---
product_id: 1273777
title: "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life"
price: "RM45"
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---

# Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

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desertcart.com: Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Audible Audio Edition): Walter Isaacson, Nelson Runger, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books

Review: "He snatched lightning from the sky and scepters from tyrants." - WHAT I LIKED: - Benjamin Franklin. He is an absolutely amazing person, whose splendid character shines forth in his own writings and the descriptions of his activities. Even one of Franklin’s famous rivals, John Adams, later in life said, “There is scarce a scratch of his pen that is not worth preserving.” - The narrative style approach. This isn’t a boring book that simply chronicles what happened and when. It is like a story, and despite being so comprehensive, it doesn’t seem long enough. It gets more and more exciting as you go through it, even showing hints of a spy novel at one point. While I typically don’t read biographies more than once, this is a book I will likely read many times again. - The technical detail. As Franklin was an inventor, the author could have been excused for glossing over many of the technical details of his inventions. But he doesn’t do that. The author presents the information in a way that any person can understand. It makes the reader appreciate Franklin all that much more. - Time travel. This book takes you back to 18th century America, and you feel very close to the many famous personalities who helped in forming the country. The author has done a wonderful job in making something so distant seem so accessible. You get a taste for England and France from that time period as well. - Reference material. In reading this book, you come across a lot of names. There are many people who had the pleasure to meet Franklin, and one thing I started doing in the course of reading was looking up many of these people. I was surprised to find out how famous and influential they were. And wouldn’t you know it, the author provides a nice glossary at the end which gives a brief description of each character. There are some nice photos and paintings included as well. WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: - Snide commentary. There are many, many instances of where ill motives are erroneously ascribed to Franklin. The author many times attacks Franklin’s own autobiography, saying he wasn’t entirely honest. And these criticisms are of minor points, such as the way Franklin characterized his own parents. I would have preferred the author save his judgments for a separate chapter instead of interweaving it throughout the narrative. - Gossip column/Tabloid reporting. There is one section of this book in particular which was done in very poor taste. Without giving away too many details, imagine if your worst enemy hacked your email account, took your personal correspondence and then sent it to others. And then imagine that this enemy put their own comments in parentheses after each paragraph. This describes a major section of this book, dealing particularly with Franklin’s time in England. The author obviously invested much time and effort in writing this book, and so he has a right to formulate opinions. But the manner in which they were inserted in some places was very off-putting, due particularly to the fact that I considered the negative comments to be completely off base. - Chastising of Franklin’s character. By all accounts, Franklin was a stand-up guy who had affection for everyone. Perhaps in having little to criticize, the author decided to take issue with the fact that Franklin was friendlier and more open in his dealings with his friends than he was with his family. The author wants you to think that Franklin liked his friends more than his family. But in reality, the level of interaction doesn’t necessarily equate to affection. We make friends with equals, whereas our family members are either our dependents or our superiors. We treat dependents differently than we do friends. The famous Indian philosopher Chanakya said that disciples and children should never be coddled; only criticized. This is for their own good. Franklin seemed to follow a similar approach, though he wasn’t very harsh. To me the way he treated his family is actually a sign of his great affection for them, and not the other way around. VERDICT: A lot of the commentary I didn’t like had footnotes to it, suggesting that perhaps the author was merely passing on the opinions of previous historians. Despite the few negatives, this is an excellent book. I first read the “A Benjamin Franklin Reader” book by the same author, and that interested me enough to purchase this one. Franklin wrote and did so much that one book could never do him justice, but this is a great start. I give many thanks to the author for taking the time to compile this wonderful and insightful work.
Review: Franklin: American Super Hero - Mark F. LaMoure, Boise, ID PHENOMENAL GENIUS I found author Walter Isaacson's, "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life," to be a 5 Gold Star book. It is captivating and filled to over flowing with inspiration. Mr. Isaacson writes about Franklin's brilliant genius as a nation builder. The author shows how Benjamin was a stunning leader right from the start. He was an outstanding political activist, genius inventor, defying rebel and sage the likes of which the world has rarely ever seen. Benjamin Franklin was an unparalleled founding father who lived 1706 to 1790. He lived during the pioneer early days of the 13 Colonies. Benjamin helped build the golden foundation of the United States of America. He did this by helping write the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. AN EXCEPTIONAL MAN Isaacson's book is a masterpiece biography and impressive from cover-to-cover. I discovered Benjamin Franklin's achievements are clearly some of the most admirable of anyone in world history. Franklin's signature was the only one written on all 5 key documents that founded the U.S. And look at the super power of his results: The United States of America! Today the U.S. is a country of 310 million people and one of the most powerful country's on earth in many, sparkling ways. Like a diamond, Benjamin was a shining, multifaceted man. As an American, I appreciate that Franklin was never an elite aristocrat, with an easy path, paved with gold by being born into royalty. Isn't it incredible that he was the world's first ultra-genius who created the power of the middle class in America? And look at the trend he started around the world! Benjamin was a true blessing. BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENT I realized that Franklin was wise and insightful. He was a true super-mastermind, or a "Polymath." Franklin excelled in everything he attempted to do in business. Such as in journalism, printing, writing, science, politics, diplomacy and much more. Benjamin's business expertise was extraordinary. He would have been worth at least ten's of billion's dollars in today's money. Franklin's ability in politics showed he was an incredible realist v.s. political or religious zealot, like so many of today's drunken dictators around the world. He is also an example by which countless American leaders of today could learn a lot. Want proof? Just look at the Congress of he United States of America today! Thier political corruption in recent years is a national disaster and will go down in history. INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT Benjamin Franklin's achievements are beyond belief. Benjamin established the outstanding University of Pennsylvania. I was proud he made the scientific discovery that lightening was electricity. Franklin was a brilliant scientist. He would have earned at least one of today's Nobel Peace Prizes in Physics for his writing on electricity. Benjamin Franklin was the first to invent amazing bifocal glasses. He created the first, leading Postal Service and Fire Department in America. Franklin was the first President of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, against slavery. I was amazed that these major achievements are only a tiny few of his giant, Herculean successes. Today, his incredible inventions and achievements bless many billions of people in America. And worldwide, on a daily basis. WELL WRITTEN BOOK I enjoyed reading Isaacson's book. When you finish the book, you'll feel like you personally know Benjamin Franklin. Franklin lived one of those lives that leaves you amazed, astonished and stunned. The book is tremendously exciting and highly educational. Buy it - you'll love it.

