When considering early presidents, John Adams is hardly the most well know. Serving between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Adams appears to be rather unremarkable as president. However, his life beyond that office is quite distinguished. From his early carreer as a lawyer to his overseas statesmanship, Adams was present for many of the events that shaped our young country.
John Ferling’s John Adams: A life is a well-researched and detailed examination of who Adams was as a family man and stateman. Ferling examines his early upbringing, his relationship with his wife, shepherding his children, and later, his political writings and ambitions. This book reads like a narrative biography, not a text to be studied, but covers many key moments in Adams life such as his representation of the British during the Boston Massacre trial, and his service as dignitary to France and Brittan after the Revolutionary War.
I give John Adams: A life 3 out of 5 stars. While this does not read like a textbook, there is much information to unpack. At times, I felt as though the narrative was rushed, while others felt slow and repetitive. I did enjoy the author’s coverage of Adams’ personal relationships with the founding fathers and family members which gave the man more of a human feel and less like a myth only read about in books.
I would recommend this book for readers looking to learn more about our second or fourth presidents – John Quincy Adams’ early life and career are also recounted here as it pertains to his travels with his father and early diplomatic postings. I would also recommend this for those interested in the Revolutionary War – the author gives details about the motivations and insight into the patterns that brought loyalists like Adams to turn towards revolution.
I chose John Adams: A Life as my historical biography read for July. After spending 8 months reading about George and Martha Washington and several contemporaries, I am moving on to our second president. I am looking forward to reading Janet Whitney’s biography of Abigail Adams later this month to continue this trend!
Do you read many biographies of historical figures? What draws you to them or turns you away?
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Magnolia Palace, Fiona Davis
- Current audio book: Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson
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