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A review by hornj
First Family: Abigail and John by Joseph J. Ellis, John Adams, Abigail Adams
4.0
I enjoyed this book, and learning more about the Adams. I chose this one because, of the ones on Audible, it seemed the least likely to portray twist Abigail into a modern feminist, and I think Ellis did an ok job on this front. There were certain things he did that I didn't agree with - like when John Adams was fulfilling his duties as a father he was subverting traditional gender roles - but he didn't go too heavy on it. Perhaps Abigail was the ideological mother of feminism, but that doesn't change the fact that she saw her duty as managing the household, while John served his country in the public square.
All I really remembered about Adams' presidency before this was the Alien and Seditions Acts, and this book gave me a wider perspective and more respect for his performance in office. Though like many parts of his life, this book didn't get into all the details, as it was focused on his marriage.
The Adams seem to me to be an example of people who were raised in a post-Puritan New England but who did not understand or accept the reasons for the things that they held to as default. I think you could see examples of this in Abigail's response to Europe and to her daughter's more "modern" child training practices.
There are many worthy aspects of John Adams life and character, but some that stood out to me more starkly were the negative ones. He was a man consumed by ambition, which led him to devote years to public service apart from his family. Ellis argues that his family paid the price, with all of his children, with the possible exception of John Quincy, having tragic life stories.
All I really remembered about Adams' presidency before this was the Alien and Seditions Acts, and this book gave me a wider perspective and more respect for his performance in office. Though like many parts of his life, this book didn't get into all the details, as it was focused on his marriage.
The Adams seem to me to be an example of people who were raised in a post-Puritan New England but who did not understand or accept the reasons for the things that they held to as default. I think you could see examples of this in Abigail's response to Europe and to her daughter's more "modern" child training practices.
There are many worthy aspects of John Adams life and character, but some that stood out to me more starkly were the negative ones. He was a man consumed by ambition, which led him to devote years to public service apart from his family. Ellis argues that his family paid the price, with all of his children, with the possible exception of John Quincy, having tragic life stories.