Oxford University Press
535 Pages
By the time of writing this review on the last day of October, I have flown through the books about John Adams and have started my second Thomas Jefferson book. My Presidential Reading Project is in full gear. There are fifteen total books about Adams that made it into my project and I read them in two months. John Adams, in my opinion, was far more interesting than George Washington. It’s probably because we have so idolized Washington and forgotten Adams over the years. All the information is new. That’s what I like.
The second book that I read about John Adams was John Ferling’s John Adams: A Life.This book may go down as one of my favorites about our second president. Ferling is not really a big fan of Adams, but he lets you know that from the beginning. In my opinion, this gives a fairer view of the man, rather than the hero worship that happens so often in these biographies. Add to that fact the fact that this book was relatively easy to read with a lot of great information. This one marks high for me on the list.
Over the last two hundred and fifty years, John Adams has gotten short shrift when it comes to his place in history. Some of this has to do with him succeeding George Washington. There was no one who would have been able to live up to Washington. If the beloved Thomas Jefferson had followed as second president, our view of him would be far different than what we have today. Another issue that overshadowed Adams was his irascible attitude. He was hot-tempered, quick to offense, and otherwise direct in his dealings. He was also a man who stood by his convictions, tied directly to his Puritan upbringing. His steadfastness, even when it was politically inexpedient, put him at odds quite often, resulting in his decidedly low standing in the pantheon of United States Presidents.
Aside from all this, John Adams was great. He may have been one of the greatest to serve as President. His actions and experiences helped to form a new nation, away from the monarchical overrule of Great Britain. This man put his life on the line in a revolution that was unprecedented. Despite knowing that his actions were a hanging offensive if their cause was unsuccessful, he steadfastly faced the dangers with each stroke of his pen and each syllable of his speeches. While he didn’t pick up a musket in defense of this new nation, he used words to sever ties with King George. It is as much his perseverance in this belief as those in battle who helped create our nation. This is what Ferling explores in his biography of John Adams.
John Adams had great loyalty. Whether it was loyalty to his wife, Abigail, or to his ideals. He was loyal. In the face of potential mortal danger, Adams stayed true to himself. Even some of his worst critics had to admit that he had admirably great conviction.
Let's not ignore his faults, either. And Ferling doesn’t. He takes Adams to task over some of his decisions, especially his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts while he was president. As he writes, Ferling grants grudging respect to his subject. After reading the introduction, I expected this to be a book far more critical than what I ended up reading. Ferling balances the two sides of Adams very well. Not every person is truly good, nor truly bad. We are mostly a balance of the parts. Ferling walks this line, giving the readers great insight on one of the Founding Fathers who has been overlooked for too long. Frankly, and the author tells us, the relationship between John and Abigail Adams made him a greater man. For the most part, she had a calming influence on his more fiery aspects. They made a good team. The old saying that “behind every great man is a great woman” rings very true in this case. The relationship between husband and wife is very important and is treated by Ferling as such.
Before reading anything about John Adams, I knew very little. I had seen the miniseries from a few years ago, but that is Hollywood. There was a greater impact to read the words about Adams. I found that I had a new respect for our second president. In some ways, he reminded me of myself. I’m quick to be hot tempered, often to my own detriment, much like John Adams.
John Adams: A Life by John Ferling gives us a glimpse behind the curtain at our second president, the man doomed to live in the great Washington’s shadow. He’s peeled back from the darkness to show us the real man, warts and all. It reads so well, too, that even the most casual reader will enjoy this book. At this time, I still am not sure if this was my favorite Adams book, or one by Lynn Chervinsky that you’ll read about later. Regardless, I would put this book high on the list of books that you need to get if you plan your own Presidential Reading Project.
Craig Bacon loves learning new things, and he learned a lot that he didn’t know while reading this book.
NEXT UP: John Adams, Volume 1 by Page Smith