Join the discussion! The bi-monthly CCHC book group selected three books. Feel free to read one or more.
Ingenious by Richard Munson
Munson recovers Franklin’s story relative to his scientific prowess. He reveals Franklin’s modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator, and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence. The riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story — from tradesman to inventor to nation-founder. – adapted from RichardMunson.com
Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Isaacson shows how the most fascinating of America’s founders helped define our national character. In a sweeping narrative, the author chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation’s alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.
In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century. – adapted from AbeBooks.com
The Loyal Son by Daniel Mark Epstein
A fresh take on the combustible politics of the age of independence, The Loyal Son is a gripping account of how the agony of the American Revolution devastated one of America’s most distinguished families. Epstein is a storyteller first and foremost, a historian who weaves together fascinating incidents discovered in long-neglected documents to draw us into the private world of the men and women who made America. – BarnesandNoble.com
This is a hybrid discussion. Onsite participants meet at Chester County History Center. A Zoom link will be provided to virtual participants a few days in advance.
Registration is Pay as You Wish. All donations support the mission of CCHC and are greatly appreciated.
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
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