This book exceeded my expectations, twining the personal with the political so deftly - as any good biographer of Adams must do, given her intense interest and one-remove participation in our democracy as it rose on its shaky newborn legs. Yet the issues of the times are keenly relevant today -- partisanship in government, the role of the press, spying and attempt to influence policy by foreign countries, etc. I brought this book back with me after closing up my mother's home after she died, and there was much in common between the two women - their faith and intelligence, their love of family in the widest sense, their focus on service. Much recommended.