Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty by Russell Freedman (review)

This illustrated biography of the colonial statesman and inventor emphasizes political achievements, covering his personal life in lesser, but nonetheless adequate, detail. Freedman opens with Franklin as a seventeen-year-old runaway, arriving with a little money, a generous nature, and boundless energy in Philadelphia, where he rose rapidly in the printing trade and made connections that would eventually launch his political career. Freedman skillfully conveys the many stages of Franklin’s life—a businessman and amateur (in the truest sense of the word) scientist until his “retirement” in his early forties, and then his second and better-known career as a public servant, Revolutionary leader, nation builder, and international diplomat. The density of the text is mitigated by spacious layouts and a wealth of generally well-captioned illustrations. A timeline, source notes, selected bibliography, and index are appended. Students with particular interest in Franklin’s inventions—or his reputed amorous liaisons in Paris—will want to consult additional biographies, but those pursuing general information will find this to be a readable, reliable resource.