The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

By: Stacy Schiff

Narrated by: Jason Culp

Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Thomas Jefferson once asserted that "for depth of purpose, zeal, and sagacity, no man in Congress exceeded, if any equaled, Sam Adams." John Adams called him "the most elegant writer, the most sagacious politician, and celebrated patriot perhaps of all." But in spite of his celebrated status among America's founding fathers as a revolutionary leader, Samuel Adams' life and achievements have been largely overshadowed in the history books.

Now, in The Revolutionary Samuel Adams, Stacy Schiff brings her masterful skill as historian and storyteller to the life of Samuel Adams, examining his transformation from the listless, failing son of a wealthy family into the tireless, silver-tongued revolutionary, who rallied the likes of John Hancock and John Adams behind him. Gripping and revelatory, this book is a long-overdue chapter in the history of the American Revolution.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Stacy Schiff (P)2022 Little, Brown & Company

A much needed book

This book goes a long way toward filling a gap Revolutionary Era history. I wish it hadn't skipped over his later life.

Honorable

Great history lesson on the sacrifices of our forefathers and what America MUST stand for.

Fascinating character

I wasn’t aware of the leading role Samuel Adams had in articulating a principled stand against Great Britain, and how his propaganda / correspondences eventually pulled the the colonies together to launch the Continental Congress. His personal story was also intriguing — suffice to say he found his purpose leading Boston and Massachusetts in opposition to the Stamp, Townsend Acts, et al. Lots of wonderful color on the slow burn of revolution.

History needs some editing

After reading “Revolutionary,” any student raised in the public schools of America should decry that history books need a LOT of editing. Sam Adams is front and foremost to our history and to our independence from England. He didn’t want recognition, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t owed him. Thank you, Mrs. Schiff for the painstaking effort it took you for almost a decade to research and write this book. (There should be more than a beer named after Sam Adams ;)

OK

I expected more with all the hype this book has received. Parts were very interesting— others were a slog. The narration bothered me. I felt like I was listening to a lecture instead of someone telling a story.

The real story of the birth of the American Revolution

The book makes clear all the things you never learned in high school. The Revolution was so much more than the Boston Tea Party. A modest man, an organizational genius and a visionary who didn’t believe in self promotion. The book lays out in all the necessary detail the seeds Adams planted and nourished that bloomed into the American Revolution. A fine and nuanced accounting of the motivations, personalities and events leading up to the Continental Congress. Adams’ final years were less than he deserved but it appears he was encumbered by the ravages of age and possibly Parkinson’s disease although the book does not speculate.

A History of Someone who Hid in History

This was an excellent look at one of the founders, and one of the few major figures of the American Revolution to not leave behind much of his own writing. The writing is balanced, without praising or criticizing more than is deserved.

The often overlooked founding father

The beginning of American history should start chapter 1: Samuel Adams. A fantastic book for any history lover.

Magnificently researched and beautifully written

Stacy Schiff has given us a masterpiece of research and storytelling. And she has resurrected Samuel Adams to the leadership position he deserves in American History

Dense

This is great info and writing, it’s just very dense and I didn’t live the narrator.