Reviews for Samuel Adams: A Life

The average rating for Samuel Adams: A Life based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-09-13 00:00:00 Brian Anderson I really enjoyed this one. I had never taken a close look at the contribution Sam Adams made to our liberties, and this fine biography shows that the contribution was extensive. Here are a couple of favorite moments. One adversary said, after Adams' death, that his politics were derived from "two maxims, rulers should have little, the people much" (p. 259). In another apt application, Stoll refers to Adams' religious tranquility, and notes the odd juxtaposition -- a tranquil revolution. He then applies Perry Miller's wonderful assessment of the Puritan character -- of which Adams was a prime specimen -- a characteristic "most difficult to evoke," that being the "peculiar balance of zeal and enthusiasm with control and wariness" (p. 265). If you are like many, and need some gaps filled in with regard to your knowledge of Samuel Adams, this would be the place to start. Did you know that the redcoats likely went to Lexington and Concord because they were looking for Sam Adams and John Hancock, who were on the lam?

Review # 2 was written on 2009-04-14 00:00:00 Regina Puskorius I really enjoyed Ira Stoll's take on Samuel Adams, and his attempt to restore him to his rightful place as one of the most influential men of the American Revolution, and certainly as the firecracker who started it all. He also establishes the role of his faith in his life, beliefs and decisions. When most biographies on the founders show how far from faith they really were, the same cannot be said of Samuel Adams who was a man of deep, unshakable religious convictions. Ira Stoll states that Adams has been known as "The Last Puritan" but was really "The First American." I wished that there had been more time devoted to the men whom he collaborated with: Joseph Warren, John Hancock, James Otis, Benjamin Church... and they do get more than mentions, but I love all the minds that started the Revolution up in Boston and this book really just focuses on one.