Isaacson’s writing style impressed me for a while, but he becomes rather tedious quickly, dwelling on minor points for long periods until you just can’t take any more. Benjamin Franklin was truly a remarkable man, deserving of a better fate than to be remembered as Isaacson would have us.
Unaware of Isaacson’s extreme left-wing political leanings, I began to suspect an ulterior motive for his writing this book somewhere about halfway through it. Once I realized there were certain important details missing about Franklin’s views, I did a bit of research on Isaacson (as well as Franklin to confirm my suspicions) and it all made sense. Isaacson simply joins the ranks of other Left-wing attempts to revise history through tone or omission, though this book does so very subtly.
Overall, it’s an informative biography with some interesting references. I believe it should only be used in conjunction with better biographies on Franklin.
Tags: book review
