The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

I'm making my way through the history of the American Revolution by reading one book about every founding father. So far I've read Chernow's books on Hamilton and Washington, and this one by HW Brands. Each book has shown me the same exact stories and events but told through different eyes. I'm getti......more

The best biography I've ever read. Franklin is so human I could walk into the next room and not be surprised to see him setting there. The biographer also makes a very compelling argument that Ben Franklin was the most indispensable figure in the American Revolutionary adventure. Or at least tied wit......more

A detailed and masterful biography of one of the greatest men in modern history. He was a true model of a man in so many realms. The author was exhaustively thorough. Thus it is a long book but also a great story of how one man learned to preserve and succeed through a difficult life with such great......more

[URL not allowed] H. W. Brands’ “The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin” was published in 2000 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Brands is a professor of history and government at the University of Texas and a prolific author. He has written nearly three-d......more

Now that I've read the best, it's time to study the rest. Seriously though, folks, this book should have WON the Pulitzer back in 2001. The only book I've read and reviewed this past year that even comes close to this one is Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight. This Franklin biogr......more