King Hancock
The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father

John Hancock, it seems, was a rather complicated man -- so much more than his fancy signature on the Declaration of Independence! -- and this gracefully-written biography captures Hancock in his many facets. His father (one in a line of clergymen; in fact, John's father baptized John Adams) died whe......more

I really liked this book. I didn't know much about John Hancock, so it was interesting to learn more about him and his place among the Founding Fathers. What I enjoyed even more was reading about daily life in Boston at the time. For me this was not dry, academic reporting but an engaging way to see......more

Sorry , this book is no more than a two. It is superficial, and the section on the ratification of the Constitution is simplistic and in some ways just incorrect. Without much more context , learning about Hancock by reading this book leaves one with very little in depth understanding of the man and......more

This book takes a look at John Hancock who, if my schooling is anything to go by, generally takes a backseat in history to some other founding fathers and leaves us with basically only his flourish of a signature for posterity. I feel like I learned a decent amount about him. He was good at wooing th......more

What a great read! Reads more like a historical thriller than a bland biography. A compelling story of a true patriot. I enjoyed the behind the scenes description of Hancock's thinking process and how it varied at different points in the process. It was interesting that despite being one of the wealth......more