Synopses & Reviews
A fresh look at this astute, likably quirky statesman, by the author of the Pulitzer Award-winning and the National Book Award winning . "The most lovable and most laughable, the warmest and possibly the wisest of the founding fathers, John Adams knew himself as few men do and preserved his knowledge in a voluminous correspondence that still resonates. Ellis has used it with great skill and perception not only to bring us the man, warts and all, but more importantly to reveal his extraordinary insights into the problems confronting the founders that resonate today in the republic they created."--Edmund S. Morgan, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University.
Review
"Perhaps there is one out of the many characteristics Ellis concisely and elegantly writes about that does more to illuminate Adams' behavior than any other. And that was his penchant for marking up the books in his vast library, carrying on an argument with the authors on the printed page. This marginalia—angry, derisive, testy, full of candor and irreverence— proves to be the measure of the passionate, garrulous, brilliant, and argumentative man. Ellis makes a case for Adams as being the most human, and certainly the most open, of the prominent Founders. But the book is more than an exploration of Adams' personality. There is a wonderful chapter on the celebrated Adams-Jefferson correspondence, some interesting thoughts on the Adams family, and a short history of how the Adams reputation has fared over the more than century and a half since his death. This is a perceptive portrait that will delight historians and general readers alike, and a fine tribute to an American unique." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
"Impassioned and erudite. . . . A captivating portrait of this Massachusetts native as a wonderfully contrary genius possessed of an uncommon moral intelligence and farsighted political wisdom." Michiko Kakutani
Review
The best portrait of a Revolutionary-era statesman. --Evan Thomas
Synopsis
A fresh look at this astute, likably quirky statesman, by the author of the Pulitzer Award-winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award winning American Sphinx.
"The most lovable and most laughable, the warmest and possibly the wisest of the founding fathers, John Adams knew himself as few men do and preserved his knowledge in a voluminous correspondence that still vibrates. Ellis has used it with great skill and perception not only to bring us the man, warts and all, but more importantly to reveal his extraordinary insights into the problems confronting the founders that resonate today in the republic they created." --Edmund S. Morgan, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University
Synopsis
"Passionate Sage is [Ellis's] best book."--Judith Shulevitz, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
"Passionate Sage is [Ellis's] best book."--Judith Shulevitz, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
" is [Ellis's] best book."--Judith Shulevitz,
About the Author
Joseph J. Ellis is Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College