As a history teacher, I'm constantly trying to read widely to eliminate as many historical blind spots as I can. This book is a great help to that endeavor. It begins tracing JQA'a lineage back a bit, then dives in depth into the American Revolution. At first, I was a bit put off by the focus on John Adams, the father, as this wasn't his biography, but Woods quickly contextualized JQA's role and experiences during the War. As this was a kindle copy, I had not idea it was going to be a lengthy as it is, but it reads well and is very engaging. Woods does a great job bring JQA to life and helped to dispel my vague understanding of this Founding Son as something of a gruff, aloof President in our nation's history. This was an excellent read over the long Presidents' Day weekend!