Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

By: Walter Isaacson

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 24 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us - an ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings.

In best-selling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin turns to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. In Benjamin Franklin, Isaacson shows how Franklin defines both his own time and ours.

The most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself. America's first great publicist, he was consciously trying to create a new American archetype. In the process, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public, and polished it for posterity. His guiding principle was a "dislike of everything that tended to debase the spirit of the common people". Few of his fellow founders felt this comfort with democracy so fully, and none so intuitively.

In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson, his practical marriage, and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris. He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the 21st century.

©2003 Walter Isaacson (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"The most readable full-length Franklin biography available." ( The Washington Post Book World)

"Energetic, entertaining, and worldly." ( The New Yorker)

"In its common sense, clarity and accessibility, it is a fitting reflection of Franklin's sly pragmatism.... This may be the book that most powerfully drives a new pendulum swing of the Franklin reputation." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Fantastic Rendition of B. Franklin

This was an awesome listen. Audio is high quality and the narrator does a fantastic job. Isaacson tells the fullest story of Benjamin Franklin I've ever heard. Would Highly recommend. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

He snatched lightning from the sky...

It is a great story, read rather well. A must listen for American history enthusiasts. Weather you love or hate Franklin, his story is captivating and essential to the founding of America.

book great, reading slow

A very interesting listen. The story is amazing yet critical as needed. The reading is very slow. I had to put it on 1.7x speed.

Great book. Read the autobiography also.

What did you love best about Benjamin Franklin: An American Life?

Benjamin Franklin is hero of mine. This book was able to shed some light on a couple things that were not obvious is the autobiography. Since the autobiography only covers his earlier years this book does a lot of heavy lifting of his later years. It was a joy to read!

Great documentary, good narration

The storytelling is good, and the narration is good. I actually found the storytelling improved as the book progresses. I thinks this was probably due largely to the fact that Franklin had more written correspondence after his early years, so it is easier to make him relatable at that point.

As only Walter Isaacson can...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook to a friend. Isaacson relies on letters by Franklin, by friends and by foes. He does a remarkable job of accurately portraying the character in his time, capturing the essence of Franklin from his childhood. Absolutely remarkable.

What did you like best about this story?

The unvarnished truth. Isaacson gets to the character of Franklin, and puts it in perspective with correspondence from others he knew, liked and disliked. In the end, he completes the picture by relating the relevance of Franklin through the ages.

Did Nelson Runger do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He did a great job of distinguishing the characters. The female voice was obviously difficult to portray, but he does an admirable job capturing the age of the speaker in all cases, and the gender for most.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

America's founder of the Middle Class and his common struggles, remarkable successes and lasting relevance.

Any additional comments?

It's worth every minute and I'll be listening twice!

Founding Father

Thanks to Walter Isaacson for his comprehensive biography of this great man. I had little idea of the vast range of Franklin's legacy, nor his importance in America's values, constitution and diplomacy. Nelson Runger is engaging in his rendering.

Good for Ben Franklin fans

If you can get past the narrator this is an interesting book. You can hear him clearing his throat and swallowing.

Long but good

Overall great book and enjoyed the story of a remarkable man. This book filled in many gaps for me from a historical perspective.

My review of Franklin.

A complete story. G good description of one of the important figures in The United States history.