Rating: 
Summary: A Good Monograph
Review: I assigned this to college freshmen and sophomores. It was a fairly enjoyable read for them.... and sparked alot of discussion. It did portray Franklin as a saint, and I would have like a more balanced view of his "dalliances."
Rating: 
Summary: I gave up
Review: After reading "John Adams", I was all geared up to read another book about a major Founding Father. What a disappointment this book was! Isaacson wrote a great biography on Kissinger. He also was a great magazine writer. Yet I had to give up on this book because it was such a bore. The writing style was too boring. Even though I was reading about some of the highly impressive things Franklin accomplished, I was bored to tears. Contrast that with the amazing prose and writing style of McCullough's biography on Adams. Even during some of the recounting of Franklin's adventures with women (who knew he got around so much in those supposedly virtuous days?), I was bored. Yet when I read "John Adams", McCullough could be describing the most minute details about Adams' shoes and I would be riveted to every word. This book got lots of hype and publicity because of who the author is. Had it been Joe Schmoe who wrote such a boring book, it would be panned by its editors and never make its way to the bookstore.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Full
Review: A very full story, indeed, of one of our greatest Founders,
Benjamin Franklin. The author covers his entire life, from
when his parents came to the American Colonies, until slightly
after his death, and most of that time, Franklin was serving
his country. He served it when it consisted of a handful of
independent colonies, and even his home, Pennsylvania, was
ruled by a "proprietor" rather than a Royal Governor, through
detailed involvement with our American Revolution, and then participation in establishing both the credit and diplomatic
status of the new USA.
The author traces how, even in his own time, Franklin fortunes were both up and down, as he particpated in the political processes, and then how, over the years since, his fortunes
also bounced up and down through the years as the political
and business climate changed. But Franklin has always been there for us, whether writing to inspire new Colonists to achieve their best, to imploring the English Parliament to treat
their American Colonies with better respect and to include them as equal partners in the British Empire, to "sweet-talking" the
French into loaning money to a bankrupt new nation.
At a time when the future of the American Revolution was hanging
in the balance, and all nations were waiting to see how the war
for independence would work out, it was Franklin who kept working on influencing the French to aid us, and it was Franklin
who made all the rounds in Paris, talking to scientists, diplomats, businessmen and royal ministers at a time when the
French Foreign Minister was telling Congress to withdraw John Adams from France, and when no one wanted to help our fledging
efforts. Only Franklin devoted so many years of his life to
our cause, spending 10 years in England trying to convince the
English politicians to draw the Colonies into the fold of the Empire, rather than push them away, and it was Franklin who shortly thereafter, when the Revolution actually began, crossed
the Atlantic once again to France, where he spent more years
convincing the French to aid the US both militarily and economically.
The author points out it was only Franklin who had the amiability, wit and solid reputation to withstand personal and
political attacks while continuing to work on behalf of his
nation.
Unhappily, the author spends a bit too much time judging some
of Franklin's actions and life by today's standards, when such
doesn't seem appropriate at all, but then he rescues himself by
including at the end of his book his assessment that Franklin
was without equal in his life of service to the Colonies and his
new nation.
He also points out that when the Constitutional Convention convened, and Franklin was in his 70s (and participants noted
he seemed to sleep a lot), only Franklin and Geo.Washington had
the reputation and standing to cause other delegates to sometimes re-think positions and to compromise so that the vital Convention would go forward and not break down in disharmony.
The author also quotes several times from the famed biography
of John Adams by McCullough, and he does a nice job of presenting contrasting opinions of those two giants, where they
disagreed strongly at times, and he also reconciles those seemingly-opposing views. He valuably shows us how Franklin and Adams were able to keep working toward the same great goals,
even when they disagreed with each other.
John Adams was very intemperate in his criticisms of Franklin,
and this author very nicely explains how and why Franklin never
reactly strongly against Adams.
This book also delves into the strong political opposition to
Franklin brought by the influencial Lee family from Virginia,
and how Franklin handled all that difficulty.
Also covered, with great interest, is Franklin's relations with
his son, William, and his grandchildren. Most readers will have
to wonder how Benj. was able to distance himself from son William when the son remained loyal to the British crown and
later settled in England, while Benjamin fought against the crown with all his ability. It was a very strained family relationship and one that deserves to be understood.
