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Benjamin Franklin An American Life By Walter Isaacson |
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"Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the
social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble.
In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems
to turn to us from history's stage with eyes the twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. By bringing
Franklin to life, Isaacson shows how he helped to define both his own time and ours. In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson, his practical marriage, and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris. He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century." |