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ttodd86's review
3.0
This is a very long book, perhaps even deceptively so. It is more than 700 pages with a smaller type size than many books. More problematic, for the reader, is that it reads long and at points it is difficult to stay engaged. Brands, whose other work I have enjoyed, takes the reader down what feels like every side story remotely related to Franklin. Some are interesting (particularly the section about early ballooning exhibitions) but many others are not and some are simply tedious.
duparker's review
3.0
Well worth the read and the time to put into this book. I enjoyed learning a lot about Franklin and learning about his world view and how it was set and evolved over time with his experiences and the challenges he accepted in life. He is very much a creature of his time, but also created his time. The book itself is very well written and paced in a strong manner.
treparker73's review against another edition
3.0
Informative. I didn't realize BF was a generation older than the other founding fathers.
bupdaddy's review
5.0
The best biography I've ever read. Franklin is so human I could walk into the next room and not be surprised to see him setting there.
The biographer also makes a very compelling argument that Ben Franklin was the most indispensable figure in the American Revolutionary adventure. Or at least tied with Washington.
Most historians agree that without George Washington, there's nobody else who could've stepped forward to successfully keep an army together, miraculously beat the most powerful country in the world, and then step down when people were asking him to become emperor.
After this book, though, you'll believe the war was unwinnable without Franklin - nobody else could've gotten the French to lend the US money and give naval support (and others did try).
Plus, of course, the man's life was fascinating.
The biographer also makes a very compelling argument that Ben Franklin was the most indispensable figure in the American Revolutionary adventure. Or at least tied with Washington.
Most historians agree that without George Washington, there's nobody else who could've stepped forward to successfully keep an army together, miraculously beat the most powerful country in the world, and then step down when people were asking him to become emperor.
After this book, though, you'll believe the war was unwinnable without Franklin - nobody else could've gotten the French to lend the US money and give naval support (and others did try).
Plus, of course, the man's life was fascinating.
musicdeepdive's review
4.5
Better than the Isaacson biography, significantly so in fact. Brands doesn't shy away from detail and the book has its dry spots as a result, but it's more balanced towards Franklin's early-mid years and I appreciate that.
jackiesam's review
5.0
This was an incredibly well written biography. It does a great job of placing Ben Franklin in context of the world that he inhabited.
searchingforcharles's review
5.0
H. W. Brands is one of my go-to authors for entertaining, informative and thorough tellings of history, and he does not disappoint with The First American.
spinnerroweok's review
5.0
What a cool guy. After reading this, I felt like I hung out with a really cool guy. I recommend.