Benjamin Franklin

An American Life

By: Walter Isaacson

Narrated by: Boyd Gaines

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

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 twenty-first century.

©2003 Walter Isaacson (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Benjamin Franklin catalogs the extraordinary range of its subject's accomplishments, which remain unrivaled in their variety and utility." (The New York Times)
"Isaacson has crafted a wonderfully written biography, and his treatment of Franklin's youth and rise to prominence is insightful and imaginative" (The Washington Post)
"The abridgment is seamless, the text runs the gamut...from brilliant to ordinary."(AudioFile)
"Blessed with one of the most polished and easy-to-absorb voices in the audio business, reader Boyd Gaines does an outstanding job with Walter Isaacson's excellent biography of perhaps the most appealing of the Founding Fathers..." (USA Today)

This book taught me a lot about Benjamin Franklin

American couldn't stop listening to the book a lot of great information I have not heard before great book

pretty boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

lacked entertainment value. I understand its a biography but it was not very entertaining at all.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

good description of his life but at times was tough to get through

Would you listen to another book narrated by Boyd Gaines?

yes

Was Benjamin Franklin worth the listening time?

if you're a Ben Franklin 'the man' fan and enjoy factual history you will like this book. If you're more of a Ben Franklin 'ideas and theory' fan this is probably not the book you're looking for

Any additional comments?

not the book I was expecting so probably skewed my review since I was looking at it from a different angle

Histiry lesson

Excellent book, interesting,informative and easy to follow

Abridged version felt incomplete

Abridged version felt incomplete
Would have liked the entire book
This was fine...the author does lose a little objectivity

Powerful, Profound, and Practical

Excellently written and dictated story of an incredible life. Exciting and fascinating, this is a must-read! I will never forget the life of this man and the inspiration I drew from it after listening to this book. Thank you!

Worth a listen

This was not easy to listen to. I found myself tuning out frequently and had to rewind many times to grasp what was being said. The writing style is a far cry from John Adams which really draws you in. I was very interested to find out more about Ben Franklin which made the book enjoyable. However if you don't have some true determination to lean about Benjamin, you'll find this book less than satisfying. The 3 stars are for the content and research. Writing style gets about 1 1/2 stars.

Too Abridged

I have read a bit on Franklin and this is just too abridged. His life was intricate and woven around events, places and people all at once and it makes it very difficult to narrow it down. The narration is very good, however, and if just want a primer on Franklin's life, this is for you.

Fascinating

At times this tale drags, but for the most part it's a fascinating account of the life of one of our most influential founding fathers.

So that's why I have always loved Franklin

I have loved Benjamin Franklin since I was a young child. But as a young hispanic boy growing up in the barrio, I never understood the connection. This book explained to the adult me why Franklin's life and contributions were so instrumental to the country's founding, as well as why I had such an immediate connection to his life. The wit and wisdom of Benjamin Frankling has always resonnated with me and now I understand why.

Entertaining, Engaging, Fun

I confess I havent read any of the other reviews before I wrote this one. I just wanted to leave my first review here as a new audible member and tell you this is fantastic. I am only a quarter of the way through his audible book and loved the details. I cannot believe that Franklin is even more interesting than I first believed/knew and had a hand in so many things historical (or otherwise). The section about his family life, early publishing, bits of humor, and ambassador type status to France are all great fun. (A good example: Pay attention to the part where he and John Adams, due to inadequate accommodations, had to share a bed together and how Franklin avoided catching Adams' cold)

I recommend this book heartily. I am a new American History fan and I think this and 1776 (by a different author) are just superb. Get them both.