John Adams

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jan Maxwell

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In this powerful, epic biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian 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. Adams thought, wrote, and spoke out for the "Great Cause" come what might; he traveled far and wide in all seasons and often at extreme risk; he rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; he was rightly celebrated for his integrity, and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and his marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history.

Much about 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.

McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This is history on a grand scale - an audiobook about politics, 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.

©2001 David McCullough (P)2001 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Non-Fiction (abridged), 2002
• Pulitzer Prize Winner, Biography or Autobiography, 2002

"The portrait that emerges is altogether fascinating." (Amazon.com)
"Brilliant...a winner." (Publishers Weekly)
"McCullough writes to be heard as well as read." (AudioFile)

Lots to learn

Excellent historical narrative with great education for those who think there is nothing new under the sun.

an amazing American

McCullough brings to life the story of a most amazing American. While we are taught much about Washington and Jefferson, I wonder how this true patriot has never received his share of credit for the creation of the country - until now. One of the best biographies I have ever read. McCullough makes you understand the mind, the efforts of a remarkable man. He gave his whole life to create a nation. Thanks to McCullough for a well written historical novel we can now know more about John Adams and his influence on the birth of this country.

Fascinating

Overall great, but the abridged version is choppy. I wish I'd listened to the full length version.

Very interesting

I Liked the book. Not too long.It was very interesting,and I found hearing about the places that I've visited to be very enjoyable

Enjoyable

McCullough does a great job of portraying the colorful John Adams. I really liked learning about him; I found his tenacity, honesty, and "get-it-done" attitude to be inspiring and endearing. I especially enjoyed how McCullough followed Adams' and Jefferson's friendship-- drawing upon their similarities and differences. It is refreshing to see how these two men were able to rise above their differences and cherish what each brought to the table (especially in later years).

I had hoped to see a bit about Adam's perspective regarding Alexander Hamilton, since they clashed during his presidency, but that was hardly mentioned.

Regardless, this is worth a listen.

Fascinating!

This book is fascinating. If my high school history courses had been this absorbing I wouldn't be so ignorant of history today. McCullough is adept at drawing out the details that interest me rather than getting bogged down in dates and facts.

The book is a great review of early American history with some new insights provided by Adams on old characters, especially Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. The letters between Jefferson and Adams in their later years are particularly interesting, as well as the amazing relationship between John and Abigail.

The reader's voice is great. I'm glad my wife has a copy of the book so I can fill in the gaps left out of this abridgement (although the flow of the audiobook doesn't suffer because of it).

Inspiring

I'm naming my first born son after John Adams after listening to the McCullough work. The book is great and gives tremendous depth into the relationship of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Abridged vs unabridged?

If given a choice I will usually take the unabridged of any audiobook however due to Edward Herman's talents as a narrator I opted for the abridged version in this case. As usual David McCullough's work is thorough and this material segues with his other work like 1776 quite well. 5 stars across the board!

fantastic history

great story of our most revered and least remembered revolutionary hero. this generation would do well to understand the piety and commitment of John Adams.

Awesome...in it's true sense!!

Where does John Adams rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

John Adams with Edward Herrmann as the performer is right at the top. One of the very best. I will listen to it again. I would love to listen to the unabridged version, but Nelson Runger is the narrator of the unabridged version and I can bear his voice for about five minutes. Edward Herrmann is dramatically superior to Runger.

I confess to knowing far less about the formation of our nation than I should and knew little about John Adams. What an eye-opener this was. My admiration for Adams is now enormous.

What was one of the most memorable moments of John Adams?

It was not a "moment", it was the unfolding of his personality and vitality and intellect over the entire book. If I had to pick one of the most memorable sections of the book, it would be the last few years of his life.

Any additional comments?

I will listen to it again.