The drama of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson is the foundational story of America—courage; loyalty; hope; fanaticism; greatness; failure; forgiveness; love. Agony and Eloquence is the story of the greatest friendship in American history and the revolutionary times in which it was made; ruined; and finally renewed. In the wake of Washington’s retirement; longtime friends Thomas Jefferson and John Adams came to represent the opposing political forces struggling to shape America’s future. Adams’s victory in the presidential election of 1796 brought Jefferson into his administration—but as an unlikely and deeply conflicted vice president. The bloody Republican revolution in France finally brought their political differences to a bitter pitch. In Mallock’s take on this fascinating period; French foreign policy and revolutionary developments—from the fall of the Bastille to the fall of the Jacobins and the rise of Napoleon—form a disturbing and illuminating counterpoint to events; controversies; individuals; and relationships in Philadelphia and Washington. Many important and fascinating people appear in the book; including Thomas Paine; Camille Desmoulins; Dr. Benjamin Rush; Tobias Lear; Talleyrand; Robespierre; Danton; Saint-Just; Abigail Adams; Lafayette; James Madison; John Quincy Adams; Dr. Joseph Priestley; Samuel Adams; Philip Mazzei; John Marshall; Alexander Hamilton; and Edward Coles. They are brought to life by Mallock’s insightful analysis and clear and lively writing. Agony and Eloquence is a thoroughly researched and tautly written modern history. When the most important thing is at stake; almost anything can be justified. Skyhorse Publishing; as well as our Arcade imprint; are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II; the Third Reich; Hitler and his henchmen; the JFK assassination; conspiracies; the American Civil War; the American Revolution; gladiators; Vikings; ancient Rome; medieval times; the old West; and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller; we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
#81691 in Books 2014-12-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.70 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 162157296X718 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Long; a few gaps; but still indispensableBy Tim WOne one hand; Chambers is clearly a good writer -- and knowledge of what he went through is indispensable for understanding; in part; how our nation has arrived where it is today. On the other hand; I keep feeling "Witness" could be a bit more to-the-point (770 pages!); and; more importantly; I feel like he doesn't bother to explain his main reason for being attracted to Communism:Chambers speaks often of "the crisis" of the 20th century; in his view; Communism was the only hope of solving it. But which crisis is that? Industrialization? The Great Depression? Alienation? Hasn't every era had its own particular challenges? (The Romans had more slaves than citizens; Medieval Europe had the black death; oppression; grinding poverty; and biting vermin have been the global historical norm...) Perhaps; during the 30s-50s; a belief society itself was going to be destroyed by a crisis -- which only Communism could solve -- was so common he didn't bother to explain it (like the proverbial fish in water); but reading him from my vantage point in the early 21st century (post Reagan; et al -- where it seems that the worst crisis of the 20th century was Communism; itself); I'm a bit baffled as to which specific aspect he found so promising.As the title indicates; Chambers ultimately decides that Communism is inherently evil (in his view; the Soviet purges weren't a deviation from it; rather they were predicted by Marx rationally justified (necessitated; even) by Marxism's premises) and breaks with it - but he never concludes it "doesn't work" -- to the contrary; he believe he's joining the "losing" side. (And; perhaps later than he expected; he may yet still be right...)The story still holds up holds interest; but it would have helped a lot if he'd informed the reader a bit more about the specific *pragmatic* reasons which caused him to become a Communist in the first place.Nonetheless; I'd still recommend this; up there with Thomas Sowell's "Basic Economics" and Rodney Stark's various historical works. If you're a conservative; this explains a lot about how we moved from the classic liberalism in US history to today's ethos -- many of the things Chambers sees and hears (particularly with regard to newsroom bias and suppression) sound strikingly familiar to what's going on today. (For example; he noted that the wealthy; not the working class; were most attracted to Marxist ideas... precisely the opposite of what Marx predicted; but precisely what we see today; still.)If you're on the left side the spectrum; I'd first commend you for actually being open-minded enough to consider reading from "the other side" (I've read enough left-wing political stuff to fill bookshelves); and probably recommend the other two before this one -- unless you're strongly concerned is the purported evils of 1950s anti-communism.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Lucid writerBy M. DavisIf nothing else Witness is an elegantly written time capsule of the tumult in the world following the 20th Century's two great wars; written from an individual's perspective of his life within the greater struggle between Communism and Capitalism.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Best Book I Have Ever ReadBy Gregg GI love reading history and biographies; I have read hundreds of books and this book is simply the best book I have ever read.
