Average Rating
Awards:
Audie Award Winner
Grammy Award
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who thought, wrote, and spoke out for the "Great Cause" come what might, who traveled far and wide in all seasons and often at extreme risk; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was rightly celebrated for his integrity, and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.
Much about John Adams' life will come as a surprise to many. His rocky relationship with friend and eventual archrival Thomas Jefferson, his courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits few would have dared and that few listeners will ever forget.
Like his masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Truman, David McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This is history on a grand scale -- an audiobook about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, it is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.
Biographies
Non-Fiction
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Most recent 5 reviews out of 37
Submitted by RHM in Yorktown Heights,
What an outstanding portrait of a leader in the most important of times in America's brief lineage. Not only does this narration dramatically illustrate the trials that our founding fathers bore through in creating this nation, but it also serves as a critical tool in demonstrating how the political traits and fallibilites of our founders were no different than those we see today.As John Adams himself is quoted as saying, in his lifetime human nature had not changed, even though everything else around it did.....nor would it ever.
Submitted by Anonymous in Aurora,
If you are interested in American History listen to this book. McCullough does an excellent job of bringing this indispensable member of the true "Greatest Generation" to life. I opted for the abridged version, 9 discs as opposed to 30 for the unabridged. It was so informative and entertaining it made me wish I had ordered the unabridged version. If you didn't already know, it will make you realize how far we have fallen in regard to our present political leaders. In that respect in can be a bit depressing.
Submitted by KA in New York,
The author is clearly a big fan of John Adams...and this book seems to be intended to convince others as well. I honestly didn't know anything about John Adams before reading this book and yet very, very little was surprising or all that interesting. I was hoping the book would dimensionalize a significant figure in our nations history --- instead we are given an account of his life through rose colored glasses.
Submitted by Anonymous
This is an excellent review of an early period in the history and evolution of the United States.
The author does an excellent job describing the relationship between John Adams and his wife, as well as the relationship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and how it changed sevaral times over the years.
I was fascinated by the early workings of the political parties, and how the rules have changed over time (i.e. The Republican and Federalist parties each put forward a candidate; the winner became President and the loser Vice President). There is information here that is not contained in our history lessons.
While I would not describe myself as a student of history, reading this book makes me want to read more historical works, and I have added several to my book shelf.
Anthony
Submitted by David Anthony in West Chester,
For the history lover, particularly those who read the Revolution, this book is perfect. McCullough weaves narrative and detail into an excellent portrayal of a fascinating patriot. After reading John Adams, you cannot help but agree with Thomas Jefferson, who called Adams the "Colossus of Independence", and the Pulitzer win. But beware, at 26 CDs this book is VERY LONG, though well worth the effort.
Genres 
Biographies