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![Benjamin Franklin: An American Life - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91I21ojpRwL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "He snatched lightning from the sky and scepters from tyrants."
*by K***L on January 6, 2014*

WHAT I LIKED: - Benjamin Franklin. He is an absolutely amazing person, whose splendid character shines forth in his own writings and the descriptions of his activities. Even one of Franklin’s famous rivals, John Adams, later in life said, “There is scarce a scratch of his pen that is not worth preserving.” - The narrative style approach. This isn’t a boring book that simply chronicles what happened and when. It is like a story, and despite being so comprehensive, it doesn’t seem long enough. It gets more and more exciting as you go through it, even showing hints of a spy novel at one point. While I typically don’t read biographies more than once, this is a book I will likely read many times again. - The technical detail. As Franklin was an inventor, the author could have been excused for glossing over many of the technical details of his inventions. But he doesn’t do that. The author presents the information in a way that any person can understand. It makes the reader appreciate Franklin all that much more. - Time travel. This book takes you back to 18th century America, and you feel very close to the many famous personalities who helped in forming the country. The author has done a wonderful job in making something so distant seem so accessible. You get a taste for England and France from that time period as well. - Reference material. In reading this book, you come across a lot of names. There are many people who had the pleasure to meet Franklin, and one thing I started doing in the course of reading was looking up many of these people. I was surprised to find out how famous and influential they were. And wouldn’t you know it, the author provides a nice glossary at the end which gives a brief description of each character. There are some nice photos and paintings included as well. WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: - Snide commentary. There are many, many instances of where ill motives are erroneously ascribed to Franklin. The author many times attacks Franklin’s own autobiography, saying he wasn’t entirely honest. And these criticisms are of minor points, such as the way Franklin characterized his own parents. I would have preferred the author save his judgments for a separate chapter instead of interweaving it throughout the narrative. - Gossip column/Tabloid reporting. There is one section of this book in particular which was done in very poor taste. Without giving away too many details, imagine if your worst enemy hacked your email account, took your personal correspondence and then sent it to others. And then imagine that this enemy put their own comments in parentheses after each paragraph. This describes a major section of this book, dealing particularly with Franklin’s time in England. The author obviously invested much time and effort in writing this book, and so he has a right to formulate opinions. But the manner in which they were inserted in some places was very off-putting, due particularly to the fact that I considered the negative comments to be completely off base. - Chastising of Franklin’s character. By all accounts, Franklin was a stand-up guy who had affection for everyone. Perhaps in having little to criticize, the author decided to take issue with the fact that Franklin was friendlier and more open in his dealings with his friends than he was with his family. The author wants you to think that Franklin liked his friends more than his family. But in reality, the level of interaction doesn’t necessarily equate to affection. We make friends with equals, whereas our family members are either our dependents or our superiors. We treat dependents differently than we do friends. The famous Indian philosopher Chanakya said that disciples and children should never be coddled; only criticized. This is for their own good. Franklin seemed to follow a similar approach, though he wasn’t very harsh. To me the way he treated his family is actually a sign of his great affection for them, and not the other way around. VERDICT: A lot of the commentary I didn’t like had footnotes to it, suggesting that perhaps the author was merely passing on the opinions of previous historians. Despite the few negatives, this is an excellent book. I first read the “A Benjamin Franklin Reader” book by the same author, and that interested me enough to purchase this one. Franklin wrote and did so much that one book could never do him justice, but this is a great start. I give many thanks to the author for taking the time to compile this wonderful and insightful work.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Franklin: American Super Hero
*by M***E on October 13, 2010*

