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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. By Walter Isaacson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. 590 pages. $30.00.
The last several years have seen the resurgence of biographies and other historical works focused on America's founding generation. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, and others have all appeared as the subjects of recent biographical studies, while works such as Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation have sought to examine the interaction of these figures in the birth of the nation. This trend might denote a backlash against some professional historians who have for the past several decades emphasized the common man's role at the expense of more prominent political and military leaders. It seems only too obvious, however, that to understand significant historical events, one must evaluate the people most responsible for bringing about those events. In this vein, Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life delineates Franklin's indispensable role in the forging of America.
Isaacson, a veteran journalist, has served as the managing editor of Time magazine and the chairman of CNN. His journalistic skill is evident through his clear prose and comprehensible style. This book is a pleasure to read and should be readily accessible to anyone with even a basic understanding of early American history. At the same time, professional historians will appreciate Isaacson's meticulous research and familiarity with both the primary and secondary literature related to Franklin and 18th-century America. Particularly impressive is Isaacson's evaluation of Franklin's...