Benjamin Franklin: A Captivating Guide to an American Polymath and a Founding Father of the United States of America
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Benjamin Franklin: A Captivating Guide to an American Polymath and a Founding Father of the United States of America
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Narrated by:
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Desmond Manny
About this listen
Explore the captivating history of Benjamin Franklin!
Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father of America and had an enormous impact on America as it is today. In addition to that, there are many little-known facts about the man who is Benjamin Franklin. Unlike many of the other Founding Fathers, he started out in humble circumstances. Franklin never finished college because his parents couldn’t afford it. He hated his first job, and when he did get another one, he left without notice.
From a young age, Benjamin Franklin fought for the rights of America at home and abroad. Yet, he bore the burdens of leadership and never shirked nor faltered in his mission. His greatest asset was his charm and friendliness, but he had his detractors as well and felt the emotional impact of that.
In Benjamin Franklin: A Captivating Guide to an American Polymath and a Founding Father of the United States of America, you will discover topics such as:
- Young, earnest, and foolhardy
- Naiveté Collides with reality
- “B. Franklin, printer”
- Philosopher, inventor, and public servant
- Benjamin Franklin in England: 1757-1762
- Benjamin Franklin in London: 1764-1769
- Benjamin Franklin in London: 1769-1775
- Home and to France
- Benjamin Franklin’s last years
- And much, much more!
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 227
From an eminent scholar of the American South, the first full-scale biography of Thomas Jefferson since 1970. Not since Merrill Peterson's Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation has a scholar attempted to write a comprehensive biography of the most complex Founding Father. In Jefferson, John B. Boles plumbs every facet of Thomas Jefferson's life, all while situating him amid the sweeping upheaval of his times. We meet Jefferson the politician and political thinker - as well as Jefferson the architect, scientist, bibliophile, paleontologist, musician, and gourmet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Makes Jefferson Human
- By MichaelBuffalo on 06-23-20
By: John B. Boles
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The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 166
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 104
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Central to America's idea of itself is the character of Benjamin Franklin. We all know him, or think we do: In recent works and in our inherited conventional wisdom, he remains fixed in place as a genial polymath and self-improver who was so very American that he is known by us all as the first American.
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2 out of 5 stars
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I have good news and bad news
- By Ernie on 07-22-04
By: Gordon S. Wood
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The Sons of Liberty: The Lives and Legacies of John Adams, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Chris Brinkley
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 87
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 85
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 84
For over 200 years, Americans have been fascinated by the Revolutionary period and the patriots who led the growing resistance movement against British authority. In particular, the clandestine activities of Boston's Sons of Liberty in the decade before the war continue to be a source of both intrigue and mystery. The Sons of Liberty chronicles the amazing lives and careers of the four most famous members of the Sons of Liberty, examines their relationships before and during the Revolution, and analyzes their lasting legacies. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Samuel Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock like you never have before.
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5 out of 5 stars
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it should be required reading in our high schools.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-05-17
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Twilight at Monticello
- The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Alan Pell Crawford
- Narrated by: James Boles
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 100
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 54
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 55
Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, with good reason: His life was a great American drama, one of the greatest, played out in compelling acts. He was the architect of our democracy, a visionary chief executive who expanded this nation's physical boundaries to unimagined lengths.
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4 out of 5 stars
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After Leaving Office
- By Roy on 09-23-10
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James Madison
- A Life Reconsidered
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 722
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 651
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Story4 out of 5 stars 646
A major new biography of the fourth US president, from New York Times best-selling author Lynne Cheney. James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story. Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution. His visionary political philosophy was a crucial factor behind the Constitution’s ratification, and his political savvy was of major importance in getting the new government underway.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Great man, great ideas, muddling book
- By NDFletch on 06-13-15
By: Lynne Cheney
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John Quincy Adams
- American Visionary
- By: Fred Kaplan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 27 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 245
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 228
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 227
In this fresh and lively biography rich in literary analysis and new historical detail, Fred Kaplan brings into focus the dramatic life of John Quincy Adams - the little known and much misunderstood sixth president of the United States and the first son of John and Abigail Adams - and persuasively demonstrates how Adams's inspiring, progressive vision guided his life and helped shape the course of America.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Destined by birth, mentored by greats...