Mark F. LaMoure, Boise, ID PHENOMENAL GENIUS I found author Walter Isaacson's, "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life," to be a 5 Gold Star book. It is captivating and filled to over flowing with inspiration. Mr. Isaacson writes about Franklin's brilliant genius as a nation builder. The author shows how Benjamin was a stunning leader right from the start. He was an outstanding political activist, genius inventor, defying rebel and sage the likes of which the world has rarely ever seen. Benjamin Franklin was an unparalleled founding father who lived 1706 to 1790. He lived during the pioneer early days of the 13 Colonies. Benjamin helped build the golden foundation of the United States of America. He did this by helping write the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. AN EXCEPTIONAL MAN Isaacson's book is a masterpiece biography and impressive from cover-to-cover. I discovered Benjamin Franklin's achievements are clearly some of the most admirable of anyone in world history. Franklin's signature was the only one written on all 5 key documents that founded the U.S. And look at the super power of his results: The United States of America! Today the U.S. is a country of 310 million people and one of the most powerful country's on earth in many, sparkling ways. Like a diamond, Benjamin was a shining, multifaceted man. As an American, I appreciate that Franklin was never an elite aristocrat, with an easy path, paved with gold by being born into royalty. Isn't it incredible that he was the world's first ultra-genius who created the power of the middle class in America? And look at the trend he started around the world! Benjamin was a true blessing. BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENT I realized that Franklin was wise and insightful. He was a true super-mastermind, or a "Polymath." Franklin excelled in everything he attempted to do in business. Such as in journalism, printing, writing, science, politics, diplomacy and much more. Benjamin's business expertise was extraordinary. He would have been worth at least ten's of billion's dollars in today's money. Franklin's ability in politics showed he was an incredible realist v.s. political or religious zealot, like so many of today's drunken dictators around the world. He is also an example by which countless American leaders of today could learn a lot. Want proof? Just look at the Congress of he United States of America today! Thier political corruption in recent years is a national disaster and will go down in history. INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT Benjamin Franklin's achievements are beyond belief. Benjamin established the outstanding University of Pennsylvania. I was proud he made the scientific discovery that lightening was electricity. Franklin was a brilliant scientist. He would have earned at least one of today's Nobel Peace Prizes in Physics for his writing on electricity. Benjamin Franklin was the first to invent amazing bifocal glasses. He created the first, leading Postal Service and Fire Department in America. Franklin was the first President of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, against slavery. I was amazed that these major achievements are only a tiny few of his giant, Herculean successes. Today, his incredible inventions and achievements bless many billions of people in America. And worldwide, on a daily basis. WELL WRITTEN BOOK I enjoyed reading Isaacson's book. When you finish the book, you'll feel like you personally know Benjamin Franklin. Franklin lived one of those lives that leaves you amazed, astonished and stunned. The book is tremendously exciting and highly educational. Buy it - you'll love it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Complicated Man for an Extraordinary Time
*by J***S on September 3, 2013*

