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John Adams: A Life
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
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Publisher's summary
John Ferling has nearly 40 years of experience as a historian of early America. The author of acclaimed histories such as A Leap into the Dark and Almost a Miracle, he has appeared on many TV and film documentaries on this pivotal period of our history. In John Adams: A Life, Ferling offers a compelling portrait of one of the giants of the Revolutionary era.
Drawing on extensive research, Ferling depicts a reluctant revolutionary, a leader who was deeply troubled by the warfare that he helped to make, and a fiercely independent statesman. The book brings to life an exciting time, an age in which Adams played an important political and intellectual role. Indeed, few were more instrumental in making American independence a reality. He performed yeoman's service in the Continental Congress during the revolution and was a key figure in negotiating the treaty that brought peace following the long War of Independence. He held the highest office in the land, and as president, he courageously chose to pursue a course that he thought best for the nation, though it was fraught with personal political dangers.
Adams emerges here a man full of contradictions. He could be petty and jealous, but also meditative, insightful, and provocative. In private and with friends, he could be engagingly witty. He was terribly self-centered, but in his relationship with his wife and children, his shortcomings were tempered by a deep, abiding love.
John Ferling's masterful John Adams: A Life is a singular biography of the man who succeeded George Washington in the presidency and shepherded the fragile new nation through the most dangerous of times.
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- Benjamin
- 04-09-19
Excellent story, the narration ruined it for me
I felt this was an excellent biography of Adams, however, I had a difficult time listening to the audio as the narrator spoke quickly and sounded very robotic. Often times at the end of the sentence he would pause and take a deep nasally breath that could be heard on the recording. I struggled to stay engaged.
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- Chris Hummel
- 02-27-23
Intelligent Biography of a Complex Figure
Well researched and well expresses, this fair, honest and ultimately inspiring biography of one of the most human and often underrated Founding Fathers (and his wife Abigail and family) clearly positions him in the ranks of the more than almost great. Flaws, failings, and afflictions in his nature, his family life, and his career not withstanding, Adams' upstanding and disinterested dedication to the service of his country shine through. A man worth remembering.
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- Andrew Darlow
- 08-01-23
What an incredible look at John Adams’ life and the world in his time
I found this book absolutely fascinating. It’s amazing how much information is left out in most typical K-12 and higher ed curriculum. For example, I learned that some ships were turned back from ports other than Boston prior to the Boston Tea Party.
Adams’ decision to serve his country and himself, while spending years away from his family, was difficult to hear, but it was described in great detail.
Also, get your dictionary out, or you may miss a lot (at least I didn’t know words like Vertiginous and Improbity until I tool some time to learn them after hearing them used. I’m not sure why so many words like that were used, but it was a good challenge for me!
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- Tim
- 06-18-23
Good insight into Adams
The book provides a detailed overview of Adams life and what drove him. He is a complex figure and the book does a good job of describing his contrasts. Well worth the listen.
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- cedar leaf
- 06-11-23
Long but worthwhile
This book was both about a very important part of history and also the human story of John Adams. It gave an appreciation for what our founders and their families had to endure. It also gave a perspective of how similar our challenges are today to what we faced in the years when our country was young.
I also want to thank the performer whose voice made the book so engaging.
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- cp
- 05-15-22
Great Information
Really enjoyed this book! If you like John Adam then you will enjoy this in depth book.
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- Anne R.
- 04-04-21
A study of one of the great founding fathers
This work is a fascinating examination of one of the great yet under appropriated men who founded America.
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- Ian Humphries
- 07-29-23
Compelling
Wonderfully read and a highly informative and interesting account of a lessor known man
and politician
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He fought for Washington, served with Lincoln, witnessed Bunker Hill, and sounded the clarion against slavery on the eve of the Civil War. He negotiated an end to the War of 1812, engineered the annexation of Florida, and won the Supreme Court decision that freed the African captives of La Amistad. He served his nation as minister to six countries, secretary of state, senator, congressman, and president. John Quincy Adams was all of these things and more. In this masterful biography, award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger reveals Adams as a towering figure in the nation’s formative years.
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Informative and well written.
- By Gotta Tellya on 08-20-14
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The Lost Founding Father
- John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics
- By: William J. Cooper
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Why has John Quincy Adams been largely written out of American history when he is, in fact, our lost Founding Father? Overshadowed by both his brilliant father and the brash and bold Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams has long been dismissed as hyper-intellectual. Viciously assailed by Jackson and his populist mobs for being both slippery and effete, Adams nevertheless recovered from the malodorous 1828 presidential election to lead the nation as a lonely Massachusetts congressman in the fight against slavery.
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Edifying
- By Jean on 01-15-18
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James Madison
- A Biography
- By: Ralph Ketcham
- Narrated by: Bill Burrows
- Length: 38 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The best one-volume biography of Madison’s life, Ketcham’s biography not only traces Madison’s career, it gives listeners a sense of the man. As Madison said of his early years in Virginia under the study of Donald Robertson, who introduced him to thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu, "all that I have been in life I owe largely to that man." It also captures a side of Madison that is less rarely on display.
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Narrator Too Robotic
- By Anonymous User on 09-20-21
By: Ralph Ketcham
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John Jay
- Founding Father
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction, and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In this first full-length biography of John Jay in almost 70 years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution. Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly enjoyable portrait of both the public and private man.
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Informative and Thorough Examination of John Jay
- By Andrew on 09-20-23
By: Walter Stahr
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A Country of Vast Designs
- James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over the rich lands of the Oregon Territory, which included what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was threatened by a more powerful Mexico. And the territories north and west of Texas---what would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Colorado---belonged to Mexico.
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A Decent Overview of Polk's Presidency
- By James on 06-20-10
By: Robert W. Merry
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The Framers' Coup
- The Making of the United States Constitution
- By: Michael J. Klarman
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 31 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Americans revere their Constitution. However, most of us are unaware how tumultuous and improbable the drafting and ratification processes were. As Benjamin Franklin keenly observed, any assembly of men bring with them "all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests and their selfish views." One need not deny that the Framers had good intentions in order to believe that they also had interests.
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Context Matters
- By Keith on 03-18-18
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For Liberty and Glory
- Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions
- By: James R. Gaines
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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On April 18, 1775, a riot over the price of flour broke out in the French city of Dijon. That night, across the Atlantic, Paul Revere mounted the fastest horse he could find and kicked it into a gallop. So began what have been called the "sister revolutions" of France and America. In a single, thrilling narrative, this audiobook tells the story of those revolutions and shows just how deeply intertwined they actually were.
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Excellent presentation
- By Hal on 08-20-12
By: James R. Gaines