Letter 1
I’m writing Edith B. Gelles, who wrote the best biography of Abigail Adams that I have ever read. I wrote it over break, but have yet to type it up on my computer. Basically, I’m asking her a few questions about Abigail and thanking her for respecting popular history. I read her review of David McCullough’s popular history book John Adams and she truly understood the need for academic as well as popular history. That says so much since I read both academic and popular history. I hate the snobbery of some academic historians. Sure, you are so thoughtful and insightful, write with huge words, and analyze the story. But… not everyone has the concentration to read those books. I love them, but I’m not going to look down at people for not reading them. That’s ridiculous. I look at Edith B. Gelles, an academic historian, and her respect of all types of books, and I wish that all people could be like that.
Letter 2
I’ve just barely started this one – it’s to Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is a bit different, since I haven’t fully read any of her books. I really look up to her because she does two jobs that I’d love, and well, too. She’s a political analyst for NBC (or is it MSNBC? I don’t really know the difference.) and she’s a popular historian. More on this later…
Yes there is a need for popular history and most academic historians will agree. There are also plenty of academics who write popular history and do not dumb it down. However, there is a greater need to present the public with history that matters. The public’s perception of American history is tainted by patriotic, Disney-fied gore like McCullough’s John Adams. McCullough is a great writer and tells a good story. So what? Please tell me, what is the value of McCullough’s John Adams? Why should the public read it? You can throw in Doris Kearns Goodwin too. Why should we read Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, which is one of her better books, over James McPherson, David Donald, and Stephen Oates?
Well, to me, Josh M, McCullough’s John Adams is not Disney-fied gore. I understand that there is little analysis of Adams, but it is a fantastically written, if not a bit too admiring of Adams. It led me into the world of history. It was the perfect book to pull me into harder, better researched books. I disagree with your stance on John Adams, and so do many other people. There’s free speech; that’s why people should read it. He’s a good researcher and a decent historian. I and other people simply have a different opinion of McCullough’s John Adams.
As for Goodwin, she also is a great writer, I think a bit less adoring of those she writes about. I’ve not read anything by Donald or Oates, but I’ll be sure to check them out.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
I agree that McCullough is a great writer and his works have sparked an interest in Early America. I just think the public deserves a little more. I am not against people reading McCullough. Everyone is free to read whatever they want to read. I would, however, recommend other books over McCullough’s works. John Ferling’s John Adams: A Life is a great biography that places Adams within the context of his times. Page Smith’s John Adams (2 vols.) is a bit dated, but still very insightful. I would also recommend David Hackett Fischer’s Washington’s Crossing over McCullough’s 1776. In fact anyone interested in Early America should make a point of reading everything by Fischer. Check these books out if you haven’t read them already.
I actually dislike 1776. I’m actually not a huge fan of military history, but I do really like Fisher. I read about half of his book Albion’s Seed. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ve not read John Ferling’s John Adams but have read bits and pieces of his book Almost a Miracle. I surprisingly enjoyed it.
Thanks for your thoughts as well. Forgive me for being a bit over defensive of McCullough; his book John Adams really impacted me and my interests. McCullough’s John Adams made me want to be an historian, so I’m pretty grateful to him for that. The public does deserve more analysis – but I think that the interest that McCullough has generated in people is far more important.