Biography

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

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  • Create Date：2021-04-09 15:00:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Walter Isaacson
  • ISBN：074325807X
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Summary

Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us。 An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder， from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings， he seems made of flesh rather than of marble。 In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography， we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles。 By bringing Franklin to life， Isaacson shows how he helped to define both his own time and ours。

He was， during his 84-year life， America's best scientist， inventor， diplomat， writer， and business strategist， and he was also one of its most practical—though not most profound—political thinkers。 He proved by flying a kite that lightning was electricity， and he invented a rod to tame it。 He sought practical ways to make stoves less smoky and commonwealths less corrupt。 He organized neighborhood constabularies and international alliances， local lending libraries and national legislatures。 He combined two types of lenses to create bifocals and two concepts of representation to foster the nation's federal compromise。 He was the only man who shaped all the founding documents of America: the Albany Plan of Union， the Declaration of Independence， the treaty of alliance with France， the peace treaty with England， and the Constitution。 And he helped invent America's unique style of homespun humor， democratic values， and philosophical pragmatism。

But the most interesting thing that Franklin invented， and continually reinvented， was himself。 America's first great publicist， he was， in his life and in his writings， consciously trying to create a new American archetype。 In the process， he carefully crafted his own persona， portrayed it in public， and polished it for posterity。

Through it all， he trusted the hearts and minds of his fellow "leather-aprons" more than he did those of any inbred elite。 He saw middle-class values as a source of social strength， not as something to be derided。 His guiding principle was a "dislike of everything that tended to debase the spirit of the common people。" Few of his fellow founders felt this comfort with democracy so fully， and none so intuitively。

In this colorful and intimate narrative， Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life， from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman， scientist， and Founding Father。 He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson， his practical marriage， and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris。 He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century。

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Reviews

Stephen Terrell ，

You know Ben Franklin。 We all do。 The jovial founding father who flew a kite in an electrical storm。 The spinner of Poor Richard's sayings。 "A friend in need is a penny saved" or something like that。But Walter Isaacson's hefty bio of Franklin demonstrates that most of us really know little of the only Founding Father whose signature appears on all of America's critical founding documents: Declaration of Independence; the Treaty of Alliance bringing necessary French support to the American Revolu You know Ben Franklin。 We all do。 The jovial founding father who flew a kite in an electrical storm。 The spinner of Poor Richard's sayings。 "A friend in need is a penny saved" or something like that。But Walter Isaacson's hefty bio of Franklin demonstrates that most of us really know little of the only Founding Father whose signature appears on all of America's critical founding documents: Declaration of Independence; the Treaty of Alliance bringing necessary French support to the American Revolution， the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War， and the Constitution。Isaacson does a wonderful job of intermingling all aspects of Franklin -- his life as a successful printer and merchant; his life as a civic organizer of the first lending library， the first volunteer fire department， the University of Pennsylvania and even a frontier militia to defend Pennsylvania from frontier attacks organized by the French。 All this was done before Franklin ever too a leadership role in the revolution or founding of the new country。The book explores what is little known by casual observers of Franklin -- that he spent 15 or the 17 years preceding the revolution living in London。 Then following the Declaration of Independence， he spent another eight years living in Paris。 Isaacson explores Franklin's conversion from someone who tried his best to reconcile American with England， to one of the most fervent of revolutionaries。 Franklin then became one of America's shrewdest and most successful diplomats while serving in Paris， and deftly navigating between the French， the English and even those in his own delegation who sought to undermine Franklin at ever turn。Franklin returned to the United States as a wise sage who promoted the benefits of compromise for the better good。But Franklin was not without his faults。 Intermingled among his great accomplishments in science， politics and even literature， was a coolness toward his own family。 He turned his back on his family often -- not only his Tory son William， but also his wife， with whom he had a cordial but clearly not passionate relationship。 He failed to return home from London when his wife was ill， and remained in London until after she died。 By contrast， after years in England， he did not stay an extra week to attend the wedding of his son。 Anyone interested in Franklin or American history owes it to themself to read this magnificent book。 。。。more

Wander Wall ，

I can't wait to read more from you！ If you have some great pieces like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top I can't wait to read more from you！ If you have some great pieces like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top 。。。more

