The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Despite being a brief read, I spent a little longer reading this than I would've mainly because it was so well-written and every paragraph held nuggets of wisdom. At this point, a lot of what Franklin wrote and said has become well-known, but I still found bits and pieces that were unfamiliar to me.

I'd recommend this to anyone interested in personal growth, or history in general. It's an easy, approachable read.

That being said, I would be mindful of the context in which it was written as there are many areas of the text that don't age well.

Admittedly, I grabbed this book because I needed 1 more nonfiction to complete my New Year's Resolution and this one was short. It's also the first in the Harvard 5 foot shelf that I downloaded when it went on sale this year and I enjoyed making the tiniest dent in that. That said, I was fascinated by a lot of Franklin's proposals. He wrote this in 1781, folks, and in it he condemns anti-vaxxers, promotes taxation for infrastructure, writes about founding a public religious space where anyone (he cites the Mufti of Constantinople preaching Mohammadanism) could speak, and even suggests a rudimentary public health care system where anyone, regardless of what lands they are from, could be helped. I guess the only part our current politicians have read are the racist asides about drunken Indians...

Fantastic. What an instructive bit of prose - history, biography, and moral structure.

I think the audiobook is a good way to get through the material, but a text may be well used for reference, remembrance, and motivation.

A book that has redefined Franklin in my eyes. Tells the story of his highly remarkable life from his own perspective. Gives insights into productivity, leadership, wealth creation, philanthropy, and social good.
I am re-reading it to get all identified action points executed, for example, the day planning method.

What a neat guy! There's a lot to say here about the value of honesty and industriousness. The book is feel-good chicken soup for the soul and the first 65% of this book is utterly fantastic. You should go read it now. Go!

And then it gets boring and starts talking more about events than about the man himself. The ending is unsatisfying. Blue-balled by Benjamin Franklin again.

Interesting, funny, very 18th century. Now I need to find a biography to better understand the historical context.