Recently, I have been spending time exploring the lives of America's founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin was someone that I thought I knew. In grade school we learn about the pithy Philladelphia boy who rose from poverty to wealth, flew a kite in a rain storm, and became an immortal figure in the "Pantheon" of the American founders. However, I discovered that I really did not know Franklin very well at all; the one-dimensional description that I knew was not sufficient to capture the essence of this complicated man. Walter Isaacson carefully depicts one of the most controversial and beloved founders in our history. Isaacson is not a historian but he certainly does a great job and often proves to be objective in his analysis; albeit, not as objective as I would always liked him to have been. There are many admirable qualities about this work and there are a few things that I thought could have made the book a much stronger work. Here are a few pros and cons about the book that might help you in your decision to purchase it. Isaacson is very passionate for his subject and that is something that he cannot keep veiled very well. The beginning of the book starts out slow but once he gets moving then he keeps a strong steady pace. It is refreshing to see a writer with so much enthusiasm for his subject and while some historians frown on that; I don't. I like the way he traces Franklin's life and family history. In fact, his family history really gives us a context for understanding the way Franklin thought and acted. His strong puritanical upbringing did not make him a religious man, but it did tend to create a desire to be socially proactive. In fact, I appreciate the way that Isaacson traced the religious journey of Franklin and I wish that more authors would concentrate on this aspect of the political/ social figures they are writing about. Franklin's religious life is not one that is static but rather one that was constantly evolving and moving towards a more coherent view. His religion like everything else in his life, was strongly pragmatic. In many ways, we find in Dr. Franklin that strong American pragmatism that has come to define the American people in the past and present. Franklin's home life was a very slippery slope and it was difficult to know what to make of his relationship with family. Franklin had a son born out of wedlock and their relationship was rocky thoughout his life, and particularly at the latter end. He had a grandson by this son that was also born out of wedlock and yet he loved this boy, perhaps even more than his own son. His marriage to Deborah was also very strange. Some historians have concluded or at least suggested that Franklin did not love her. He spent years of his life away from her and his letters do not reveal a tender affection towards her. Yet, Isaacson suggests that there is a way in which Franklin did regard her. Many have painted him as a philanderer whose nefarious dalliances and sexual escapades are among the most outrageous among the founders. Isaacson suggests that while Franklin certainly had emotional affairs that he remained faithful to his wife. To be honest with you, it seems a little difficult to believe. It is hard to imagine that a man who sits in a bathtub with another woman is not physically involved with her. I think he is right that we should assume that Franklin was probably not as wild as he is taken to be, but I am not convinced of his monogamy. This was an area where I felt the authors personal feelings for his subject may have interfered with his better judgment. The writing style of the author was easy and generally engaging despite the fact that I thought he had a weak beginning. There were a few discrepancies that caught my attention and I will have to read a great deal more about this topic to be certain. Most people know that John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were selected to help Thomas Jefferson in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Most historians seem to suggest that Adams was the one who really pushed for Jefferson to write it and states his reasons as: 1. Jefferson is a Virginian and a Virginian should be at the head of this business. 2. Jefferson was liked while he thought himself to be obnoxious and not well liked by many in Congress. 3. Jefferson is a far more eloquent writer than the others. Isaacson suggests that it was Franklin who said this not Adams. This seems to be a mistake as Franklin is the one who is thought to have suggested Jefferson change "sacred and inviolable" to "inalienable" because the former smacked of the pulpit. I think that it was in fact Adams who stated the three basic reasons that Jefferson should write the document. Franklin was not obnoxious and seemed to always be generally well thought of and that alone caused me to question Isaacson on this point. There were other small issues that I wondered about through the book. Generally, he seemed to be factually accurate and his writing style was interesting enough to attract a reader who may not be prone to read history books. I was happy to see that this writer spent a great deal of time salvaging the reputation of Franklin. His reputation has suffered as he is often portrayed as an intelligent man that prone to buffoonery. Certainly, he had a sense of humor and he could be somewhat crude. The funniest piece I read was his fake letter to the royal academy of farts. However, to see Franklin as a mere jester is to miss the force of his convictions, visions, and political prowess. Franklin had the foresight to see that America needed to unite along the lines of the Iroquois Confederacy long before many others. He was a man who believed in internal improvements, pragmatic scientific discovery, and a strong middle class. His vision for this nation has been a strong guidepost for two centuries of American thought. His work as a diplomat in France is a model for modern diplomacy. He was a fox when it came to dealing with other humans and his penchant for compromise is what helped to give us the constitution that we know have. Overall, it was a good work that serves as a solid starting point for Franklin's life. He honored Franklin and while he was often soft on his shortcomings he did not altogether deny them. His portrayal of Adams seemed a little warped and his dislike of Adams bled through the descriptions. While I know that Adams had a side that made him a hard man to deal with, I did not always feel that he gave hm enough credit. His ending was solid and I love the way that he wrapped up the loose ends by explaining what happened to Franklin's family and close friends. It would have been nice if the book had included images so as to see some of the people that are discussed throughout the book. These are just minor complaints and do not detract from the work in any significant way.I will give it 1 star for readablity, 1 star for solid research, 1 star for bibliography, and 1 star for content. As far as the last star is concerned I would take away 1/2 star for minor discrepancies and a 1/2 star for the slow and laborious start to the book.

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