As noted, the author does a fine job of putting everything together at the end of this book, where he puts Franklin in proper historical context, and he then explores Franklin's
legacy through his writings, his friends and family, and how
they fared after his life ended.
There is considerable detail here, and the student of history
will be well rewarded by reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very enlightening
Review: Until I read this book I had little knowledge of this great thinker's remarkable life. But Walther Isaacson has made that life relevent to free-thinkers all over the world; not just Americans. Franlkin was a man of peace, like his fellow first American statesmen. What they would make of America's actions of late I cannot imagine. But certainly Franklin was a diplomat who saw force as a last resort. This is a splendid achievement. Well done to Mr Isaacson.
Rating:
Summary: Benjamin Franklin
Review: Walter Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin portrayed him very well. He focused a lot on the construction and experiences of his family. He would go well into detail about things, sometimes almost to the point that it was no longer interesting. He did depict him, however, as a strong leader and an amazing writer that strived to improve the times. Isaacson would also go into depth about Franklin's many accomplishments, which covered a wide range of things. He was a very talented man and invented and discovered things that are a large part of our lives today. Isaacson touched on Franklin's strong relationships with not only his family, but the people he worked with every day. This biography displays Franklin's character as hard-working and determined. Franklin was brought to life and really respected in this biography.
Rating: 
Summary: overexposed
Review: Isaacson ought to be embarrassed by the shameless hype this book got from his old cronies at Time and CNN. It's not a bad book but it's just not in the same league with HW Brands' "The First American," which is both more scholarly and readable -- despite getting almost no notice in the general media. Take a pass on this and pick up Brands' book if you want a thorough review of Franklin's fascinating life.
Rating:
Summary: Decent
Review: Neither a character study nor a narravative, but a little of both, this book never finds a rhythem. You will not feel you wasted your time with the book and will most certainly learn something if you have read little of Franklin previously. I commend the author for trying but the work never quite makes it up to the higher level of biograhies.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT BIOGRAPHY ON OUR FOUNDING GRANDFATHER . . .
Review: __________________________________________________________________________________ To me there's always been a bit of grandfatherly charm about Ben Franklin, not only because he was older and more mature than our other founding fathers - but, let's face it, he looks the part. The etchings and paintings that have come down to us show exactly what I mean. And then there are all those wise and witty sayings he's passed down to us (though you'll learn how he borrowed a couple from old books he read) . . . oh, well . . . I don't have a problem in giving him credit for having "found" the few he didn't make up. Wise, yes . . . WISE. That's the word that personifies Benjamin Franklin and this book wholly supports that notion and lends it justice. Walter Isaacson has written a masterful and comprehensive biography. This book encompasses the entire life of Benjamin Franklin - his early life, family and friends; the development of his talents and skills; his romances - both real and imaginary; his entrepreneurial proclivities; his fascination and experimentation with the unknown and the resulting scientific inventions and other contributions he made; his philosophical pursuits; his family and friendships - both tender and tragic; his life as a statesman and ambassador - including his many travels; his strong antiroyalist views and the part he played in our early country's revolution and severence from Britain; his relationships and interchange with the other founding fathers and the invaluable role he played in the forming of our nation and it's government (particularly as a catalytic peacemaker between all the personalities involved and the various interests they represented); his religious, ethical and moral views; his programs for self-improvement; health issues throughout his life; his growing old gracefully; and how all these things contributed toward his becoming a legend and an institution in his own time as well as ours. Without going into specifics, these are few of the major areas you'll read about in this wonderfully written account. There are many interesting and detailed stories in Franklin's life that Isaacson has painstakingly researched here and he provides helpful analysis by pointing out what he believes Franklin's true feelings and motives were as we look back in retrospect. After reading this book, I wanted to read it again. And I did, sort of. Since I'm on the road so much I decided to give the audio book a try. I'm pleased to say it does the actual book justice. I'll warn you in advance, I'm very nitpicky about readers used for audio versions because they play such a crucial role, almost making or breaking an otherwise good book. At first I didn't care for Boyd Gaines. His voice, in my opinion, seemed too young, proper and "ivy-leaguish." In my attempts to conceptualize the protagonist I'd been hoping for a voice that was down-to-earth, witty and, yes, grandfatherly. I still think such a voice would make more sense, however, to be fair to Mr. Gaines, he made the most of what he has. After a couple of chapters, I began getting used to his delivery style. All together, he did a pretty fair job, kept his cadence up and read in a straight-forward manner. Most importantly, he resisted any urge to pontificate, which I abhor. This is a five star book. You'll be happy you took the time to read it.
