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jackhalfawake's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
It's a good introduction to Franklin's life. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on - I especially like the description of Franklin's early years and support of the british - but it feels not quite all-developed. Each section covers years of his life and lots of complex events, but we only get a simple survey of it all. This is especially true of his relationships - really we only get a good understanding of Franklin and his wife, and his son. Everyone else feels a bit out of focus.
There's a throughline in this book that Franklin is misinterpreted and reinterpreted by posterity, and we seem him building up the myth of himself throughout his life, but it feels like there could be a book just on Franklin the myth. Reading this book made me wish it was longer, or more narrowly focused.
There's a throughline in this book that Franklin is misinterpreted and reinterpreted by posterity, and we seem him building up the myth of himself throughout his life, but it feels like there could be a book just on Franklin the myth. Reading this book made me wish it was longer, or more narrowly focused.
akenny614's review against another edition
5.0
Intimate look into the life of Mr. Ben, warts and all...and he had a lot of warts.
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Interesting book; well organized, obviously well-sourced. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I had any working background on Franklin. This isn't a biography (and doesn't pretend to be) but I didn't realize how lacking my foundational knowledge was until I was plodding through it. It's pretty dry and academic, but it is useful in exploring Franklin's life and evolution in neatly contained sections.
I don't know that it convinced me the Benjamin Franklin I've learned about is a "myth," though. I went into this book thinking the basics - Franklin was a self-made man, a hard worker, a bit of a cad, a liturgical genius, a scientist, a diplomat, and a patriot. I came away thinking the same thing, with the exception that I had more nuance to the thoughts. So I am not sure that the thesis is adequately argued or answered - yes, we tend to view Franklin through a populist, sanitized lens, but we do that for all the founders, and I don't think this author successfully defined that lens as incorrect. Franklin WAS a hard worker, and a patriot. In fact of all the founders/early presidents I've read about lately, the "myth" we seem to get fed of Franklin seems, even after this book, to be the most correct.
Also, Wood shied away from the idea of talking about Franklin's ownership of enslaved persons until the very end, when he only discussed Franklin deciding to oppose slavery.
I don't know that it convinced me the Benjamin Franklin I've learned about is a "myth," though. I went into this book thinking the basics - Franklin was a self-made man, a hard worker, a bit of a cad, a liturgical genius, a scientist, a diplomat, and a patriot. I came away thinking the same thing, with the exception that I had more nuance to the thoughts. So I am not sure that the thesis is adequately argued or answered - yes, we tend to view Franklin through a populist, sanitized lens, but we do that for all the founders, and I don't think this author successfully defined that lens as incorrect. Franklin WAS a hard worker, and a patriot. In fact of all the founders/early presidents I've read about lately, the "myth" we seem to get fed of Franklin seems, even after this book, to be the most correct.
Also, Wood shied away from the idea of talking about Franklin's ownership of enslaved persons until the very end, when he only discussed Franklin deciding to oppose slavery.
real_life_reading's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book because it was a very succinct read and it had some excellent information in it. There was a lot in here about Benjamin Franklin I never knew, and I really loved Wood's interpretation on how Franklin became the image of the American Dream, despite actually being very much disliked in America at the time of his death. Fantastic for anyone interested in Benjamin Franklin or the American Revolution.
irinagoldberg1's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this even more than Walter Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin.
nickjonesreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A well written and engaging read. For somebody like myself who cared very little about American history growing up, I am fascinated to see how different men like Benjamin Franklin were from my conception of them based on a cursory Reading of survey level histories and American pop culture. Recommended!