Benjamin Franklin : An American Life

Rating:
Summary: Advocate of an American Middle Class Society
Review: In the last chapter of the book the author noted "...we must rescue Franklin from the schoolbook caricature of a genial codger flying kites in the rain and spouting homespun maxims about a penny saved being a penny earned. We must also rescue him from the critics who would confuse him with the character he carefully crafted in his Autobiography." and the text continues "To assess Franklin properly, we must view him, instead, in all his complexity." Walter Isaacson, the author, does an excellent job rescuing Benjamin Franklin in this biography.

Franklin grew up in Boston where he was expected to attend Harvard and become a minister. Franklin lacked interest in religion, and at age ten his father placed Franklin in an apprenticeship later becoming an apprentice in his brother's print shop. With this redirection, Isaacson notes "...Franklin acquired something that was perhaps just as enlightening as a Harvard education: the training and experiences of a publisher, printer, and newspaperman." In addition, Franklin was an avid reader and was self-educated in many areas. At age 17 Franklin ran away from home and began a printing apprenticeship in Philadelphia. The text gives an excellent narrative of Franklin's history as he progressed as a printer, author, publisher, philosopher, scientist and finally a diplomat. Throughout his long career, Franklin retained his affection for the middle class and its virtues of hard work and frugality while opposing the privileges of inheritance and wealth.

Chapter Six provides an account of Franklin's accomplishments as a scientist and inventor. "His work on electricity was recognized as ushering in a scientific revolution...." And "the terms positive and negative charges devised by Franklin are the ones we still use today."

The author's gives a fascinating account of Franklin's assignment in Great Britain where Franklin concluded "Britain would therefore be best served....by treating the people of the colonies as full citizens of the empire, with the same liberties and economic aspirations." The reader can only speculate what the United States and the world would be like today had Britain accepted Franklin's vision of the British Empire. When it became clear that Britain has little sympathy for colonial rights, Franklin became an American patriot. Now a political outcast in Britain, Franklin nevertheless tried informally to resolve the crisis; but failing in this endeavor, he returned to America in April 1775 where he became a signers of the Declaration of Independence.

With the onset of the Revolution, Franklin was sent to France where he was received as the world's most famous America. Isaacson narrates Franklin's effective diplomatic work in France noting that "into his hands, almost as much as those of Washington and others, had been placed the fate of the Revolution" and notes "he would display a dexterity that would make him the greatest American diplomat of all times." Here "in his spare time Franklin perfected one of his most famous and useful invention: bifocal glasses." When the Revolution ended and the peace treat with Britain was signed, Franklin returned to America. The text now gives an interesting account of Franklin's contributions at the 1787 Constitutional Convention where he proposed the critical workable compromise. He proposed that Representatives to the lower House would be popularly elected and apportioned by population, but in the Senate "the Legislatures of the several States shall choose and send an equal number of Delegates." After the Convention, in the last year of his life, he embarked on a public mission to abolish slavery presenting a formal abolition petition to Congress in February 1790. The petition was rejected by Congress. At the age of 84, Franklin died on April 17, 1790.

The text gives a balanced account of Franklin, noting his poor family relations which included a physical abandonment of his wife. He also effectively separated control and affection of some of his grandchildren from their parents. Regarding Franklin's womanizing, Isaacson concludes "Among his many reputations was that of a legendary and lecherous old lover who had many mistresses among the ladies of Paris. The reality....was somewhat less titillating. His fames female friends were mistresses only of his mind and soul. Yet that hardly made their relationships less interesting."

The last chapter titled CONCLUSIONS is extremely interesting as the assessment of Franklin over time is given. He was popular following his death, but in the early 1800s was rejected during the philosophic Romantic Era that followed the Age Of Enlightment. His star ascended again following the Civil War, but the pendulum again swung against him in the 1920s. Today Franklin receives mixed but generally positive reviews.

Everything the reader would want to know about Ben Franklin is answered in this book while Walter Isaacson rescues him from the image of "a genial codger flying kites in the rain."

