John Adams

Tonight I finished reading John Adams, by David McCullough. Being a biography, it was quite unlike anything I've read in recent years, but it was a powerful read for me. John Adams was an incredible American and contributed no less, if not more, to the formation of our country than both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It's incredible that there are gigantic monuments and memorials attributed to Washington and Jefferson, but no such thing exists for Adams. After reading this book, in fact, I'm much more impressed with Adams than I am with Jefferson. I wasn't expecting to feel the need to "find out what happens next" when reading this, and I never developed the irresistible need to keep going that can surface when reading Harry Potter, but David McCullough writes so well that it felt that way toward the end of the book, and the fact that I was reading about actual people and events made it that much more meaningful to me. This book certainly goes on my "recommended" list. I also have a copy of The Path Between the Seas, his book about the Panama Canal, which I might read next, although it's long and I probably wouldn't finish it before school starts again. Besides, Lisa and I still need to watch the third season of Arrested Development.