A Review of Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty

By Russell Freedman

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Freedman, Russell. Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. New York: Holiday House Publishers. 2013. ISBN: 0823423743

PLOT SUMMARY

Freedman crafts a tale that presents a true, well-researched picture of a young, rebellious teenager who ran away from his family and an apprenticeship in Boston to Philadelphia in 1723. He was the fifteenth of seventeen children. He arrived in Philadelphia virtuously penniless stating, “I was very hungry, and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar and a shilling in copper.” He immediately met his future wife, 15 year-old Deborah Read, who thought young Ben had a “most awkward and ridiculous appearance.” Even though he only had two years of formal school, he excelled at reading and writing. He quickly found work as a printer where he first published Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1733. From there, he formed a group of bright young artisans and tradesmen he named Junto, meaning conference, who met every Friday night. This group made civic improvements with America’s first lending library, lighting Philadelphia’s streets and founded a firefighting company, Philadelphia’s first college and hospital. He had made enough money to retire at 44, but continued his work inventing bifocals. The lightning rod and the Franklin stove among others. He played an active major role in the formation of the new nation, signing all the documents that resulted in the creation of the United States. This book includes portraits (reproductions) engravings, and newspaper pages that highlight the life of this remarkable man.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Freedman has created a wonderful teaching tool for one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. His story was very interesting and I learned a lot more about the man I thought I was familiar with. This book would be a great tool for teachers. It comes with a timeline of Franklin’s life, source notes, picture credits, and a selected bibliography. The portraits Freedman incorporates into his book help to paint a vivid picture of the life of one of the greatest Americans. Highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Russell Freedman is one of the most honored writers for children having one the Newberry Medal, three Newberry Honor Medals, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Awards, the Sibert Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and a National Humanities Medal.

School Library Journal - “Tracing Franklin's life chronologically, the author chose episodes that reflect how the young man, disgruntled with being his brother's apprentice, made a life for himself, and how he became the figure who is revered today. By describing the obstacles Franklin overcame in establishing his print shop in Philadelphia, Freedman delineates a clear path between his subject's early ambition and his ease with people to his success in business and then to his later roles as a diplomat, revolutionary, and public servant.” 

Booklist – “Freedman traces Franklin’s life and work, showing how a mischievous boy became a rebellious apprentice, then a successful colonial printer, and finally an influential figure in the world and a pivotal figure in his nation’s founding. Along the way, Franklin informs and amuses his countrymen with Poor Richard’s Almanac, heats them with his stove design, enlightens them through his experiments on electricity, and protects them by inventing the lightning rod.”

CONNECTIONS

Read other excellent biographies on historical figures or books on historical events:

·                     Bolden, Tanya. Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty. 2013. ISBN: 1419703900

·                     Stone, Tanya Lee. Courage Has No Color, The True Story of the Triple Nickels: America's First Black Paratroopers. 2013. ISBN: 0763651176

·                     Brown, Don. The Great American Dust Bowl. 2013. ISBN: 0547815506

As well as other Russell Freedman books:

·            Freedman, Russell. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship. 2012. ISBN:  0547385625

·            Freedman, Russell. The War to End All Wars: World War I. 2013. ISBN: 0544021711

And many more