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greatlibraryofalexandra 's review for:
The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
by Gordon S. Wood
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
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.