Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, written by Walter Isaacson, gives us the portrait of a great American figure, known for climbing from obscurity up the social ladder, to eventually dine with politicians and principalities.
Through the full scope of Franklin's journey as a printer, a scientist, and statesmen, we see the charming Benjamin Franklin whose greatest legacy could be his ability to reinvent himself. The knack for public relations, for creating and maintaining and polishing a persona to be remembered for all posterity--this skill could be his most relevant to contemporary culture.
Indeed, Franklin's mark of the sly wit, his love of democracy, and his pragmatic sometimes puritanical ideals of productivity have all shaped the American archetypal image of itself. Some of the colorful details which Isaacson also brings to life are Franklin's turbulent relationship with his illegitimate stepson, his marriage (a practical one), and his dalliance with the females of Paris. Most vividly, however, Isaacson shows us how this commoner turned Founding Father shaped and still resonates with American cultural values today.
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer born in 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana. First a journalist, later a political correspondent, managing editor of Time and eventual a chairman and CEO of CNN, he is currently president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization. He is chairman emeritus for Teach for America, and was selected as Time's 100 most influential people of the world for 2012. He has also contributed biographies on Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Henry Kissinger.
"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.
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Donna (4 out of 5 stars)