Dianne ，

The founding fathers are often held up as virtuous intelligent men that worked to found our country on the Christian values that they themselves believed。 I was never naive enough to believe that men that owned slaves could be held up as virtuous， but I really wanted to understand Benjamin Franklin。 He is everyone’s favorite founding father。 He was smart and funny。 What was he really like and has time erased all of his less than admirable qualities？ Walter Issacson does a good job of explaining The founding fathers are often held up as virtuous intelligent men that worked to found our country on the Christian values that they themselves believed。 I was never naive enough to believe that men that owned slaves could be held up as virtuous， but I really wanted to understand Benjamin Franklin。 He is everyone’s favorite founding father。 He was smart and funny。 What was he really like and has time erased all of his less than admirable qualities？ Walter Issacson does a good job of explaining how the change in times and philosophies change our view of historical figures。 Franklin shaped America’s view of the hard working patriot that works for the betterment of others。 Because of this some historical figures have blamed him for influencing an American work ethic that doesn’t include time for leisure and an appreciation of the arts。 During other times， he was praised for his industrialism and love of country。 One thing is for sure， Franklin was a character - smart， curious， flirtatious。 He would often play this role to the hilt if he found it advantageous to him。 The first two-thirds of the book were a lot of fun。 We learn about Franklin’s many scientific adventures and his young romances。 Unfortunately the book became tedious for me after America declared independence。 The brokering of peace with France and Britain was too political for me and I lost interest。 But， overall， the book was a very interesting read， probably meant for a more serious student of history than myself。 You might be wondering about the issue of slavery。 I do believe that Franklin grew as a moral person during his later years and he recognized slavery as a moral failure， but I didn’t see any evidence of true remorse for his past decisions。 Franklin was a truly flawed human being just like the rest of us- a slave owner， an absent father and husband and a man greedy for attention。 Not necessarily someone we should use as an example of a selfless patriot。 But he was a great showman， scientist， writer and negotiator and that makes his biography worth reading。 。。。more

Matt Benzing ，

Decent overview of Franklin’s life， but I prefer Edmund Morgan’s 2002 biography， it had more depth and detail。

Darth Daniil ，

Интресно

Ernest Wolfe ，

Wow。 The subtitle says a lot and Isaacson has me renewed in my hope that Franklin defined what it means to be an American， in terms of his intellectual curiosity， tongue-in-cheek humor， vast idealism， and so much more than I can fit into this review。 You end this book with a sense that there has perhaps never been a finer life lived by any American and that we all have much to learn from Franklin and how he fastidiously crafted his life and path to success。

Ved Gupta ，

There were only three things that I knew about Franklin before I read this book; using a kite for showing that lightning is really an electric current， $100 bills and that he was a founding father of the United States。 I wanted to know more about this person who went from poverty to riches and social and political distinction。 His ideas resonated with me and I found his principles of being industrious， frugal， honest， and hardworking very relevant for the new India。 His communication style and h There were only three things that I knew about Franklin before I read this book; using a kite for showing that lightning is really an electric current， $100 bills and that he was a founding father of the United States。 I wanted to know more about this person who went from poverty to riches and social and political distinction。 His ideas resonated with me and I found his principles of being industrious， frugal， honest， and hardworking very relevant for the new India。 His communication style and his propensity to reach meaningful compromises are also something every young man must read and learn about。 Another very important lesson from his life is that no one is perfect。 He was petty in face of criticism， neglected his wife， and treated his son like an outsider。 He was a nepotistic man as well， always offering positions of power and money to his family even when they didn't deserve it。 At the end of it， the whole world must thank Franklin for creating and guiding a society where an ambitious man if worked hard for himself will end up creating riches for the society as well。 It was a good experience to read this book。 。。。more

Fredrik ，

Walter Isaacson writes some wonderful biographies。 The only thing I really knew about Frankling， before starting this book， was the famous lightning experiment and that he was a founding father。 This book shows so many other sides of Franklin。 How he was savy and knew how to influence people， that he did not seek wealth for wealth's sake， how he strived to live a simpel life。 It is hard not to kind of like the Franklin Isaacson talks about here。 From the up and coming business man， to the old lo Walter Isaacson writes some wonderful biographies。 The only thing I really knew about Frankling， before starting this book， was the famous lightning experiment and that he was a founding father。 This book shows so many other sides of Franklin。 How he was savy and knew how to influence people， that he did not seek wealth for wealth's sake， how he strived to live a simpel life。 It is hard not to kind of like the Franklin Isaacson talks about here。 From the up and coming business man， to the old loving grandfather。 The only thing we can blame Franklin for， is the hoards of self-help books that site him and his words。 God damn you Franklin。As someone who doesn't know all that much about US history， it is also fun to see how most people were skeptical to democracy and thought it wouldn't work， couldn't work or shouldn't work。 How close US actually was to not becoming a democracy， in any sense at all。 The first 1/4 of this book was dull to me， but the later pages took a huge upturn。 So not really as enthicing as Isaacsons work on Einstein， it is still well worth the read。 。。。more

