Rating: 
Summary: Take a ride through History with Ben!
Review: This book is amazing. There is no need to write a long, breathless review praising the work. Everything about it can be summed up in one short blurb...While reading the work, you literally feel as if you are riding alonside Ben Franklin through his life. From his boyhood troubles in Boston to his Print-shop successes to his life as an ambassador overseas, you walk with Franklin every step of the way, and are witness to the most dramatic moments in Revolutionary history. Bottom line, after reading "The First American" by Brands and "John Adams" by McCullough, you will literally feel like you personally KNOW each of these two figures. It just doesn't get much better than that.
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT, DETAILED JOURNEY OF FRANKLIN
Review: H.W. Brands can't seem to miss. I came to him backwards after reading Age Of Gold and being awed at his ability to present history in such an accessible manner. My interest in Franklin and my new found discover of Brands naturally led me to this book. I was not disappointed. At times the treatment seems academic and detailed to the point of nuance, but that's what should be done when canvassing an entire life of the brilliant Franklin. This is not a detriment, just a warning for those that might not desire the nooks and crannies. However, those nooks and crannies, when taken into context, really show the motivations of Franklin and especially the Continental Congress. After all, it was those details that formed our government, and led to some of the many inventions attributed to Franklin. For me the joy was reading about a man who couldn't contain his interests, who seemed to excel at everything he put his mind to.
Bottom Line: The First American is aptly titled - illustration of the quintessential American; driven, intelligent, flawed, leader, follower, father, and husband. Amazing!
Rating:
Summary: A Shining Star in the Human Cosmos
Review: H.W. Brands masterfully breathes life into a complex, self-made Renaissance man who clearly deserves much more than the anecdotal remembrance that unfortunately stills exists today. Benjamin Franklin, though as imperfect as any human being, progressively spanned his wings to give full measure to his genius. Not only was Franklin an astute businessman and gifted writer but also an able statesman and brilliant scientist. Despite his evident flaws as a family man, Franklin was perhaps and foremost a humanist whose quest for knowledge and progress could not be satiated. Readers can only marvel at Franklin's inquisitive mind that could sometimes propel him so far ahead of his time as had done Leonard De Vinci's mind during his lifetime. Franklin was often wise enough to defer to others when he felt that he was not the best, most apt man. For these reasons, Franklin needs to be remembered as one of the key founding fathers of the nation.
Rating:
Summary: How wonderful!
Review: In these times of America with or America against one wonders what is is that is America. This well written, if not riveting, biography is something to behold for any reader.
Brands shows us the humble beginnings and glorious ends of this truly unique individual in a masterful way. His prose is impeccable. His critiques are admirable. And his conclusions indefatigable. This is not a biography that placates the masses but highlights the individual. "He was a man . . . and I shall not see his like again" is a quote that comes to mind. What an excellent read. What a wonderful foray. You really should pick it up . . to learn what is the ideal American, whether one is or is not.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive
Review: I like biographies. Ben Franklin is probably the best biography one could read. Who else made it to the tops of their profession in Business, Science, and Politics within one life? I bet the answer is no one but Franklin. The story is engaging, and one would think it was made up if there wasn't enough evidence to support it. I especially liked the revealing depth of his scientific thoughts and experiments. It also gives, unlike most biographies, some depth to his interpersonal relationships with the wife and kid.
Rating: 
Summary: An engaging and readable account of a remarkable man
Review: I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has asserted that historical biographies are dry and unabsorbing. To those who read enough historical tomes I believe you know what I am referring to: those all to frequent passages within such books where the eye glazes over with the details of some should be forgotten incident. Luckily, Mr. Brands avoids this malady throughout most of the book and provides us with a very enjoyable narrative of the life and times of Ben Franklin, while at the same time providing us with the level of detail to verify the extensive research engaged in by the historian.
I must relate in passing, however, that I do agree with other reviewers as to the troubling nature of Mr. Fanklin's relationship with his wife. Maybe it is modern sensibility coloring an otherwise necessary and relatively common practice of the past (particularly given the difficulty of trans-Atlantic travel at the time) but I found it very easy to be sympathetic to the situation of his wife. She shared only a few years out of the last twenty with her husband, finally dying just before his return from an eleven year absence in England. The author addresses this issue in passing and perhaps that is all that can be done with the resources at hand but I found myself thinking about the long gaps in their relationship and wondering if this essential abandonment ought to be given more emphasis in revealing the true character of the man and the legend that is Ben Franklin. I am not impugning his character, mind you, but merely pointing out one aspect of his life which struck me as a reader of this book, as it apparently has others.
All in all, The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin is a comprehensive biography with the benefit a being a book that one hastens to read given the engaging writing style of the author and the compelling subject.
Rating:
Summary: Good telling of a good subject
Review: Having only read Franklin's unfinished autobiography, I was happy to get the rest of the story. First, I was surprised that Franklin spent the majority of his retired life living in Europe. As an architect of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I had always thought that Franklin was close at hand during America's founding, but instead Franklin tended to American business overseas. He just happened to be around during the creation and signing of the two crucial American Documents. What's great about Brands' biography is that he presents the story of the human Franklin without sinking to iconoclasm. Since it is so unfashionable to paint a compelling portrait of a known hero when you can instead make him out to be a vain phony self-promoter and greedy to boot, I was very happy that H.W Brands saw good in Franklin. That being said, Brands portrait is still an objective one leaving in the kinds of details that Franklin would have left out. As far as style, Franklin's own words leap off the page and Brands narrative is more straightforward. Since Franklin's autobio ends just where his life gets most interesting, I was very happy with the way Brands presents the rest of the story.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant biography of a brilliant man
Review: I knew Ben Franklin was a "jack-of-all-trades" sort and when I read this book, he was more than just that. He was America's Renaissance Man. He was a philosopher, inventor, writer, orator, politician, and many more. This is a must-read for historians, history majors, history buffs, or anyone who enjoys reading biographies. Franklin was to the American Republic as Cicero was to Ancient Rome. Enough said.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Work !
Review: I was given the feeling, during the reading of this book, that I was at Benjamin Franklin's side and was witness to history unfolding just as his eyes saw it. After finishing this book my mind had a clear, sharp image of what this famous person was like. This book should get 10 stars rated, because it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible story of one of America's greatest individuals
Review: I found this book to be an excellent writing of Franklin's life. Professor Brands does an incredible job at taking Franklin's original writings and putting them in a form that is easy to read by today's standard of writing, all the while retaining their full intent, character, and meaning. The book is laid out in a logical sequence of Franklin's life that really brings out the man behind the stories, history, and legends. Professor Brands gives Franklin new life. Finally I found the book to be extremely accurate. I have read other biographies of Franklin, but clearly this one is one of the best for retaining the facts of Franklin's life without embellishing or drawing incorrect conclusions. Fantastic book, well worth the read!
| 