Rating:
Summary: Well-written Biography
Review: Isaacson does a wonderful job of telling the story of Franklin's life, with many fascinating details along the way. This book is one of those rare biographies that reads like an engrossing novel. One is given excellent insight into the politics of the American Revolution both in America and in Europe at the time. This is one of the best biographies you will ever read.

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Summary: A new, and revealing view of Franklin as founding father
Review: This bestseller keeps hanging in there week after week with good reason. It presents a new view of Franklin as a founding father. There are other founding fathers, of course: Washington, Jefferson, and Adams come to mind almost immediately. But Franklin was different from them. Author Isaacson describes him as: "America's best scientist, inventor,
diplomat, writer, and business strategist, and also one of its most practical, though not most profound,political thinkers."

Isaacson has hit upon one other thing that Franklin did throughout his adult life that has molded Americans into what they are today. He believed in the virtues and values of a middle class. This idea was new to the world because it was not until Franklin's time that the concept of a middle class even came into being. Up to then, the world was divided mostly into rich and poor, with nothing in between. Unlike Washington,
Jefferson, or even Adams, Franklin believed in the common man; he believed common men could be trusted to run a government based on human decency. And Franklin, ever PR conscious, worked atcreating an image of himself as a common man. Indeed, before the lords and nobles of the French Court, as an aging diplomat, he wore a fur cap, depicting himself as a backwoods sage (but he extracted enough money from them to keep our Revolution going).

Throughout, the book reveals many new insights into the life and character of this giant of American history. The more the author tells us about the real Franklin, the greater his appeal as a founding father...he was funny and bright. Washington, Jefferson, or Adams, though great, or perhaps greater giants of American history, tended toward the serious and heavy side of human relationships. Franklin possessed a fun-loving nature,
a ready wit, and at the same time, was an astute observer of the human scene as well as a delightful drinking companion.

If you enjoy reading about people who made this country what it is today, surely there is no better volume than Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: an American Life. It's clear that Isaacson thought long and hard about the apt title. Franklin's profound influence upon on us as Americans is very much with us today.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable insight into Prerevolutionary Times
Review: In American Mythology certain figures stand out as legendary symbols of what it is "to be American"; the short list enshrines Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Franklin.

When reading biography -- particularly of great men -- the benefit for the average reader is to understand what made them great, what the exact mixture of times, traits, and fortune provided the opportunity for them to rise to the occassion and put their mark on history.

Franklin occupies a unique position. While included as a founding father along with Washington and Jefferson (et al), it may be more appropriate to identify him as the Founding Grandfather as he was 70 when the revolution began.

Where most biographies of the revolutionary generation necessarily dwell on the period the war, the framing, and the transition from the Federalists to the Republicans a biography of Franklin must "set the table" for all these events which are to come.

Isaacson does an admirable job of this, demonstrating the characteristics and decisions which led Franklin to lead his generation to the break with England.

This work is definitely worth the investment to read and reflect on.

Rating:
Summary: Read this Book!!
Review: Benjamin Franklin : An American Life by Walter Isaacson is an incredible biography about an incredible American. The book is very readable and flows easily. Just for these qualities, the book is highly recommended and a must read for anyone interested in the founding of our nation.

Isaacson does a marvelous job intertwining the life of Franklin with the founding of our country. This is not a difficult assignment since the two are so intertwined and it is questionable as to whether the nation would have ever existed if not for the efforts of Franklin. Isaacson takes us through the early life of Franklin, his beginnings as a printer and his development as a thinker, business man, scientist and inventor. What becomes clear is that Franklin was the epitome of what we now call a Renaissance Man. But Isaacson is not uncritical of Franklin, where criticism is due. Most of that criticism is saved for Franklin's private life and his inexcusable treatment of his wife and son.

On the political level, Franklin was present at every major event that led to the founding of our nation. He signed and help write the Declaration of Independence, was critical in gaining the treaty with France that was instrumental in obtaining independence, was essential to the negotiations with Britain that ended the War, and played an essential role in the writing of the Constitution. Isaacson discusses all of these events and the role that Franklin played.