Sententia ，

Sorry， I found this terribly boring despite being a voracious history reader

Charles ，

Walter Isaacson does an exceptional job in describing Mr。 Franklin， truly an American genius in the arts， politics and science。

Silviu Novitchi ，

This is a book about writing， self improvement， science， religion， philosophy， politics， history and personal relationships。Now I know who is responsible for my industrious （read as unhappy） childhood。

Winter Rose ，

I really love your story， it deserves a lot of audience。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Benjamin ，

I got this book on "The genius biographies" book set， which includes Isaacson's biographies of Steve Jobs， Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci （as well as Franklin's）。 I must confess I started with this one just to "get it out of the way" early， and oh what a surprise of a book。 Throughout his book， Isaacson depicts a character on all of its humanity， with the good and the not-so-good stuff; his marvelous scientific discoveries; and his invaluable collaboration on what is one of the most important do I got this book on "The genius biographies" book set， which includes Isaacson's biographies of Steve Jobs， Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci （as well as Franklin's）。 I must confess I started with this one just to "get it out of the way" early， and oh what a surprise of a book。 Throughout his book， Isaacson depicts a character on all of its humanity， with the good and the not-so-good stuff; his marvelous scientific discoveries; and his invaluable collaboration on what is one of the most important documents of the world: The American Declaration of Independence。 Franklin was indeed a very interesting subject and this book really shines on walking us trough the life of one of the most important philosopher and inventor from our time。 Benjamin Franklin by Isaacson really is a very appealing， very well-researched work that will give you a very good time reading it indeed。 。。。more

Maxz ，

Found it pretty boring。 His mental models are where the gems are at。

Kherzie Andal ，

An excellent biography of Benjamin Franklin。 Mr。 Walter Isaacson provided the best he could to explain and describe the founding father of America。 A person who is from rags to riches。 A classic biography indeed！ Truly unbiased and gives you a balanced perspective of Franklin's life。 An excellent biography of Benjamin Franklin。 Mr。 Walter Isaacson provided the best he could to explain and describe the founding father of America。 A person who is from rags to riches。 A classic biography indeed！ Truly unbiased and gives you a balanced perspective of Franklin's life。 。。。more

Andrea Anderson ，

Was a good book to read

Roy ，

An interesting， complicated and intelligent man！As with most people， Ben Franklin was very complicated， so much more so than most people （especially his detractors） thought of him as。 Of course， I think that is something that happens to and for everybody， with most people being their own worst enemies。 He did have his faults of course， not least of which was how he approached his own family。 Granted that some of his family， like his dad， brother James， and to an extent his son William， didn't ma An interesting， complicated and intelligent man！As with most people， Ben Franklin was very complicated， so much more so than most people （especially his detractors） thought of him as。 Of course， I think that is something that happens to and for everybody， with most people being their own worst enemies。 He did have his faults of course， not least of which was how he approached his own family。 Granted that some of his family， like his dad， brother James， and to an extent his son William， didn't make it easy for him to have good relationships with them， but I definitely feel that he didn't give enough of an effort at hardly any of them。He was an absolute genius though。 He seemed to see things in just the way needed to make the leaps in understanding needed。Without his cool head， the treaty with France， peace accord with England and Constitutional convention would have likely all failed。 I don't believe he was as level-headed as he seemed to think he was during the reconciliation meetings with England before the war started however。 He did make many good points during those meetings， but he also came across as more than a little cranky at those meetings。Overall， I would say that his reputation as America's first rising star should be undeniable。 Also， this is an excellently researched and written biography！ 。。。more

Fredar ，

There are two types of admirable people: those who are admired and those who are admired by people who are admired。 Ben franklin is the latter one， his life and work is an inspiration to me and many others， we all have great things to learn from this remarkable man。

