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Benjamin Franklin (Abridged): An American Life Audiobook
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Publisher Description
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein and Steve Jobs, shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.
Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin’s life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation’s alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.
In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.
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"Sometimes I think Benjamin Franklin's personal shortcomings with his family and womanizing are focused on more than the shortcomings of other founding fathers. However, the breadth of his influence both in the 1700's and its lingering effects today is remarkable and perhaps unparalleled."
— Joshua (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Given the nature and accomplishments of the man, any biography of Benjamin Franklin has to be the chronicle of a half-dozen or more lives in one, all lived with amazing energy, and all extremely interesting. And so, happily, it is in this splendid new look at the incomparable Franklin, who remains one of those American about whom we can never know enough. Walter Isaacson writes with great vitality, intelligence, and a clear-eyed understanding of the worlds of politics, the press, and the human equations of high-level diplomacy. This is a book I’ve looked forward to for a long time and that I’ve found wholly enthralling from beginning to end.”
— David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize–winning author -
“Isaacson’s splendid Benjamin Franklin is both an absorbing narrative biography and an acute assessment of the man and his impact on his times and on posterity. After all, Franklin, the man who did so much to invent America, is the most modern of the Founding Fathers and vividly embodies the virtues and contradictions of the national character.”
— Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Pulitzer Prize–winning author -
“A thoroughly researched, crisply written, convincingly argued chronicle…A prime candidate for the authoritative Franklin of our time.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“An immensely readable telling of a remarkable life…An indispensable and highly entertaining addition to the long afterlife of Benjamin Franklin.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
Benjamin Franklin Listener Reviews
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" Extraordinary man. The breadth of his accomplishments, from science to politics is hard to overestimate. Incredible life. "
— Alex, 2/5/2014 -
" Used my Groupon coupon at B & N today to buy a copy of this book. I'd been reading a borrowed copy while visiting relatives and now can dig back into it. Glad to get back to it... "
— Susan, 1/22/2014 -
" Though such a significant figure in the formation of the United States I was struck by his integrity (and lack of it). I thought this biography informative but it dragged a bit for me. A good read to increase one's understanding of colonial times and one of the key figures in the earliest days of the Republic. "
— Alan, 1/16/2014 -
" Finally done. Took me forever, but I did learn a lot. Least intended: that Ben Franklin was a jerk. Brilliant on the invention end, though. Also learned a great deal about the shaping of America, so it was all worth it right there. A good read for someone more into non-fiction than I. "
— Lisa, 1/7/2014 -
" A lot of gritty details I didn't know. Overall good book, dragged at times. "
— Mark, 1/5/2014 -
" Great overview of Franklin's life, but started to lose me at the end with the chapter on how everyone else viewed Franklin throughout history (including Steven Covey). "
— Annette, 12/22/2013 -
" He was an amazing individual!! "
— Leslie, 12/21/2013 -
" Extremely readable and great history. Both of Issacson's successor works on Einstein & Jobs don't come close to this work, IMHO. "
— Peter, 12/13/2013 -
" Read this book when I visited Philadelphia. It was fun to read about something and then go to the actual site. "
— Charlene, 12/5/2013 -
" great insights into the life of a truly remarkable man who embodies the true american spirit. he is probably turning over in his grave "viewing" what is going on in washington today. "
— Debby, 11/21/2013 -
" It took me forever to read this book, not because it was uninteresting, but because I was reading other books, as well. I have always admired Benjamin Franklin and this book made him all the more a hero of mine, and somewhat it feels like I know him as a fellow friend. "
— Madonna, 11/17/2013 -
" A very readable popular history that shows what a remarkable man Franklin was. Looks behind the myths and makes him come alive as a true renaissance man. "
— Warren, 11/9/2013 -
" Very interesting. I'm glad I read it, although at times I had to force myself to pick it up. "
— Lisa, 10/12/2013 -
" A wonderful portrait of an incredibly productive genius. The only problem with this book is that sometimes it dives too far into detail, republishing entire letters of correspondence. "
— Arshad, 3/1/2013 -
" Slow at first but worth the struggle...picks up after the Stamp Act... "
— Katharine, 2/18/2013 -
" Book gives interesting insights into a very interesting life. "
— Richard, 1/11/2013 -
" An enjoyable read and well written biography of Franklin; an Enlightened man and a true republican. "
— Ultan, 10/17/2012 -
" Love Ben, love Walter. Definitely a good read. "
— Mira, 12/26/2011 -
" Still one of my favorite books of all time. Shows the man from birth to present in just the right light. Goes into his talks in France, inventions, but even better, breaks down his very true personality that is not an exaggeration from what we see in impersonators today. "
— Wes, 12/23/2011 -
" Daunting in scope and page count, the book begins explaining the lineage of the Franklin family. So I used the method of refering to the Index to locate the interesting topics for me. This made the book much more digestible. "
— Mary-Ellen, 6/21/2011 -
" A good history book. Easy reading but also easy to put down. I didn't know that ole Ben was such a philanderer! Great scientist & politician, but I lost a little respect for him in the husband department. "
— Jacque, 6/9/2011 -
" My idol. Loved this book. It read like a novel. "
— Debbie, 5/24/2011 -
" I thought Mr. Isaacson wrote a remarkable account of the life of Benjamini Franklin. If you are a bit unsure of Franklin's contribution to the founding of our nation, I'm sure this book will enlighten you knowledge of this great patriot.. <br/> <br/> "
— David, 4/16/2011 -
" Statesman, genius, and old rake. That says it all. "
— Darlene, 4/13/2011 -
" No other way to understand American History "
— Shelby, 3/21/2011 -
" One of the Greatest Americans . <br/>I love biographical history and this book was really easy to read . <br/>Be looking for more by this author. "
— Jack, 3/10/2011 -
" I have read other books by Isaacson and thought they were great but it just kind of felt like he phoned this one in. I didn't feel a real passion from him for this topic; it felt like he was going through the motions. "
— Emmy, 2/9/2011 -
" I had no idea of the numerous things we must thank this man for, nor the extensive role he played in the American Revolution. This was easily read and fascinating. "
— Heidi, 1/18/2011 -
" Old Ben rose considerably in my estimation, not just as a statesman, but for his scientific contributions as well. "
— Bob, 1/10/2011 -
" Surprised by how much I enjoyed and how engaged I became with this book. It had everything. Wonderful job by Walter Isaacson. This is a great vehicle for learning, not only about Benjamin Franklin, but about the times in which he lived. Totally recommend it. "
— Donna, 1/9/2011 -
" Read this book in 2004. Very good bio on Franklin. "
— Louise, 12/29/2010 -
" Excellent book, one of the most readable and enjoyable biographies I have ever read. "
— Greg, 12/23/2010 -
" Read this book when I visited Philadelphia. It was fun to read about something and then go to the actual site. "
— Charlene, 12/21/2010
About Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is the author of highly acclaimed works of nonfiction, including several biographies that have made the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. A professor of history at Tulane University, he has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.
About Boyd Gaines
Boyd Gaines is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and an actor whose many film credits include Second Best, I’m Not Rappaport, Heartbreak Ridge, Fame, and Porky’s. He’s won two Tony Awards for performances in the The Heidi Chronicles and the musical She Loves Me. On television he has appeared in A Woman Called Jackie, A Son’s Promise, and in the popular series One Day at a Time.