- By Jonathan Love on 03-04-16
By: Fred Kaplan
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The Making of America: Volume 1
- Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln
- By: Teri Kanefield
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Unlike other biographies, the Making of America series goes beyond individual narratives linking influential figures to create an overarching story of America's growth that will deepen understanding of the country we live in today. This bundle featuring Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Jackson tells the story of American constitutional history from the founding of the nation through the end of the Civil War.
By: Teri Kanefield
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James Madison: A Captivating Guide to an American Founding Father Who Served as the Fourth President of the United States of America
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance3 out of 5 stars 4
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Story2.5 out of 5 stars 4
Explore the captivating life of James Madison. James Madison earned the title “Father of the Constitution”. How did this man who was diminutive of stature with a weak constitution produce such an energetic document? In this Captivating History audiobook, you'll discover the story of his remarkable life from beginning to end.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Perhaps the weakest book in the Audible library
- By Trebla on 09-13-18
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Signing Their Lives Away
- The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence
- By: Denise Kiernan, Joseph D'Agnese
- Narrated by: Susan Larkin
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 56
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 50
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Story4 out of 5 stars 50
In the summer of 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives and livelihood to defy King George III and sign the Declaration of Independence - yet how many of them do we actually remember? Signing Their Lives Away introduces listeners to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, slaveholders, and scoundrels who signed this historic document - and the many strange fates that awaited them. Some prospered and rose to the highest levels of United States government, while others had their homes and farms seized by British soldiers.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Mediocre and a bit snarky.
- By Marte Risher on 07-23-15
By: Denise Kiernan, and others
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John Jay
- Founding Father
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction, and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In this first full-length biography of John Jay in almost 70 years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution. Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly enjoyable portrait of both the public and private man.
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5 out of 5 stars
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balanced
- By Bob on 04-06-24
By: Walter Stahr
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Thomas Paine
- Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
John Adams told Thomas Jefferson that “history is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine.” Thomas Edison called him “the equal of Washington in making American liberty possible.” He was a founder of both the United States and the French Revolution. He invented the phrase, “The United States of America.” He rose from abject poverty in working-class England to the highest levels of the era’s intellectual elite. And yet, by the end of his life, Thomas Paine was almost universally reviled.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This man should be a household name!
- By Darlene Davis on 11-21-11
By: Craig Nelson
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Young Benjamin Franklin
- The Birth of Ingenuity
- By: Nick Bunker
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
From his early career as a printer and journalist to his scientific work and his role as a founder of a new republic, Benjamin Franklin has always seemed the inevitable embodiment of American ingenuity. But in his youth, he had to make his way through a harsh colonial world, where he fought many battles with his rivals, but also with his wayward emotions. Taking Franklin to the age of 41, when he made his first electrical discoveries, Bunker goes behind the legend to reveal the sources of his passion for knowledge.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good Book but LOTS of Names
- By Tim on 10-31-19
By: Nick Bunker
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George Washington: The Founding Father (Eminent Lives)
- By: Paul Johnson
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
By far the most important figure in the history of the United States, George Washington liberated the 13 colonies from the superior forces of the British Empire against all military odds, and presided over the production and ratification of a constitution that (suitably amended) has lasted for more than 200 years. Yet today, Washington remains a distant figure to many Americans, a failing that acclaimed author Paul Johnson sets out to rectify with this brilliantly vivid, sharply etched portrait.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Ideology interferes with story line
- By Miranda on 05-01-15
By: Paul Johnson
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Rush
- Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father
- By: Stephen Fried
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 243
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 211
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 211
