Whistle Stopper - My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams

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Manufacturer: Belknap Press

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.44092
EAN: 9780674026063
ISBN: 0674026063
Label: Belknap Press
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 528
Publication Date: 2007-10-31
Publisher: Belknap Press
Studio: Belknap Press

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Incredible glimpse inside the love & life of John & Abigail
Comment: I must shamefully admit that prior to the renewed interest in John Adams with the recent miniseries, I really had only a general knowledge of his role and importance in the founding of our country. This book gives a private, personal and wonderful view of the strength,deep,abiding love of this first family. I could not put it down & would highly recommend it to anyone.

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Summary: Companion to the Adams Letters
Comment: The newly released TEACHING LIFE: LETTERS FROM A LIFE IN LITERATURE impresses me as a welcome companion to collected letters of John and Abigail Adams.

In 1978 one of the author's students died tragically in an automobile accident on her way to his office to talk over her career plans. It was the suddenness of her death, along with the utter loss of so much potential, which left him wondering whether anything he had said in class had made a difference in her too-short life or, for that matter, in the lives of any of his students.

Her death was not only a great misfortune but also a defining moment for the author. For the first time in his life as a teacher, and he had been at it for only five years, he realized in the weeks that followed that he wasn't in the classroom for myself. He was and remains there for the students, all of whom are giving him three hours a week of their most precious possession -- their time. What he says and do should make a difference in their lives. The worst thief is a bad teacher.

In a recent interview with Samantha Bravo he answers some pointed questions about the book:

1) Each letter to Kelly addresses a different aspect of
education, literature and life. How did you decide
which topics to address? How do you think the book's
organization of these topics affects the reader?

The topics suggested themselves to me as I moved ever deeper into the project. I knew I had to write "When a Parent Dies," for example, because the day after my father's funeral I returned to my class to discuss Hamlet and saw my father sitting in the back of the room. The chapter on "Marriage" suggested itself because I was struck by how many of my colleagues across the country wrestle with balancing the academics with family life. Many questions emerged over the years from discussions with my parents, both educators, as well as from my students. Overall I answer questions that many teachers (and students) ask of themselves and that I continue to ask of myself.

2) Why did you choose to format the book as a series of
letters?

To avoid the risk of coming across as "preachy" or dogmatic. That's not my style. Writing letters "to" a former student was an indirect way of reaching my potential reader. Also, this format helped me to establish a warm, personal tone that is the voice I try to maintain in the classroom. I am speaking to teachers, yes, but I am also speaking to students as well as to the general public - and I don't want to alienate them.

3) In the book's summary it says that "'Teaching Life"
is an effort to impart lessons to the next generation
of teachers." Would you also agree that these lessons
are equally benefiting to students who read this
book? What sort of insight should a student expect to
gain in contrast to a teacher?

Yes, most definitely. Letters as personal as these permit the student to slip away from present concerns, open the door, and step inside the secret life of a teacher. Happiness is a gift, not a right, and most of us as teachers have been so gifted. Perhaps some students themselves will carry from the book the thought of entering this noble and personally rewarding profession. At the very least I hope they will find here some useful suggestions for getting all they can from their educational experiences.

4) You say that Kelly has become a metaphor for all your
students. Could you explain this in more depth?

Every semester my classrooms are filled with Kelly's - bright, eager-to-learn men and women who are giving me three hours a week of their most precious possession - their time. What I say "to" Kelly in the letters I say to all of my students: make the most of your allotted time, seek the best in everything you do, and keep growing. My challenge is to find a way to connect with them, to encourage them to care about the material, to think about some of the deep issues of life, and to have a good time while doing so. That's part of what keeps me coming back day after day, month after month, semester after semester. Though Kelly didn't live to realize her potential as a teacher, my experience of knowing her and thousands of students like her continues to inspire me every day.

5) Thirty years after Kelly's death, why did you believe
that this was the right time in your career to publish
"Teaching Life?"

There were many months, even years when I didn't know when (or even IF) I would complete the book. Coincidentally I did so while approaching my 35th year of teaching. To borrow from Samuel Johnson, I believe that into every teacher's life there comes a "time to be in earnest." This is such a time for me.

Customer Rating:

Summary: My Dearest Friend~Letters from John Adams to his wife Abbigail
Comment: If you are a history buff or just a little interested in the history of our nation you will love this book. The letters exchanged between John and Abigail Adams are wonderful. Abigail was definitely John's rock. She kept him focused and steady. John was a very passionate man in his beliefs and at times would become a tyrant trying to convince people that his way of thnking was the only way to think. Thank goodness he had Abigail as he ran everything by her to see how she thought the people would react to his perception. Abigail would let him know when he needed to press an issue or just be quiet and let it happen on its own. Besides being lovers as husband and wife they were truly best friends. An inspirational read.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Wonderful book.
Comment: I started reading this while watching the John Adams HBO mini series. I didn't finish the book until after I had seen all 7 episodes. It was interesting to read their correspondence and realize how much of an asset Abigail was to John. If you enjoy reading letters, you will enjoy this book. The author inserts commentary prior to a particular time frame of letters in order for you to understand the tenor and specifics of the letters that follow. I enjoyed it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Outstanding
Comment: This book is a wonderful adjunct to the HBO series and David Mc Cullough's brilliant book.."John Adams". I have never been devoted to our American history, preferring instead Ancient cultures. I see what I have missed and vow to read more about the brave and devoted men and women who, indeed ,created our country. The love affair between John and Abigail seemed to provide the great man, as well as Thomas Jefferson, with the strength and comfort that spurred them on. Bravo!!

More Reviews

Editorial Reviews:

Listen to a ten-minute interview with Margaret Hogan
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane

Read Margaret Hogan's HUP blog posting: "The Romance of John and Abigail Adams"

Watch the video of The Massachusetts Historical Society's November 2007 event at which Deval and Diane Patrick, Edward and Victoria Kennedy, and Michael and Kitty Dukakis read selected letters from My Dearest Friend

Visit the Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive

Watch the March 2008 HBO miniseries--"John Adams"--based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography

In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith. In 1801, Abigail wrote to wish her husband John a safe journey as he headed home to Quincy after serving as president of the nation he helped create. The letters that span these nearly forty years form the most significant correspondence--and reveal one of the most intriguing and inspiring partnerships--in American history.

As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president).

Full of keen observations and articulate commentary on world events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection--including some letters never before published--invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging.

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