Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is one of the very few books that all Americans should read, and virtually everyone else should also. Its greatness and importance can hardly be exaggerated. Aside from being a great autobiography, the book cuts to the very heart of what it means to be American; it is indeed hardly hyperbolic to say that Franklin created the American dream, and this details it. The work thus has strong inspirational potential, not least because it is a great and unusually practical ethics primer. In addition, it is a fascinating glimpse at late colonial America, and we get plenty of Franklin's wit and wisdom.
The book would of course be invaluable if it were only an autobiography, as Franklin is one of the most notable and interesting people to ever live. His life was long, and he accomplished more than almost anyone in history; a simple list of his achievements would almost be a book in itself. That he did not come close to completing this is thus extremely regrettable; it goes only to 1758, when Franklin was in his early 50s, well before his famed public career. Those wanting coverage of this important era will thus be disappointed and must rely on later biographies. However, Franklin's long list of accomplishments even at that point does much to atone. It is also important to realize that this is not a formal autobiography but was written in four stages over nearly twenty years. The first and probably best-known part was as a 1771 letter to Franklin's son. The much shorter Part Two was written in 1784, continuing the former narrative for the public. Part Three was written in 1788 and the very short Part Four, which breaks off somewhat abruptly because Franklin was near death, in 1790. The book - no part of which was published until after Franklin's death, and then only in French, and which did not come out in full until well into the nineteenth century - as it stands was thus not meant to be cohesive and is indeed far from it; there is a little overlap and no real transitions. No one should expect polish, but there is no arguing with what is here, though Part Four is clearly less substantial. We learn about Franklin's family background and early life, his near-literal rags to riches rise, his printing career, his writing, his scientific exploits and inventions, his early political actions, etc. This encompasses an astonishing number and variety of important and worthy deeds. The sheer number of things that Franklin began or pioneered is simply incredible - and almost unbelievable considering the circumstances. We see everything from the founding of the first American fire department and library to the founding of the University of Pennsylvania to the famous electrical experiments to the invention of the Franklin Stove and other devices - and far more. It is an excellent story well-told, and anyone at all interested in autobiography will be endlessly intrigued.
Franklin's rise from humble origins to world fame and acclaim is endlessly amazing and ever-admirable. One of the first truly self-made men, he had the kind of can-do optimism, resolve, and perseverance of which few people can even conceive. Franklin details how he did it, thus delineating the American dream that has attracted the down and out but hopeful from all around the world for over two centuries. The book's influence is simply profound - and quite direct in that it is still widely read, though indirect ramifications are even more enormous. Hundreds of millions have imitated it whether they know or not - and many have known -, but probably none have equaled it, and few have even come close. Yet it shows no sign of ceasing to be inspirational; Franklin shows, as no one else has ever come close to doing, that hard work and determination really can pay off. It is remarkable enough that his story is real, but the truly remarkable thing is how little it owes to luck. Many have of course been disappointed, often tragically, in trying to emulate Franklin, and it is undeniable that monumental intelligence and a plethora of other assets gave an edge that only a very small number of people can ever come close to reproducing. For all this, though, his story's bare reality is the best kind of inspiration one could ever hope for.
As if listing his accomplishments were not enough, Franklin also relays his truly noble self-improvement experiment; knowing his faults all too well but determined to be virtuous, he developed and rigorously applied a near-mathematical improvement system. He did not fully succeed, but the degree to which he did is highly noteworthy. There is much to be learned here as elsewhere; many have used his system, some with considerable success, and nearly everyone can get something valuable from it. On top of everything else, the book is thus a great ethics introduction - the kind that simply has not existed for some time. Franklin combines the best aspects of Spartan, Roman, and Puritan ideas of virtue - a combination that cannot be found in the innumerable tripe now littering self-help bookshelves. Unlike those wretched works, this is intellectually and even aesthetically pleasing - and more importantly, is eminently practical and supremely accessible.
Franklin was great in nearly every sense - full of virtue and true nobility as almost no one has been. He has rightly been an American hero for centuries, revered around the world. That said, he has always had critics, and it is easy to latch onto negative things. Some - famously including D. H. Lawrence - have condemned Franklin as hopelessly materialistic, obsessed with what the latter elsewhere called "the way to wealth." There is definitely some truth here, and it would be quite hard to deny that perversion of Franklin's scheme has led to significant harm. One can of course say this is not his fault, but more to the point is that it is hard to criticize considering Franklin's circumstances - and only the envious will begrudge his success. This in any case sells him very short; Franklin after all refused to patent that would have made him unspeakably wealthy or accept money for public office. It is also very unfair to claim or even imply that he cared only for wealth. We must not forget that Franklin was one of his era's greatest scientists and intellectuals and an extremely well-read polyglot - all his own doing, as he had almost no formal education. However, he may be otherwise criticized - not least for the book's profusion of barely-disguised vanity, which he admits many times. In the end, though, this is hardly worth mentioning. Being Franklin, the only surprising thing is that he was not much vainer still; nearly anyone else would have been, and who can deny it would have been almost entirely justified? An arguably more substantial point is Franklin's infamously innumerable sexual trysts, including many with prostitutes. He refers to this himself, including what he calls "low women," but some may disparage him for not being more open. That said, it is only fair to note that he is often surprisingly honest - not only in mentioning such dalliances at all but in many other ways, not least the blunt description of his failed marriage proposal. Some will value this, while others will think Franklin honest to a fault, and still others will think it does not go far enough. We must remember in any case that this part was written to his son and that the book was meant to be practically applicable rather than confessional.
Practicality is indeed Franklin's core trait and the one that should get the most attention; it goes a long way toward erasing any doubts. Regardless of how famous or rich he became, Franklin was never highfalutin or pretentious, always retaining the hard common sense that served him so well. This led to great improvements not only in his life but in countless others; for example, despite a fearsome intellect, vast self-education, and highly impressive accomplishments in nearly every field, Franklin could still concern himself with things like reducing street dust and making street lights brighter. How many in his position would have even noticed such things - except perhaps to complain? Flawed as he clearly was, only a handful of people even compete with him for widespread benefits to humanity. We can - and should - admire and appreciate this, whatever else we think of him.
His wisdom also comes across in many other ways, benefiting us further. Franklin had great insight into human nature and has much practical advice about virtually every interpersonal relations aspect, including how to advance agendas without making enemies and even how to turn enemies into friends. His observations on everything from literature to religion also have great value; simply put, he could hardly write boringly, and what he has to say is very far from boring in any case.
Additionally, it must be pointed out that the book would be of great value even if it did not deal with someone as important as Franklin because it is an excellent primary source about a very important period. We get a very vivid idea of what it was like to live in early to mid-eighteenth century America socially, economically, politically, and otherwise. The work's historical value is probably impossible to calculate.
Finally, one must not neglect to mention that Franklin is a prime American prose stylist. He deliberately wrote in a very simple style that was clear, concise, and generally accessible - a distinct contrast to the mainstream writing of his time. Some may doubt this, but it is easily proven by comparing the book to other late eighteenth century ones - or even many from less than a century ago. How many can be easily read without footnotes and other glosses or extensive introductions? Spelling and punctuation have of course changed significantly, but anyone can still pick this up and get into it quite quickly and easily, which is not its least notable feature.
All told, this is absolutely essential for anyone even remotely interested in Franklin, American history, self-improvement, or any of the many other topics on which it touches despite being under 150 pages. The world would undeniably be substantially better if everyone read this and took its most inspiriting aspects to heart, and there can be no higher praise.
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