Anton ，

It took a while to finish this one！ I really enjoyed the first third - mostly about Ben's early years， lessons learned and ways he found to live a life。 The rest of the book was slightly too political for me。 Though I did， as a result， start to appreciate history much more。 I also learned a lot about the environment and people who laid the foundation of America。 It took a while to finish this one！ I really enjoyed the first third - mostly about Ben's early years， lessons learned and ways he found to live a life。 The rest of the book was slightly too political for me。 Though I did， as a result， start to appreciate history much more。 I also learned a lot about the environment and people who laid the foundation of America。 。。。more

Bobby ，

Good read about the man。 Not what you hear on the classroom。I highly recommend this book。Worth reading。 Good references in back of book

Fred Johnson ，

I always enjoy reading Walter Isaacson’s writing， and this book was no exception。 500 pages breeze by in enjoyable narrative， chunked into 3-4 page topics that held my attention。 Before I knew it， I was at the end。 My favorite sections were the descriptions of BF’s time in France。 Franklin was very likable IRL and as a subject of Isaacson’s pen。 His personality served his country to great effect。 Looking forward to reading more of Isaacson soon。

Aditya Prakash ，

A journey from being nothing to something of immense importance。 Their is a chapter where Franklin discussed how he induced moral values in himself。 It's the most helpful part for me。 It says that if you want to habituate something。 Do it in parts。 Divided it in smaller segments。 Then make a table and see what you are doing and how other's are affecting。 A journey from being nothing to something of immense importance。 Their is a chapter where Franklin discussed how he induced moral values in himself。 It's the most helpful part for me。 It says that if you want to habituate something。 Do it in parts。 Divided it in smaller segments。 Then make a table and see what you are doing and how other's are affecting。 。。。more

Kathleen ，

From my American history classes and reading， I knew the basics about Franklin’s life as a pithy writer， a printer， an inventor and a diplomat。 I wondered how a lowly printer became an elderly sage。 Author Walter Isaacson’s biography filled in many blanks for me。Unlike most of the founders of America， Ben Franklin was not born wealthy or well educated。 He ran away from his working class Boston family when he was sixteen and his apprenticeship to his brother as a printer。 He ended up working for From my American history classes and reading， I knew the basics about Franklin’s life as a pithy writer， a printer， an inventor and a diplomat。 I wondered how a lowly printer became an elderly sage。 Author Walter Isaacson’s biography filled in many blanks for me。Unlike most of the founders of America， Ben Franklin was not born wealthy or well educated。 He ran away from his working class Boston family when he was sixteen and his apprenticeship to his brother as a printer。 He ended up working for a printer in Philadelphia and eventually owned his own print shop。 He often wrote controversial articles under various pen names to increase his business。 At the age of 42， Franklin retired and spent his remaining years tinkering with various inventions， such as the lightening rod and representing the Pennsylvanian legislature in England。 Franklin was a loyal British subject and gradually became an American patriot。 At first he was against such seditious activities as the Boston tea party。 But he eventually realized that the divide between the English and the Americans could not be healed。Franklin was very well read and civic minded。 He started many needed services in Philadelphia including the fire department and a public library。 He served as the postmaster of the colonies for many years。Franklin’s personal life was a surprise to me。 Several times he left his wife and their children in Philadelphia and spent years in England or France。 While away he created “counterpoint” families of a woman and her children。 So， no matter， where he lived， he had a family of sorts around him。 He loved the women， especially the younger ones， and they reciprocated， even when he was an old man。 They found him charming。 Franklin didn’t return home when his wife became ill and eventually died。 He was too feted to be bothered。 He was glorying in being the most famous American in England and France。 When he finally returned home he became the president Pennsylvania of the Constitutional Congress。Born in 1706， Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84。 He had several maladies including gout。After listening to Ron Chernow’s Washington: A Life， I found Isaacson’s writing to be more relaxed， rather casual。 I’m not sure if that is a reflection of the two writers or of their subjects。 Franklin did not have， or care to have， the social rank of Washington and was a casual sort of man。Now that I’m more familiar with Franklin’s life story， I’m somewhat interested in reading his autobiography。 I listened to the audio book which was well narrated by Nelson Runger。 。。。more

Tom Mangano ，

Finally got around to the Isaacson gem， a nicely balanced view of this remarkable life。

