Paul's review of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
Not as academic as Chernow's Hamilton, but I found Isaacson's easy style to be (probably) fitting for the subject. A very detailed look at Franklin's life - from his early days as a printer to the culmination of his career as a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. I was most interested in reading about some of his aquaintences and interactions with the important men of the day - David Hume, Voltaire, Boswell, etc. Isaacson paints the picture of Franklin as a first class thinker and scientist of the pragmatic sort (truly American, I believe) as opposed to some of the idealistic approaches of other philosphers.
Isaacson also paints Franklin as the apostle of middle class virtures - hard-working, frugal, anti-aristocratic, and suspicious of programs that would create government dependency, and I found that I liked Franklin in this regard, as much as I detested the portrait of the smooth-talking, woman-flattering, pandering sort of diplomatic role that he played in France.
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Isaacson also paints Franklin as the apostle of middle class virtures - hard-working, frugal, anti-aristocratic, and suspicious of programs that would create government dependency, and I found that I liked Franklin in this regard, as much as I detested the portrait of the smooth-talking, woman-flattering, pandering sort of diplomatic role that he played in France.
Ov...more
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