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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.313092
EAN num: 9780395825105
ISBN number: 0395825105
Label: Clarion Books
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 192
Printing Date: April 20, 1998
Publishing house: Clarion Books
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 186592
Studio: Clarion Books
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A slight figure clad in a threadbare coat, Samuel Adams was an unlikely portrait of a dangerous revolutionary. The man who would later be called the Father of the American Revolution, however, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to achieve the goal of American independence, uniting his genius for words and his passion for politics to urge countless numbers toward revolution. In this insightful biography, Dennis Brindell Fradin traces Adams's life from boyhood to his two terms as one of Massachusetts's most senior senators, for a thoughtful and dramatic account of the pioneer whose indomitable spirit shaped the national character of what would become the United States. Author's note, bibliography, index.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a biography of Samuel Adams for young readers and it is, quite properly, a "hagiography" - the tale of a saintly hero of radical values, including freedom and social equality. Adams's unhesitating commitment to the cause of American Independence is aligned with his opposition to the slave trade and to other acceptable socially liberal positions. On that basis, it's a fine book for those young readers, especially those whose parents or teachers have tried to tell them that the American Revolution was essentially conservative.
However, not only was the American Revolution fomented and conducted on radical anti-hierarchical principles, but also leaders like Sam Adams and John Hancock were far from temporizing conservatives. The shortcoming of this book is the failure to accurately portray the "extremism" of the Sons of Liberty, not just in Massachusetts but throughout the thirteen colonies. Adams's leading role in the Sons of Liberty is qualified and minimized, and his role in the destruction of property called The Boston Tea Party is made to seem quite jolly and respectable. (Take a look at the book "The Shoemaker and the Tea Party'). The effigy burnings, the ransacking of government officials' homes, the brawls in the street, the burning of the British ship Gaspee, etc. before 1774 were followed, in the early years of the Revolution, by tar-and-featherings, arson, and innumerable acts of intimidation directed against "loyalists" and legal British authorities, as the Sons of Liberty transformed themselves in "Committees on Safety". In short, the American Revolution was launched by a calculated campaign of terrorism, and Samuel Adams was the Founding Terrorist.
Time to rinse off the whitewash!
Rated by buyers -
I'll admit that I picked Sam Adams to do my report on for my American Political Thought class because well, the man made beer! But as it turns out he not only made beer but he founded the United States as well. WHO KNEW?! Here I thought I was buying this book to learn about a totally rock'n dude that partied with Spud McKenzie and George Washington and I got a well devised thesis of an extraordinary man's life. I would recommend buying the book and drinking it up.
Rated by buyers -
Who would have thought that a man with such an image was a gang leader, an instigator, a trouble maker and by todays standards could be charged as a terrorist. This was Samuel Adams as this biography tells it. This shows that one man's terrorist is another man's hero. It is amazing that Samuel could get so many people to follow him in such an idealistic venture as a countries independence. I do not think he could do it today, in America, because of the attitude of the populace. We are complacent now, maybe then they weren't. I think the were of the bent of Australian prisoners in Australia. They would fight over the smallest thing, thinking they were being persecuted. It is a well written book full of the history of one man who will live in history.
Rated by buyers -
Dennis Fradin's book on Samuel (as he was known in his time, not "Sam") Adams was a pleasure to read. Although it seems to have been written for high school students, its 170 pages of text really got to the heart of who Samuel Adams was and why we owe him a debt of gratitude.
In short, more than any other colonist, he worked the hardest and most effectively to convince the colonies that they needed to obtain independence from Britain. He successfully orchestrated the Boston Tea Party raid as a propaganda stunt and published thousands of letters during his lifetime advocating independence. He also convinced the super rich John Hancock to join the independence effort and was responsible for organizing the very first Continental Congress more than any one else.
The book also begins to explain who he was a a person and what happened to him after we won the war and his personal fame diminished. These aspects of his life were just as interesting.
The book is very well written, and read easily.
Rated by buyers -
Although this is a children's book, it is "must reading" for any adult who wants to re-energize their enthusiasm for the origin of America. I got this book for my grandchildren, but after reading it myself, decided that it's an adult book as well.
The author has succeeded in making the reader understand the genius of Samual Adams of Boston. The type of grassroots politics practiced by Adams and other patriots, clearly is as valid yesterday as in theirs.
Always focused upon the ultimate goal, "the last Puritan" was given the title by his peers of "the father of American independence". Author Fradin has been successful in pointing out why Adams deserves the title.
The story is breathtaking. If I had one wish regarding this wonderful book, it would be that every American child hears or reads the story. They would be better Americans for it.
Thanks to Dennis Fradin for writing it. I was so impressed with it, that after reading it I called the author to personally thank him.
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