McCullough, Hanks on "John Adams"

A seven-part mini-series that begins airing on HBO this Sunday explores the birth of America through the eyes of Braintree-born revolutionary John Adams and his wife Abigail.

The production of "John Adams" is based on the Pulitzer-prize winning book by David McCullough. He attended a special screening recently at the Boston Public Library and said, "The years I spent on this biography, John Adams, were the happiest years of my writing life because of the material, because of the infinite importance and fascination of the 18th century."

The series' Executive Producer is Tom Hanks. He also spoke at the Boston screening and said it was a natural fit for him, "As a guy who studies history, the true joy has been to take those small moments that no one knows and make them real."

Audio for this story will be available on WBUR's web site later today.