Really detailed book about the youth of John Quincy Adams. He was a very well traveled and educated young man. The book includes many of his own letters and journal entries to provide a first hand glimpse of his life. ( )

An enthralling book about a fascinating character who felt driven to succeed due to parental expectations and his own nature. A world traveler by the age of sixteen it was none the less very sad to read what his sister wrote, "It is a very unpleasing idea to me, that a whole family, should grow up strangers to each other, as ours have done, yet it has been unavoidable, and will tis probable still continue so." He was impatient for success and its immediate lack often depressed him. He also voted with his fledgling country's best interests at heart rather than with his party's which made him enemies that weren't content just to see him out of office but wanted to see him personally ruined. He wound up being pushed into marrying Louisa Catherine Johnson whose father was on the verge of bankruptcy and trying to marry them off without dowry. She was fragile both mentally and physically and depending on how she was feeling her husband's greatest supporter of detractor. A very interesting man from a family that had its share of problems. ( )

This biography would probably be more interesting if you were more of a US history buff than I am. It's well researched, but Levin doesn't really do a good job of taking her many facts and telling a consistent story. JQA was, I think, a bit of an odd duck, but this book doesn't do a good job of capturing this. I learned that JQA's parents cared a lot about him and his education, but maybe put too much pressure on a young boy. One of the things that was interesting to me was how often family members, parents/children; spouses; were separated for long periods of time, with relatively little contact due to the slowness of the mail and of travel. Levin implies that this had an effect on JQA's relationships and character, but I think she could have done more to round this out. ( )

This was a rather mediocre biography of John Quincy Adams, focusing on his childhood through about age 50. I guess the focus of this biography was to explore the experiences of John Quincy Adams's youth and young adulthood to see how it influenced his adulthood. In itself, this is an interesting idea. JQA traveled extensively with his father when he was a child, spending extensive time in France, England, Holland, and Russia, learning the languages and customs and having a first row seat to the politics of the time. His book learning suffered a bit, but he seems to have been a serious child who had good self-discipline when it came to keeping up with his studies as best he could. He later got in to Harvard and rounded out the aspects of his education that he missed. This section sticks with the thesis, but then the author continues on into JQA's relationship with his wife and his subsequent political appointments. I wasn't really sure if she was trying to show how his education and life experience during his youth influenced his life during this later time, or if this was still supposed to be part of the "learning period".

That leads to the main problem with this book. Though a lot of the information was interesting, I wasn't sure what the point was. The author doesn't draw conclusions clearly, but was obviously going for something more than a pure biography or retelling of facts. She also stopped the book at an arbitrary point (or at least didn't explain why it wasn't arbitrary), choosing to end after JQA'a appointment as ambassador to Russia ended. This was just one of several overseas appointments he had and was well before he became President. It just didn't make sense.

This is a time period that I generally enjoy reading about, but this biography missed the mark. I've never read another biography of John Quincy Adams, but there must be better ones out there. ( )

John Quincy Adams’ name usually evokes some name recognition, if not accurately. He was the sixth President of the United States, the eldest son of Abigail and John Adams, the second President of the United States. His life spanned the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and continued through the Napoleonic period. As well as his presidency, he was a diplomat serving as the minister to the Court of St. James (Great Britain), Russia, Prussia, and The Netherlands; under President Monroe he served as Secretary of State, and he was also a senator and representative for the State of Massachusetts.

Phyllis Lee Levin’s The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams focuses on the education and diplomatic learning that John Quincy Adams achieved over his lifetime, particularly during the early years of his life. John and Abigail Adams, his parents, represented a small portion of 18th century American society who were educated--John at Harvard and Abigail in the home of her father, a noted divine. John Quincy, their eldest son, was expected to take a leading role in service to his country, and for his early schooling during the Revolutionary War, John Quincy studied the rudiments of Latin, Greek and French. By the age of 14 John accompanied his father to Paris and served as his secretary to the American mission at the Court of France, joining Benjamin Franklin, Silias Dean and Arthur Lee. His parents felt European culture would round out a classical curriculum. The young Adams was smitten by scientific advancement, witnessing the first launching of an Air Balloon in Paris in 1783, fostering a lifelong interest. Late in life he would support the foundation of the Smithsonian Institution, the establishment of the first observatory, and help Robert Fulton in the development of the steam powered boat. John Adams arranged for John Quincy to study French, in which he achieved fluency, Classic and European history, as well as being given tours of palaces, cathedrals and collections of art. John Adams consistently pushed John Quincy, encouraging fluency in Greek and Latin and their translation into both English and French. The goal and expectation of his parents was that he would follow his father’s path and attend Harvard College. Levin weaves future accomplishments of John Quincy throughout his early life, but it is first and foremost the telling of what was a remarkable education. John Quincy traveled throughout Europe, sat at great tables with men of state, and visited the courts and royal academies. Greek, Latin, French, Dutch, Russian, Italian and German were studied, both in their respective countries and continuing as well throughout his life. He did matriculate at Harvard, and ironically, by 18th century standards of fluency, he was required to do remedial work in Greek and Latin before admittance.

The author divides the book into four parts. The first, the longest and most comprehensive, covers his childhood through Harvard, his study of Law and his early law practice, political newspaper writing, and his first diplomatic postings. The second, the courtship and marriage to Louisa Catherine Johnson, the daughter of an American Maryland merchant and an English mothers. John Quincy met her in London, first through his father and then during his own diplomatic mission. The third and fourth parts primarily discuss John Quincy’s diplomatic career during the Napoleonic period. John Quincy and Louise knew Czar Alexander and were respectfully welcomed at his court and the palaces of St. Petersburg. Later in life Louisa wrote of fleeing Russia across Europe at the advancement of Napoleon’s armies.

Phyllis Lee Levin wrote an earlier work on Abigail Adams. The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams is a welcome addition to the ever-growing literature on the Adams family. The bibliography includes both manuscript and published sources. I personally enjoyed her dividing the book into many small chapters as part of a greater whole. The ease of either a long reading of or being able to read only a few chapters at a time in one sitting works well in our very busy modern times. I highly recommend the book to those with American history and biographical interests. John Quincy and Louisa are historic figures that need additional study; the diplomatic coverage and pedagogical emphasis serves well as a starting point for further study. Phyllis Lee Levin has set the bar high for all future scholarship. ( )