Ingenious

June 1, 2024

In this biography, Munson (Tesla: Inventor of the Modern) focuses on Founding Father Benjamin Franklin's scientific creativity rather than his political and diplomatic achievements, illuminating his research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, and weather patterns. Munson shows Franklin as an experimenter and innovator who still has modern relevance. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal

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November 1, 2024
The scientific side of Benjamin Franklin's life and career. In this brisk yet well-packed account of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) as America's quintessential polymath Founding Father, Munson (Tesla: Inventor of the Modern, 2018) deftly navigates Franklin's myriad accomplishments as statesman, diplomat, writer, publisher, and more. Throughout, Munson highlights Franklin's passion for scientific inquiry as the bedrock of his rational approach to decision-making and problem-solving in these various roles while also surveying many of his scientific discoveries. From his groundbreaking experiments with electricity to his invention of bifocal lenses and the lightning rod, Franklin's ingenuity and practical intellect are evident, underscoring his enduring influence on both science and society. Munson argues that Franklin's scientific acumen was the driving force behind his success in all other arenas: "With all due respect to Franklin's standing as a founding father of our country, we wouldn't be discussing his political prowess were it not for his fame as a leading scientist, which opened doors for him in the worlds of diplomacy and nation-building. Science, rather than being a sideline, is the through line that integrates Franklin's diverse interests." Munson further traces the evolution of Franklin's reputation over time, examining how shifting cultural currents and the subjective perspectives of various biographers have influenced our understanding of him, emphasizing instead the particular relevance of Franklin's scientific approach within our current world: "As a vocal set of modern-day activists reject science and dismiss facts, Benjamin's life highlights the importance of verifiable analysis....In our narrow view of America as either red or blue and our arguments as only for or against, Franklin suggests a more nuanced world, one that is ultimately more fascinating and entertaining. We now can see him with prismatic lenses, rather than bifocals that register at most two views." An engaging, fully dimensional portrait of Franklin, his empirical mindset serving as an example for our fact-challenged era.

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Starred review from September 16, 2024
“Science, rather than being a sideline, is the through line that integrates Franklin’s diverse interests,” according to this electrifying portrait of the founding father’s scientific pursuits. Noting that Franklin’s interest in electricity went well beyond his famous 1752 kite experiment, biographer Munson (Tesla) describes how in the 1740s, Franklin tested electricity’s properties by tinkering with rudimentary batteries, a rotating electrostatic generator, and other equipment, becoming the first person to posit that “positive and negative states of electrification seek neutrality, which is the cause of electric shocks.” Franklin’s wide-ranging interests touched upon numerous disciplines, Munson observes, discussing how Franklin’s demographic studies on America’s population growth influenced English economist Thomas Malthus’s writings on overpopulation, and how Franklin’s water temperature measurements in the Gulf of Mexico determined the route of the Gulf Stream. The book’s most illuminating sections cover how his scientific interests influenced his political career. For instance, Munson discusses how during Franklin’s tenure as a diplomat to France in the late 1770s, his scientific renown had “French ministers and intelligentsia vying for audiences” with him, which he used to stir up French support for America’s war for independence. Munson proves there’s reason yet to revisit the much-studied statesman.