Rating: 
Summary: First American among the best
Review: This is the first book I have read on Ben Franklin, the man who did so much to establish our democracy. The author has done a delightful job of portraying the moral character and leadership of this first American. I was impressed with the magnitude of his involvement in almost every aspect of life and his insatiable appetite to discover the edge of knowledge of his time. I was quite surprized to discover the extent of his scientific acheivments in advanceing the basic understanding of electrical theory. Why has not our country done more to memorialize one of our greatist founders. Thank you Mr. Brand!
Rating: 
Summary: A life, but too long a book
Review: Author Brands certainly knows his topic, through some 700 pages. The more I read this book, the more I felt drowning in information, and by the time I had read 300 pages, found I needed to lightly skip some sections, especially those about the French-Indian Wars. The depth of information in this book is impressive, but it would have been more impressive if the book were 1/3 or so shorter.
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Summary: Great book, fun read.
Review: Your chance to feel Benjamin Franklin's life. Reading this book is as captivating as sitting through a great movie, while as educational as a top college history course.
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Summary: First American?.....YES!
Review: In the spirit of self disclosure I admit up front Franklin has always been my favorite person from the era of the Revolution. This was only enforced by this great biography. It's prolouge begins with Franklin getting a dressing down by members of British Parliment and then goes into the circumstances of his birth. It goes into very great detail about the ways in which Franklin tried to save the British Empire from itself and then when it refused and he realized there was no hope for peace how he was a drivng spirit in the Declaration of Independence, appealing (successfully) to France for money and aid both overtly and covertly. It talks of how he helped broker French Naval aid that played a major part in Washington's critical victory over Cornwallis. After the war he helped broker the peace and then as the Union seemed to be falling apart at the constitutional convention he came up with the compromise that allowed a constitution to be written. He was under rated by his opponents and revered by his friends. From his charting of the gulf stream to politics to statesmanship to electircal experiements, you will read of a great man but more importantly, H.W. Brands lets you FEEL through Ben Franklin the events of the time. The book is long but engaging. Good for any history buff or student of the Revolution.
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Summary: Benjamin Franklin: Renaissance Man
Review: I received this book for Christmas and, having completed Carl Van Doren's "epic" biography from the 1930's, was reluctant to plunge into another book about Franklin's life. When I finally did, I was most pleased. While the facts of Franklin are essentially the same (differences apparently owing to additional research materials surfacing in the past 60+ years, H.W. Brands' style is completely different, replacing often tedious detail for a greater level of analysis and contextual placement.This is not to disparage the Van Doren book; indeed, his is a classic. However the length of that book and excruciating attention to detail upon every aspect of Mr. Franklin's life, can discourage many readers. This book however, while somewhat shorter, covers all of the essential elements of Franklin's personal and professional life in a clear yet rich narrative. Even where he delves into conjecture (as in his musings upon the relationship between Franklin and his son William), his ideas are well grounded in fact, rooted in a myriad of source material. I would recommend this biography highly. It is a most enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: as a semi-retired professor of american cultural history, and an admirer of franklin, i looked forward to this book i was disappointed -- it offers little if any new information; it leaves out or understates significant elements in franklin's such as his freemasonic activity and his membership in lord dashwood's hell fire club it is padded, paragraphs and pages of padding i do not recommend this book for context, ellis's founding brothers provides much more useful information all the best gmc
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging Book
Review: Benjamin Franklin was an extraordinary man. This 700 plus page book gives the reader an in-depth account of his life from his early years in Boston until his death at 84 in Philadelphia. The narrative flows well and the author uses a great deal of Franklin's own writings to illustrate different periods of Franklin's life. But what this book does the best, I think, is take you beyond the myth of the man. Like many of our nations founding fathers Franklin has taken on legendary status that make it hard for us to believe he was very much a human being like the rest of us with our same foibles. Rather than diminishing Mr. Franklin it makes him all the more believable. This is truly a good book about a great man.
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Summary: Terrific Biography
Review: One of the best biographies I've ever read. Brands brings Franklin to life in a way few biographies ever manage. A great read...even if you aren't a big fan of biographies.
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Summary: Superb Biography
Review: Excellent, thorough biography of Franklin. It's refreshing when a biography of a complex man like Franklin is written in a style that is both scholarly and understandable. Equally refreshing is the author's disciplined style of remaining true to his subject and his sources and not spiral off into tangents or into pure conjecture. You will find much to entertain you here, (Frankilin's wit and humor), and a few surprises, (evidently Franklin's libido was as active as his genius, remaining quite the playboy even into his 70's, in France...naturally...making Franklin a Fondling Father as much as a Founding Father...) Particularly revealing is Franklin's role in the Revolution which seemed especially painful to him, politically, philosophically and emotionally, driving a irreconciliable wedge between him and his son. Fascinating read.
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Summary: Instructive, inspiring and intelligently written
Review: I took this rather thick volume with me on a vacation trip, and found that I begrudged the hours I spent at other recreations until I had had the chance to finish it. The First American is well-written, and every bit as lively and engaging as the personality of its subject. It combines a strong scholarly underpinning, based on what was clearly careful and thorough research, with a light and engaging style. The book covers both the highlights of Franklin's life that one would encounter in any history of colonial times and the less well known (at least to me) aspects of his career as businessman, scientist, and local politician. There is enough description of Franklin's personal life to provide insight into his character and the main events of his life but not so much as to becoming distracting from the larger events of his life and times, and certainly Franklin's sense of humor is well-conveyed. Perhaps the most remarkable element of the book, and of Franklin's life, is the sheer number of social and technical innovations created by this single individual. With his combination of talent, enthusiasm, and dedication to civic duty, Franklin must surely be among the most inspiring of the founders of our country, and this book conveys that inspiration effectively.
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