Samuel Adams

A Life

By: Ira Stoll

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

"I pity Mr. Sam Adams," his cousin John Adams wrote to his wife, "for he was born a Rebel." At virtually every juncture of the American Revolution, from the Boston Massacre and Tea Party to Lexington and Concord and the ratification of the Constitution, Samuel Adams played a forceful role. With his fiery rhetoric and religious fervor, he was in many respects the moral conscience of the new nation. "The love of liberty," he thundered, "is interwoven in the soul of man, and can never be totally extinguished."

And yet history has neglected him; today Samuel Adams is best known as a brand of beer. As relations with Great Britain healed in the 19th century, historians were all too willing to dismiss him as a zealot; Adams's distrust of secularism (he envisioned America as a "Christian Sparta") has not endeared him to many contemporary scholars, either. Ira Stoll's fascinating biography not only restores this figure to his rightful place in history but portrays him as a man of God whose skepticism of a powerful central government, uncompromising support for freedom of the press, concern about the influence of money on elections, voluble love of liberty, and selfless endurance in a war for freedom has enormous relevance to Americans today.

©2008 Ira Stoll (P)2008 Tantor

A principles-based biography of our first Founding Father

Insightful biography of Samuel Adams the man, with his moral principles and religious beliefs that shaped the American Revolution and the founding of our country.

Average to good

Where does Samuel Adams rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very informative, but i had a hard to staying with it, kind of dry. I usually listen to these as I sleep, this one, was average.

informative and well read

Not a lot is known about this great man. glad i got to listen about the man who basically made the united states of america happen

Great biography, wooden performance

Though the content of this book was excellent, I was distracted by the narrator and felt it would have been served better by a different individual reading it.

Fact filled book

An educated view of the man and I felt a lot of information shoved in this long
audio book.

A must for any American citizen!

Outstanding! The overlooked founding father who without his steadfastness the revolution may have never taken place.

Fascinating

Amazing story of a very religious patriot and integral founding father. The writing was not as riveting as other biographies, but was a great story!

Best Book Samuel Adams

This book is the best that I have come across on Samuel Adams. It goes into details that other books live out. I loved it. Thought it was fantastic.

Rabble Rousing man of the Common People

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) was one of the founding fathers that historians have not written much about. I recently read “Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation” by Harlow Giles Unger as part of my attempt to read about the lesser known founding fathers.

Stoll’s book provides basic information but unfortunately is not an in-depth biography. Adams’s father sold beer malt and also was christened Samuel. Before hostilities began Adams the younger was a fiery journalist writing under a variety of pen names. He made invaluable contributions to the revolution. Samuel Adams and John Hancock were hiding from the British in Lexington and heard the first shot of the revolution. Samuel Adams was John Adams cousin. John Adams was the second president of the United States.

Before and after the revolution Adams devoted much of his life to public service, as a reprehensive to Continental congresses, a state legislator, lieutenant governor and the governor of Massachusetts. He also helped create the Massachusetts constitution.
Stoll quotes frequently from Adam’s published articles and correspondence. Adams likes to compare American’s revolutionaries with the biblical Israelites. The author argues that Adams’s religious belief fueled his revolutionary zeal. Adams apparently believed that religion should be the heart of American life.

I found the book a good general overview of Samuel Adams life but the book was just too short to cover anything other than a basic overview. If your are interested in the early history of the United States this is a book for you. Paul Boehmer narrated the book.

Best Revolutionary war book yet

So many details that have not been taught but have been overlooked. I highly recommend reading this amazing book!!!