Unusual but Interesting

So far, I would have to say I like The Education of Henry Adams. I found the beginning portion of the book, where Adams talks about his life as a child in Boston and Quincy a little odd. It's not bad, but the fact that Adams only tells his story from third person makes it feel a lot like a history book. I thought the development of Adam's relationship with his grandfather was important, and there was a definite contrast between the cold, disciplined Boston and the happy-go-lucky feel of summer with his grandfather. I immediately noticed the irony of the title and Adam's feelings about formal education. I thought it was funny how he criticized such a widely renowned school as Harvard and I got the feeling that the title isn't referring to education as we normally think of it or formal education. It's funny to me later when Adam's is sixteen and says that he "has as yet no education at all." Another oddity I found in the story was Adam's complete opposition to slavery. Given the time period and the stature of his family its unusual that he would be so grossly opposed to slavery. The book has some unusual things about it but I can't help but feel that I will learn a lot from Henry Adam's education.