On Friday, June 28, the Fayetteville Public Library will host a talk with Randall Woods, the John A. Cooper Distinguished Professor of History at the U of A, to mark the release of his newest book, John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People.

In this biography, which Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Walker Howe calls a "tour de force," Woods reveals the rich and complicated life of the sixth president of the United States, placing him at the center of American democracy for nearly five turbulent decades.

James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, notes that John Quincy Adams "served his country for more than a half century as diplomat, senator, secretary of state, president, public intellectual and in a unique post-presidential career as gadfly of the slave power in Congress." He says that "Randall Woods skillfully interweaves the narrative of these events with intimate accounts of Adams' personal and family life in a warmly human manner." 

Woods will take questions and be available to sign books following the discussion. Pearl's Books will have copies available for purchase.

Woods has taught at the U of A since 1971, and his book on Adams follows on the heels of his award-winning biographies LBJ: Architect of American Ambition and Fulbright: A Biography.

The lecture will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, June 28, in the Willard & Pat Walker Community Room. Registration is requested though not required.