theory of history are already jumping all over this book--that gives it added value as far as I'm concerned.) It's a pity that we have so few (if any) public servants today as willing to sacrifice so much to serve their country, and to do it so well. As long as this book is, I still didn't want it to end.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography of Adams the person
Review: The aspect of McCullough's biographies that I enjoy most is that McCullough seems to genuinely like the person he is writing about. John Adams is no exception in this regard. When we meet someone new, one of the first questions we ask (or are asked) is "What do you do for a living?" This is not surprising because most people base their identity off what they spend 40 or so hours a week doing. Furthermore, we base our initial opinions of others based on their jobs. When we become friends with a person, however, their career becomes secondary to (but not independant of) their personality and values. When I say that David McCullough treats John Adams as a friend, I mean that he focuses primarily on Adams' values, advice, examples of how he put his values into practice. Rather than get a lesson on the Declairation of Independence, McCullough tells the reader what John Adams role in the formation of the document was and how his values (anti-slavery sentiment for example)contribute to the result. And while Adams' career is discussed at length, the most enjoyable aspect of the book comes in the form of advice that John and his "dearest friend" and wife Abigail give to their children and to each other. In sum, McCullough gives us a well written biography about the life, career and wisdom/values of a man from New England named John Adams. I highly recommend this book; your opinion of the second president of the United States will be raised as a result and his practical advice will be appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: John Adams - Flesh and Blood
Review: I've only recently started reading books (I'm 44) and I often don't finish them. Not this book! I read the 600+ page book in 3 weeks. I've always been interested in history and especially the Presidents, but like many, John Adams has been an enigma to me. I knew very little about him.Although David's book at times spent too much time on lesser important details and not enough on more important details, he made John and Abigail Adams come alive. I felt like I was alive in the 18th century watching this earnest man deal with the momentous events in his life while keenly aware of his shortcomings, knowing he was only human. John and John Quincy Adams' administrations may have had minimal impact on the U.S., but both of their services to the U.S. are without question and the rumored memorial to Adams in D.C. is well deserved and way late.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written but Flawed
Review: McCullough's obvious jealousy of Jefferson, Madison, and other Virginians who are responsible for the Declaration of Independence and Constitution makes this a flawed biography. His argument that Adams deserves the real credit for these documents is hollow and off the mark. Adams made contributions, but his role must be rated secondary.
Rating: 
Summary: John Adams - A Personal View
Review: Once again, David McCullough tells the story of an American president who has not received his due from history. In "Truman," he brilliantly portrayed the Everyman who found himself at the centre of the world stage and acquitted himself with more skill and grace than anyone thought possible. This book on Adams takes up the cause of the most misunderstood and neglected of the primary founders, obscured by the dazzle of his more flamboyant (and less scrupulous) bretheren. The book works best on the personal level, when it deals with people and their relationships. Mr. McCullough is to be congratulated for bringing the wonderful correspondence between John and Abigail to greater public attention. It is less successful on an intellectual level, in the realm of ideas where Adams made his most impressive contributions. The author seems more adept at telling a story than in conveying complex ideas, and a book on Adams can only be called incomplete if his intellectual contributions are given secondary importance in the narrative. This being said, "John Adams" is still a very enjoyable book and there is much to be learned from it. And David McCullough is a raconteur par excellence.
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Summary: Review of John Adams
Review: I found the beginning a little hard going since Mr. McCullough pulled me from the current time into the past in order to discuss Mr. Adams' childhood. Several times he used this method of Mr. Adams reflecting on his early life while traveling. Once Mr. McCullough and I arrived at the "present" the book became focused and extremely interesting. If I was only to learn about Mr. Adams and his family the book would have been good but he also added written accounts about many of the original "founding fathers" which turned it into a great read. To understand the meaning of true patriotism, one has only to read and immerse oneself in this book and its imagery.
Rating:
Summary: He the man!
Review: I have just finished my rather leisurely read, and I have to admit that I am going to miss having John Adams to fall back on. I will make no pretenses of being a scholar of this intriguing period of our history, however I have always had more than a passing fancy in our founding fathers. This book is certainly not always a page burner, but it really did give me a sense of who Adams (and Abigail) were...and yes they were an extraordinary team. While many here have taken offense at the perceived slights thrown at T. Jefferson, I have to strongly disagree. Both Adams and Jefferson were creations of their different societies. Adams had a no-nonsense New England Puritan bent, while Jefferson came from the Southern Plantation Aristocracy. Neither is right or wrong, but I suspect most of us can relate a little better to Adam's less extravagant life style. All one needs to do is visit both of their homes, and you will walk away with distinctly different impressions of both man. I congratulate the author for creating such a worthwhile book, and recommend all vaguely interested in the subject to give it a go. On this 4th of July, I had a renewed respect for those who worked on creating our nation. John Adams was obviously one of, if not the biggest driver behind our becoming an independent country. God Bless him.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely essential for American History buffs..
Review: This is an exquisitely written, magnificently detailed story of the life and times of John Adams -- a man who has obviously been overshadowed by his contemporaries Washington and Jefferson, and who perhaps only now will get the respect due him. Though it is neither a quick nor a particularly easy read, this biography has done an amazing job of bringing the reader into the midst of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and showing us the circumstances surrounding the difficult birth of the United States. If you are interested in this period of history, read this book -- you will certainly not be disappointed!
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