By the time he was 30, Dr. Benjamin Rush had signed the Declaration of Independence, edited Common Sense, toured Europe as Benjamin Franklin’s protégé, and become John Adams’s confidant, and was soon to be appointed Washington’s surgeon general. And as with the greatest Revolutionary minds, Rush was only just beginning his role in 1776 in the American experiment.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The narration problem can be corrected
- By Sandra L. on 09-27-18
By: Stephen Fried
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Washington's Circle
- The Creation of the President
- By: David S. Heidler, Jeanne T. Heidler
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 42
In Washington's Circle, David and Jeanne Heidler introduce not just the president but the group of extraordinary men who advised him. The familiar names are here, like the often irked and occasionally irksome John Adams, the scheming Alexander Hamilton, and the prodigiously talented James "Jemmy" Madison, but so are the lesser known Edmund Randolph, John Jay, and Gouverneur Morris. Washington's choices of whom to listen to, for better and sometimes worse, were as consequential as the advice his cabinet gave.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very Enlightening
- By Morgan on 06-04-18
By: David S. Heidler, and others
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Ben Franklin: Inventing America
- Sterling Point Books
- By: Thomas Fleming
- Narrated by: A. C. Fellner
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 39
Perhaps more than even Washington, Jefferson, or Adams, Ben Franklin is the Founding Father who best exemplifies the authentic American spirit and values. Eminent historian Thomas Fleming paints a lively portrait of this self-made man blessed with a wealth of talents: a best-selling author, the most important newspaper publisher in America, and a world-renowned scientist and inventor before he took on the task of becoming the true "Father" of American independence.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing and Inspiring
- By Kindle Customer on 11-26-11
By: Thomas Fleming
What listeners say about Benjamin Franklin: A Captivating Guide to an American Polymath and a Founding Father of the United States of America
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Leah Andrew
- 02-10-19
Good
The book did not disappoint. The author is gifted with the ability to bring to life this remarkable man who has left a tremendous legacy to our world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jaxon Jordon
- 02-10-19
Excellent Audiobook
Throughout this biography, I learned more about Ben than I even knew was there to learn. It is written for the normal reader, not the scholar (like the other Ben biography I tried to read). It reads well and gives a nicely rounded picture of this incredible gent.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christini
- 02-08-19
Very Interesting
Very interesting read about one of America's founding fathers. He was a brilliant intellectual who played a key role in drafting our country's Declaration of Independence and Constitution. He was also a key ambassador to France in negotiating the financing needed to support the American army in order to fight the British.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mackenzie
- 02-08-19
Informative
Benjamin Franklin left behind letters, journals and notes that are heavily drawn on to present as realistic a life story as is possible. The author lets the reader come to his own conclusions. I love that. A leisurely read that you don't want to rush. Other books by The author are well worth reading too, like Leonardo.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hammer
- 02-08-19
Great Information
It's impossible to believe what this man accomplished during his time on earth. A brilliant mind ever searching for answers to the problems of mankind. His many extended travels to England and France by sail ship are impossible to imagine given the poor and lengthy travel modes of the times. His contribution to the founding of our country was immeasurable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam G
- 02-10-19
Amazing Biography Of Ben Frankiln
This biography of Benjamin Franklin succeeds in being both revealing and readable. The genius and "errata" of Benjamin are presented in a highly interesting, detailed and candid story. Although I had read his autobiography and other books on the American Revolution, this biography revealed even more of this remarkable man. Highly recommended to those interested in the America's Founding Fathers.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Skylar
- 02-10-19
I Enjoyed This
I enjoyed this wonderfully told story of Benjamin Franklin's life, and learned a lot about history along the way. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a window into how America came to be.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L Kayden
- 02-08-19
Benjamin Franklin
For a non-fiction reader, I truly believe this is a must. For anyone interested in history, or the history of America, this is a must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melissa
- 02-08-19
Awesome
The end of the book includes a really great section where this author contextualizes legacy while summarizing the events of his life. That section allows this author to reflect and 'editorialize' more while the rest of the book takes a more objective historical stance. As with Job's biography, this author voice lends a tight narrative structure to a man's life could be presented in a more procedural and sterile fashion.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brandy
- 02-08-19
What an informative book
This is an absolutely fascinating, beautifully written bio that covers both a man and an epoch. While the prose is extremely dense and well informed, the book never indulges in academic excess or obscure controversies in order to develop a point of view for reasons of career. It is just a great elegant read that completely held my interest from start to finish.
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1 person found this helpful