Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution

I read this out loud across the year as part of my fourth-graders history. We enjoyed the stories and could get a feel for what it was like to meet and live at the time our country was formed. I admire Abigail Adams for her lifetime of values and her dedication to always being involved in managing her household, even into her 70’s!

I am teaching a high school American History class. I made this part of our year's required literature. All the students have said they really like the book and we've had fun discussing it. No better way to connect to history but by primary sources. I think this is a must read. The sacrifices our founding fathers and families made for the sake of our country is amazing.I have a new found respect for sure. Instead of continually trying to rewrite parts of history we dislike or are uncomfortable with, we should try learning from it instead.

First of all, I'm a history geek. Second, I'm an English teacher, so suffice it to say I like to read. My mom introduced me to the musical "1776" when I was in junior high (way back in the mid-1990s), and I've had a strange obsession with John and Abigail Adams ever since. I first came across this biography on a New York State English Regents exam. Back when there was a listening passage on the test, this book was excerpted for that task. I read it to my students, then I used it as practice in my classroom. I don't know what inspired me to finally look for the actually book, but I did, and I don't regret it. Abigail Adams is a testament to strong women everywhere. She was certainly ahead of her time, and this book does not fail to demonstrate that. Well written and enlightening.

I read this after reading about John Adams, one of our founding fathers. Abigail Adams was very impactful in his life and those around her. She was well-respected and very talented. Amazing lady. She truly helped John Adams do his work in politics.

I think that having a solid understanding of the times of the revolution and those men we have come to greatly admire would be a prerequisite for this book. Certainly David McCullough's book on John Adams, one of the great books on Ben Franklin and even one regarding Thomas Jefferson's time in France would make this very rich book a little less choppy, though Bober does a wonderful job of placing Abigail's writing into perspective. A woman's view of the revolutionary times is almost impossible to find. But here it is. It is amazing as to how inconsistent John's Adam's devotion to Abigail is compared to his actually behavior. (No, I don't think he needed to be away as much as he was to accomplish the same political success.. He wanted to be away.)

Even the best of us are whiny, sniveling twits compared to the force of a woman described in this book. And even the greatest patriots of today should be ashamed of the disgrace we are to the sacrifices our founding fathers made for us. This book shines a light on yesterday and inspires growth for us today.

We are reading this for my daughter's 4th grade year and she and I both are enjoying it immensely. Abigail Adams was an amazing woman and I am blown away by how she helped shaped our history. Seriously this is a great historical book that gives an insight into how much of a sacrifice she and John made during the American Revolution. They believed in freedom and worked tirelessly to ensure we would have it. I highly recommend this book for history buffs.

I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in the quality of the printing of this book. The pictures are very, very poor quality for a new book. The book itself is fine, the binding is fine, it is a new book....but the quality of the printing is low. I'm angry and would return it, but we need to start reading it now. I am not a happy camper.

Reads as well as a great fiction novel. Especially for those not familiar with the subject. I feel like visiting my own family now.