If you are interested in the founding of our country read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Dull, dull, dull.
Review: A biography of Franklin ought to be full of life, virtually impossible to put down. Here is a man who lived life to the full, had wit and charm, not to mention a pretty sharp sense of humour - and Isaacson provides us with an account that has all the verve of a high school history report.

One of the difficulties with biography is that you already know most of the plot, and you probably know how it ends too. To create a sense of suspense and excitement, you need to need to do two things. First, you need to construct a "plot" that is more than just a chain of events - you need to turn this life into some kind of story. Second, you need to add enough originality and insight to give the reader something they hadn't thought of before - a new twist on a familiar tale.

Isaacson does neither. He follows Franklin from cradle to grave, covering his life with reasonable thoroughness, some attention to alternative sources and points of view, and with excellent command of English grammar and vocabulary. For this he is to be commended - his experience as a successful journalist shows. However, he has not managed to create anything that pulls the reader a long - neither the "what next" plot nor the "what will he tell me next" insights.

If anyone wants to read a diametrically opposite biographical effort, try "My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos" by Bruce Schechter. This is a biography of a mathemetician - exactly the sort of book you'd expect to be irredeemably dull. Far from it - it's the kind you can't put down. That is exactly what Franklin deserved, and Isaacson has let him (and us) down.

Rating:
Summary: Readers will be rewarded for their time!
Review: Isaacson, W. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003)
It is safe to say that almost every American has heard of Benjamin Franklin, it also reasonable to assume that a large percentage of people could describe his exploits with a kite and lightning or his role as a founding father. But what most people are unaware of is the richness of his life and the enormous influence he had in the development of our nation; influence that continues to this day. In his book Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, Walter Isaacson not only recounts Franklin's life but in a richly detailed narrative gives the reader an insight into the foundations of his beliefs; beliefs that would guide every aspect of his life.
Benjamin Franklin's life was marked by distinctly unique periods, from his time as an entrepreneurial printer to that of the sage elder statesmen. Isaacson uses these periods as the delineating marks in his recounting of Franklin's life. This process produces a neat and tidy manuscript, but leads to a somewhat truncated view of Franklin's life that is devoid of the natural ebb and flow of real-life. Although careful readers will note that these periods are not distinct unto themselves and that they often overlap and are ultimately part of an overall story.
An overriding theme of Franklin's life was the evolution he underwent as a person. He constantly sought out new experiences and undertook intellectual growth throughout his life. Of particular interest was the continual process of introspection he engaged in, this led to the formation of his thirteen virtues. Virtues that he not only extolled others to follow but for the most part followed himself. Isaacson points out that even though Franklin was steadfast in his own beliefs he was not overbearing in his views, through his use of the Socratic method he presented himself in very non-confrontational way and was seen by those around him as not only benevolent but sagacious as well. This view is often the historical depiction of Benjamin Franklin, a view that some historians would argue that Franklin was very cognitive of and careful to cultivate during his lifetime.
In many ways Benjamin Franklin was first and foremost a pragmatist. His ideas and thoughts were not based upon deeply philosophical roots but rather emanated from his notions about practicality and fairness. Isaacson notes that one of the primary reasons for Franklin's immense popularity with the "common" man was the simplicity of his ideas and the homespun and folksy manner in which they were presented. But, that for all his popularity Franklin is rarely viewed as an influential thinker (certainly not in the league of Locke or Aquinas). Although it could be plausibly argued that his ideas are of equal value and in the case of the development of American ideals, more important.
The degree to which Benjamin Franklin influenced America is difficult to overstate. However, Isaacson notes that some of the things that he most well known for such as the Franklin stove are often overstated in their usefulness. At the same time some of his most impact full ideas are often ignored. Things such as tolerance, service to ones community and equality (an ideal that he practiced to varying degrees).
Anyone who has even passing interest in human nature, history, or the United States of America will find this text both insightful and interesting. Isaacson writes in very fluid manner that makes consuming the voluminous text that is Franklin's life much easier and enjoyable. The work appears to be exhaustively researched and draws information from multiple sources. Isaacson is not overly critical of Franklin, but he clearly states that Franklin was a man and prone to flaws like any man.
I personally found the book very enjoyable. As I was reading I started to dog-ear each page that contained some bit of information that I wanted to remember or reference for later use. By the time I finished reading I realized that about a quarter of the pages were dog-eared. I found so many of Franklin's words insightful and believe they are as meaningful today as they were two-hundred fifty years ago.

