The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By: Benjamin Franklin

Narrated by: Gregg Rizzo

Born 1706 in Boston, Benjamin Franklin was the 15th of his father's 17 children. He went to school as a child with the intent of becoming a minister, as his father, Josiah, intended. However, that idea was dropped after Franklin showed a keen interest in reading and writing. He was apprenticed to his brother, James, at a young age, but after fighting with his brother he quit the job and moved to Philadelphia, where he worked for a man named Samuel Keimer.

After befriending some prominent political figures, including the royal governor, Franklin left for England, where he spent 18 months working for a printer with his friend, James Ralph, with whom he later became estranged. Shortly after returning to America in 1726, Franklin formed a debating club called the Junto. Two years later, he took over The Pennsylvania Gazette from Keimer and turned it into a successful publication with tools from London. In 1730, Franklin wed his old sweetheart, Deborah Read, with whom he had two children. The first, William Franklin, was born approximately one year later; he is the man to whom the autobiography is addressed in part one.

Public Domain (P)2015 Gregg Rizzo

College book review

The narrator was fine but the book was boring. I started to lose interest after chapter 10. At that point all I was doing was listening instead of paying attention. The ending was when I picked it back up