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John Adams: The American Presidents Series: The 2nd President, 1797-1801 by John Patrick Diggins
sarahanne8382's review
4.0
The American Presidents series is really growing on me. It's scholarly and engaging, but short enough that I don't feel daunted by the sheer size of each title. It's almost like reading a long scholarly essay. I had to go back and listen to parts of this title a few times because there were just so many ideas packed into such a small space.
Diggins totally won me to the argument that John Adams is under appreciated among Presidents. I was already leaning that way after reading David McCullough's book about Adams years ago, though. He was certainly a preeminent American thinker of his time, but the Presidency was not the height of his achievements, just one of them. As one of the first serious voices to advocate for independence from Britain, other Founding Fathers owe a lot to him for laying the intellectual groundwork. I can also see why he often failed to get along with his peers, and I picture him as the creepy old neighbor who, once you finally get to know him, discover he used to be a Negro Leagues baseball star - or maybe that's the plot of The Sandlot.
Also, I'm curious to see if the Jefferson title does anything to convince me that he's anything but a hypocritical opportunist living in a fantasy land.
Diggins totally won me to the argument that John Adams is under appreciated among Presidents. I was already leaning that way after reading David McCullough's book about Adams years ago, though. He was certainly a preeminent American thinker of his time, but the Presidency was not the height of his achievements, just one of them. As one of the first serious voices to advocate for independence from Britain, other Founding Fathers owe a lot to him for laying the intellectual groundwork. I can also see why he often failed to get along with his peers, and I picture him as the creepy old neighbor who, once you finally get to know him, discover he used to be a Negro Leagues baseball star - or maybe that's the plot of The Sandlot.
Also, I'm curious to see if the Jefferson title does anything to convince me that he's anything but a hypocritical opportunist living in a fantasy land.
pelachick's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book very much. I have read several books about Adams including McCollough's book. This one is different. Instead of just discussing Adam's like and work, Diggins discusses his political theories. He also shows the foresight that Adams had. The book ends with a discussion of the differences and similarities between Adams and Jefferson. I found this book to be unique and enlightening.
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