Rating:
Summary: A Serious and Fully Enjoyable Read
Review: If you are looking for a holiday gift that is both serious and enjoyable while capturing much of the spirit of America's founding, you need go no further than "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life."

Isaacson understands something about the American Revolution and the founding fathers that many students of the era never quite get. Each founding father plays an essential role in our becoming an independent republic. Washington is the titan of moral authority on whose integrity our nation rests. Jefferson is the brilliant writer and theorist who helped create modern politics. Madison's systematic hard work created the system of legislative power and constitutional authority that protects our freedoms. Hamilton's understanding of economics and social forces established the capitalist structure, which has made this the wealthiest society in history.

Yet in the deepest sense, these great men were pre-American. They belonged to an earlier, different era where most were landed gentry. Even Hamilton longed for the stability of monarchy.

Only Franklin personified the striving, ambitious, rising system of individual achievement, hard work, thrift and optimism found at the heart of the American spirit. Only Franklin worked his way up in the worlds of business and organized political power in both colonial and national periods. Only Franklin was a world-renowned scientist, founder of corporations, inventor of devices and creator of the American mythos of the common man.

Gordon Wood's "The Radicalism of the American Revolution" caught intellectually this sudden shift from the stable, serious gentry who dominated the founding to the wild, energetic, boisterous Jacksonians who came to define the American ethos.

Franklin is the precursor to the Jacksonians. He personified, literally lived, the American dream and then captured it in an amazingly self aware, fun to read autobiography, which may be the first great book of the American civilization.

Isaacson has captured and portrayed Franklin in all his glory and complexity. This is a book worth giving any of your friends who would better understand America or any foreigner who wonders at our energy, our resilience, our confidence and our success.

Rating:
Summary: Essence of Success and Versatility
Review: This book provided many insights into the life and accomplishments of one of the most interesting people in recent U.S. and world history. Benjamin Franklin is also one of the most fascinating figures in American history. A man with many talents in life. Cerebral yet approachable. A guy who would have a casual conversation with a stranger in a pub over a beer. Isaacson also portrays this down-to-Earth man in a down-to-Earth style.

I will steal one reader's words and paraphrase his statement that Benjamin Franklin started out as a "leather-aproned shopkeeper and ascended to be a man who dined with Kings." Walter Isaacson also correctly notes (in my opinion) that Franklin deserves to be credited with being an innovator and creator of the American political- psychological and political-socio-cultural framework of which it operates today (philosophically) as least as much, and even moreso than Jefferson.

Though much of the contemporary recognition of Franklin is of his political doings, his innovations and successes as urban entrepreneur, business planner, scientist, inventor, writer, publicist and diplomat are what have defined the life of this well-rounded man.

He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Paris, (ending the Revolutionary War), and Constitution, our nation's most sacred and viable document. Franklin was a genius and a man ahead of his time. It's important to realize that if Franklin ever held public office in this day in age his marital and sexual history would have brought him down. How interesting is that over 200 years ago there was more tolerance of certain aspects in regard to public figures' lives in American society.

Visit his resting place in Philadelphia and throw a penny on his grave to pay homage to Franklin, as he said, "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant portrayal
Review: Walter Isaacson has given us a biographry free of obtuse language and boring litanies. Instead he portrays Benjamin Franklin in a most down to earth way. Benjamin Franklin is not often described with the same fanfare of other founding fathers in part because he was older than George Washington, John Hancock or John Adams and didn't bear the burdens of the Revolution in the same way but this book demonstrates why Benjamin Franklin is indeed the epitome of Americanism and why he was so very well respected. He was willing to wrestle with anything that intrigued him, whether politics, electricity or patterns in everyday life. He remained humble and personable, warm and brilliant. He was a consummate American and is portrayed that way - as a man who was never too self absorbed to have a conversation with a stranger in a pub.