Wagner Andrasic ，

Interesting and Enjoyable

John ，

I'm on a kick where I've decided to read biographies on every U。S。 president。 After reading Washington's， I decided to read bios on all the founding fathers as well。 I chose Isaacson's because I enjoyed his bio on Steve Jobs。 An American Life （AAL） doesn't live up to the standard Isaacson set eight years later with his Jobs bio， but it's still a thorough， enjoyable look at Franklin's life。The main problem with AAL is the lack of context Isaacson provides regarding Franklin's treatment of his fam I'm on a kick where I've decided to read biographies on every U。S。 president。 After reading Washington's， I decided to read bios on all the founding fathers as well。 I chose Isaacson's because I enjoyed his bio on Steve Jobs。 An American Life （AAL） doesn't live up to the standard Isaacson set eight years later with his Jobs bio， but it's still a thorough， enjoyable look at Franklin's life。The main problem with AAL is the lack of context Isaacson provides regarding Franklin's treatment of his family。 He spends the vast majority of his marriage living overseas away from his wife （and， sometimes， children）。 The author doesn't gloss over this， but there is no context provided to help the reader understand if this was a relatively common arrangement for people like Franklin at the time。 The reader is left thinking of Franklin as a great American — possibly the greatest — who was a scumbag when it came to being a husband and father。 Maybe that's true， but it would be nice to know。 This is the only bio of Franklin I've read or plan to read， so I can't tell you whether it's particularly good relative to the other options。 I can't imagine there's much more to discover about Franklin's story， though， so I recommend it for anyone looking for a bio on him。3。5/5 stars 。。。more

Mark Ferisin ，

I have been reading this at the same time as I read the Federalist Papers。 This book brings interesting color to the "authoritative guide" to the US Constitution （the Federalist Papers） by describing the life and works of the man who helped draft the US Constitution。 I have been reading this at the same time as I read the Federalist Papers。 This book brings interesting color to the "authoritative guide" to the US Constitution （the Federalist Papers） by describing the life and works of the man who helped draft the US Constitution。 。。。more

Kenneth Godsey ，

Listened on my runs。 So interesting to hear about his personality and quirks。 An everything in moderation man， enjoys the fruits of his labor， but is practical and also willing to listen and compromise。 Add a touch of spite！ Also， a belief that America is not based on a theocracy， something a few Americans these days should be reminded of。

David Riley ，

Writing biographies isn't an easy feat。 Especially on someone as polarizing as Benjamin Franklin。 Walter does an excellent job。 He illuminates the reasoning behind Franklin's actions without glorifying him。 You'll read this in peaks and valleys - flying through the parts of BF's life you find interesting and trudging through the others。 There's no way not to。 BF's accomplishments are that diverse。 It's obvious why people like Charlie Munger look up to him。 He is much more than the man with the k Writing biographies isn't an easy feat。 Especially on someone as polarizing as Benjamin Franklin。 Walter does an excellent job。 He illuminates the reasoning behind Franklin's actions without glorifying him。 You'll read this in peaks and valleys - flying through the parts of BF's life you find interesting and trudging through the others。 There's no way not to。 BF's accomplishments are that diverse。 It's obvious why people like Charlie Munger look up to him。 He is much more than the man with the kite。 。。。more

Michelle Schwartz Jackson ，

I found this very interesting。 As children， you see this older gentleman playing with a kite and discovering electricity。 However， he was such an eccentric man with a diverse personality。 Flirting with women and spending most of his married life living in a different country from his wife。 Inventing things out of curiosity but not patenting them so everyone can enjoy their usage。 Really， he's the founder of the middle class in America。 While I think I would be annoyed by him if I knew him person I found this very interesting。 As children， you see this older gentleman playing with a kite and discovering electricity。 However， he was such an eccentric man with a diverse personality。 Flirting with women and spending most of his married life living in a different country from his wife。 Inventing things out of curiosity but not patenting them so everyone can enjoy their usage。 Really， he's the founder of the middle class in America。 While I think I would be annoyed by him if I knew him personally， I can agree with the author that he truly was the designer of our basic American ideals。** Possible spoilerMy favorite fun fact？ I grew up hearing and using the phrase "snug as a bug in a rug" when all wrapped up and cozy。 Only to learn that Benjamin Franklin made this phrase up in an epitaph for a dead pet squirrel。 "Here Skugg/Lies snug/As a bug/In a rug。" Made me laugh and now when I hear it， I'll always think we are saying we are as snuggled in and cozy as a dead squirrel。 :） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Benjamin Franklin: An American Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Benjamin Franklin: An American Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0