Rating:
Summary: LESSONS THAT APPLY TODAY
Review: A reader said this book should be required reading for
high school kids. I say, make it required reading for adults,
too, especially if you agree with me that this country has lost its way and a dose of Franklin wouldn't hurt. For instance, when Benjamin Franklin lived in Paris, he had an enemy in propaganda, Lord Stormont, who consistently put out false information about Franklin's activities and attitudes. When asked to comment about the British Ambassador, Franklin replied, "That's not a truth. That's a Stormont." The term "Stormonter" soon became a fashionable word in Paris to describe falsehood, and was a weak pun on the French word "mentir", meaning to lie. Concerned Americans may wish to borrow from Franklin's example and begin using the
term "bush" to describe an exageration, an important omission, a misleading comment,
or deceitful pattern of behavior. "You're bushing me, right?" one might say when met with surprising news. "No bush" could be a hip new way of saying "No lie." John Kerry could respond to any Bush accusation, "That's not a truth. That's a bush." Following Franklin's precedent, even the word "Bu_ sh_ " is a bad pun on the American slang for lie. Simply insert a pause, and the rest will come naturally. And that's the kind of idea that you get from communing with Franklin for awhile. Reference: Walter Issacson, Benjamin Franklin, An American Life, Simon & Schuster, 2003,
page 340
Rating:
Summary: A peek into an amazing personality
Review: This is a phenomenal book! Every American student is familiar with Ben Franklin because of his vast accomplishments in science, government, writings, and civic contributions. However, we never quite learn "who he was as a person". Walter Isaacon's well-researched biography provides a strong insight into his personality, lifestyle, strengths, and weaknesses. Moreover, he relates Franklin's changing attitudes throughout key periods in his life. After having read this book, I came away with a strong understanding of why Franklin saw America as a society whose future would be anchored in the improvement of the common man, or as he said, the "middling man". This concept permeated his entire life. Ergo, his constant obsession with establishing a set of "life's rules" that would make the common man individually successful and at the same time creating synergy among individuals that would result in a strong, productive and prosperous society.
Franklin's basic personality contained an underlying selfishness that created somewhat of a dichotomy with his social vision. Notwithstanding the fact that he created clubs, libraries, the fire department and other institutions, he always kept his personal agenda at the forefront of his actions. The epitome of this trait is demonstrated in that he didn't see his wife, for 15 of her last 17 years of life. He was just too busy with political activities in Europe. In addition, he literally kidnapped his grandsons from his children in order to raise them in a manner that he thought best. Although history often presents him as a stoic, upstanding statesman, Isaacon's reveals his interest in affairs of the heart with the "ladies". Right up to the time of death, he enjoyed the charm of opposite sex.
As a great thinker and indivualist, he wrestled with the institution of slavery. From his youth through middle age, he accepted the slave as an inferior whose lot in life was to serve. Franklin even owned Black servants. Ultimately, he could not reconcile his philosophy of individual freedom and liberty with the holding of slaves. Before his death, he supported the abolition of slavery.
Franklin's specific character appears to be the template for what evolved into the persona of "The American". That personality exudes the free spirited individual lifestyle that evolves in a society where status is not determined by birth. The basis of the American culture that Franklin helped to start is determined by each individual's unique contribution to the society. The value of these contributions ultimately determines the individual's status and prosperity within the community while at the same time insuring the economic success and growth of the country. This enlightened self-interest has its shortcomings in the same selfishness and prejudices that Franklin displayed in his life. However, like Franklin, America tends to move, change, and grow. Ultimately, the fate of America will be determined by how our individuality is balanced against the challenges of a society that is changing rapidly. If Franklin could somehow return today, I believe that he would admonish us to return to the fundamentals that helped us successfully start this society i.e. discipline, frugality, individual responsibility, and enlightened self interest.
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