SuitabookBecoming Ben Franklin
Russell Freedman
- Reading
- Read it as a starting point rather than a complete account.
- Themes
- Perseverance and self-making: Franklin moves from an apprenticeship and uncertain beginnings towards work in printing, invention and public life. The book presents this favourably.
- Curiosity and invention: Franklin is presented as an experimenter and inventor associated with bifocals, the lightning rod and the Franklin stove. The narrative treats experimentation and inventive ideas as important parts of Franklin’s identity and public contribution.
- Public service and nation-building: Franklin is associated with civic improvements, including a lending library, street lighting, firefighting, a hospital, a college and the creation of a new nation. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- Some attention may be useful around Franklin leaving his apprenticeship and family circumstances, as well as the book’s treatment of his political and nation-building activities. The ending and the depth given to difficulties or contested history remain unclear.