The Benjamin Franklin of this history is both a legendary Founding Father and a man who changes as the circumstances around him shift. He begins as a businessman, becomes a scientist, philosopher, and public servant. He spends many years in London and expresses views in line with British imperialism. Then, as the American colonies move towards revolution, Franklin shifts again - becoming an American and a diplomat. This volume highlights these changes in Franklin's views and makes for a fascinating read on one of the most remarkable founders. ( )

An enlightening glimpse into the life of an imperfect genius of a man and much that he gave to our history and posterity. ( )

This biography of Benjamin Franklin centers around how Franklin came to be viewed as the quintessential American and how he changed his views from a staunch loyalist to become one the key contributors to the American Revolution. It seeks to go beyond the familiar stories of his role as a founding father, writer of Poor Richard’s Almanac, and scientist conducting electricity experiments with kites. It shows Franklin as a man of many talents and experiences, who was decades older than his fellow founding fathers. It is definitely not a hagiography, as it shows Franklin’s foibles as well as his strengths. It provides a well-rounded view of Franklin as an author, printer, scientist, inventor, philosopher, and diplomat.

Franklin was born to a family of modest means and became a printer. He was looked down upon by the “gentlemen” of the era. A gentleman was born into wealth and was not required to work as a tradesman in order to produce income. Ironically, Franklin wanted to transform into a gentleman, a person of leisure who could be a patron to others, a goal which he eventually achieved. He has always been touted as the epitome of a self-made man but Franklin himself wanted to align with the landed gentry and benefitted from the assistance of wealthy patrons. It may come as a surprise to many Americans that Franklin started out as a confirmed British loyalist. He spent many years in England and would probably have stayed there if the British government has conceded to his requests. The narrative shows how his interactions with England’s government, and an attack on his character, changed his views drastically and led him to support the revolution. He was also a controversial figure during his lifetime and upon his death, was celebrated much more in France, where he spent eight of his happiest years, than in his home country.

Wood’s writing is organized, logical, well-researched, and focused. He cites many examples from various letters, journals, and Franklin’s autobiography, and uses them to highlight Franklin’s inconsistencies between what he outwardly stated and what he practiced in his private life. Wood provides insight on Ben Franklin’s character and brings to light many lesser known facts, exploding a few myths along the way.

The audio book is read by Peter Johnson, who does a good job with the performance. It kept me entertained for over eight hours on a driving trip. Recommended to those interested in US history, especially the lives of the founding fathers.
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What I admired most about Wood's writing in this brief so-called biography of good ol' Ben is his research. It's almost as if Wood spent the time reading as many books about BF as were available; then he sat back and gave his overall summation and discerning light on key aspects of BF's life--especially in the attempt to debunk the myths many of us have associated with BF over the 200+ years of our history. I appreciated this wide-scope approach and felt as if I were in capable hands as Wood expertly touched on how this once fervently loyal man to the English crown became as fervently loyal to the revolution against said crown and reemerged as one of our most zealous Founding Fathers. ( )

A brief, engaging look look at Franklin- both his life, and the creation of his legends ( )