Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Walter Isaacson's full-scale biography of Benjamin Franklin traces the founding father's life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back. Franklin lived eighty-four years, during which he became America's best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as a practical and ingenious political leader. Isaacson chronicles Franklin's journey from runaway apprentice to influential figure in the nation's founding. The biography examines Poor Richard's Almanac, Franklin's role in the Declaration of Independence, the new nation's alliance with France, the treaty ending the Revolution, and the compromises that shaped the Constitution. Through a colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson shows how Franklin helped forge the American national identity and explores his relevance to the twenty-first century.