As many look forward to see what Brad Meltzer will reveal about America’s greatest statesman / inventor / writer / satirist / ambassador / womanizer / proud flatulator / university founder, it is great to see such a wonderfully revealing deep dive (pun intended- you’ll see!) into the years that helped form Benjamin Franklin into the man he would become and the legend he remains.
With help from noted biographical illustrator Matt Tavares (who also brought another Boston-based legend back to life in There Goes Ted Williams), super-experienced and highly-acclaimed author Michael J. Rosen shows us how Franklin’s ability to take something from every experi3ece but not too much from any one allowed and encouraged him to cobble together a remarkable life, even when others might not have seen much more than a “woolgatherer.”
Amidst his many apprenticeships and efforts to launch, Franklin has already caught the inventing bug, finding new ways to propel himself across the Charles River and other local bodies of water before it was possible to simply float upon the oil slicks and debris. Having exasperated his father, young Ben is sentenced to work for his own brother in a print shop, which is where most other stories begin. By going back before this most formative experience, Rosen offers an even broader view of the boy who would become the man who many people see as The Man in American history. Hurrah! Hurrah! Michael!
– Matt Robinson (who has also written a book that deals with Franklin’s creations and creativity- www.lionstihgersbulldogs.com).
