Spectacular book about one of American politics' most fascinating figures, of his age and of any age. Adams the Younger shaped his country from its beginning to his demise, and while his presidency was a bit of a doomed affair, his stint as a congressman afterwards saw him introduce and champion the perspectives on slavery and disunion that a fellow named Abe would ride to the White House just a few years later. Traub lays this out so well and emphasizes all the right parts of the story to make Adams' life stand out - hard to believe this was his first biography.