Abigail Adams: An American Woman

After watching the multi-part PBS series, "John Adams," I was interested in reading about his wife Abigail Adams.  I was able to find a book by Charles W. Akers in our collection.  Mrs. Adams was a remarkable woman: a mother of four living children, three sons and a daughter. One son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President of the United States.  Unfortunately, Abigail Adams did not live to see this take place; she died before she could see this come to fruition.  Mrs. Adams was an extremely intelligent woman, she was not highly educated but she read constantly.  She could hold her own in conversations in European courts and speak equally intelligently both to men and women.  This was the first biography of Abigail Adams since the family manuscripts were opened. The book draws on hundreds of her letters, presenting an extraodinary American woman.  Actually, reading excerpts of her letters on nearly every page slowed my reading down. The spelling of words in the late 1700s and early 1800s was unusual.  The biography was very authentic and entertaining.  This book reveals a discriminating woman, who was very smart and able to counsel her husband, guiding him in his decision making.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fascinating woman and the time period that influenced her life.  Many years were spent separated from her husband while he was fulfilling his public service in government and as an ambassador.  These separations caused Mrs. Adams to single-handly run the farm, control the servants and her children, and handle all the money.  I am glad I perservered with the reading; I learned a great deal about an amazing woman and an individual in her own right.