John Adams

McCullough begins in 1776 and then traces Adams's life from his modest beginnings in Braintree, Massachusetts. As a young lawyer he made the controversial choice to defend British soldiers after the Boston Massacre, believing everyone deserved a fair trial. In the Continental Congress he became one of the strongest voices for independence and helped persuade others to support the Declaration. During the war he served as a diplomat in France and the Netherlands, securing loans and helping to negotiate the peace treaty with Britain.

Adams spent years far from home, and his letters with Abigail, who managed the farm and family and shared his political ideas, are at the heart of the book. Later chapters cover his years as the first American envoy to Britain, his frustrating years as vice president under Washington and his single term as president, when he kept the young country out of a full war with France at great political cost. McCullough also follows his complicated relationship with Jefferson, from close friendship to bitter rivalry and a moving reconciliation by letter in old age. Both men died on July 4, 1826.

Long but highly readable, with photographs and portraits. About 752 pages in the Simon & Schuster paperback.