The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
by Stacy Schiff
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Jun 2026 on The Ezra Klein Show.
The general take
Christopher Rufo recommends Stacey Schiff's biography "The Revolutionary" as essential reading for both conservatives and liberals, arguing that Samuel Adams exemplifies important lessons about propaganda, passion, and institutions that are relevant to contemporary political questions.
About
This revelatory biography from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores the story of the most essential Founding Father—the one who stood behind the change that sparked the American Revolution. “A glorious book that is as entertaining as it is vitally important.” —Ron Chernow, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the Revolution, “Samuel Adams was the man.” With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. Stacy Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution. A singular figure at a singular moment, Adams amplified the Boston Massacre. He helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party.
Who said what
Christopher Rufo👍 Recommends
…book recommendations on political leadership and institutional change
“The second book that I think all conservatives should read and all liberals should read is a biography by Stacey Schiff called The Revolutionary, which is a biography of the American founder Samuel Adams. And Adams is the most political founder. I think he kind of clarifies through example all the questions that we've been talking about, about propaganda, about passion, about institutions, about political change.”
The Ezra Klein Show — Chris Rufo Thinks the Right Can Control This. I Don’t.at 4:08:45
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