Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America
by Philip Dray
book data
24 ratings,
3.46
average rating, 8 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
December 27th 2005
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
details
Paperback, 304 pages
isbn
0812968107
(isbn13: 9780812968101)
description
"Stealing God's Thunder is a biography of Benjamin Franklin, viewing him through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for Ame…more
find at:
Amazon • WorldCat • more options…
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 49)
All ratings
|
5 stars (7)
|
4 stars (5)
|
3 stars (6)
|
2 stars (4)
|
1 star (2)
|
avg 3.46
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in December, 2009
I listened to this book.
Do NOT listen to this book. The narrator is David Chandler and I don't know if it is his voice, his style, or the book itself (probably a combo of all three) but it was a chore to get through. I should have popped it out of the car and muddled through the actual book. It may have been better. It couldn't have been worse.
Do NOT listen to this book. The narrator is David Chandler and I don't know if it is his voice, his style, or the book itself (probably a combo of all three) but it was a chore to get through. I should have popped it out of the car and muddled through the actual book. It may have been better. It couldn't have been worse.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2009
I am so enjoying this book. Much of history in general is presented as constant improvements through time, without revealing the difficulty new ideas faced. I'm not even finished, but I'm already planning to read this book again.
----
Eye-opening perspective on how things change. I'm buying my own copy of this book -- no homeschooler is getting out of this house without reading this -- and I can't wait for a few months to go by so I can read it again.
----
Eye-opening perspective on how things change. I'm buying my own copy of this book -- no homeschooler is getting out of this house without reading this -- and I can't wait for a few months to go by so I can read it again.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Not quite a biography of Ben Franklin, more a perspective on the 18th Century, the Enlightenment and the role Franklin played in ending the era of superstition and ignorance. Well worth reading, especially if you never quite got why the invention of the lightning rod was such a big deal.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2009
Great book about some of the early findings on how Ben Franlin helped launch the electronic age.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
This book focused on Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the world of science, rather than politics. It was fascinating to me to learn just how much medieval notions of how nature worked dominated the world as late as the 1700's. He helped the world overcome superstitions.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
to-read
(on 15 people's shelves)
history (on 4 people's shelves)
biography (on 2 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 2 people's shelves)
non-fiction (on 2 people's shelves)
half-read (on 1 person's shelf)
science (on 1 person's shelf)
biographies (on 1 person's shelf)
to-buy-and-to-read (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
history (on 4 people's shelves)
biography (on 2 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 2 people's shelves)
non-fiction (on 2 people's shelves)
half-read (on 1 person's shelf)
science (on 1 person's shelf)
biographies (on 1 person's shelf)
to-buy-and-to-read (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
