Benjamin Franklin - An American Life

I had wanted to read a biography on Ben Franklin in part because of a long time curiosity about this nascent period of the US that he helped to shape. Also, as someone who grew up a few miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and now lives in London, I wanted to know more about his perceptions of these places as well as the French Court.

Benjamin Franklin - An American Life by Walter Isaacson was easy to read for the most part, constructed more as a great story than documenting a time line (though the book is very well documented). While I was pleased to find that I knew most of the key facts about Franklin and the time, I learned plenty.

On the personal side of things I didn't realize that the Franklin men were essentially a line of "illegitimate" children, nor did I know that Franklin had such a reputation as a womanizer.

On the historical side, it was fascinating to gain greater insight into the political influences the drove the division between British Colonial America and the British. I never knew that many Americans had tried to keep the US a part of the British Crown until the last possible moments. Nor did I know that it was as much Parliament's response as well as the King's that drove the US to delcare its independence.

Franklin's time in France, which, when I was a child in grammar school, was positioned as duty to country also was a great deal of fun for Franklin whose reputation as an inventor and scientist made him famous in France before he ever set foot on its shores.

If you are considering reading the book, don't let the number of pages put you off. The last 150+ pages are footnotes and mini-biographies of all the players.