My apologies to the unknown library patron whom I forced to return this book so that I could check it out, right before the libraries shut down indefinitely. If I'd known, you could have kept it.

First, this book is long and surprisingly dull for a popular biography. Second, as of page 92, where I finally decided to quit, there was remarkably little historical detail - it focuses in on the biographical aspects to the point that it's almost divorced from history, unusual for a biography of someone who lived more than 200 years ago. Third, it is chock-full of repetitive adoration of Franklin: barely a page passes without our being told that he was pragmatic and that whatever he's doing at the moment illustrates his pragmatic character. Or earnest, canny, frugal, etc. etc. This is especially jarring given that much of the behavior described isn't actually admirable: driving another newspaper editor out of business to clear the field to launch his own paper; writing anonymous letters to his own paper criticizing his competitors and praising himself, including for his restraint in not criticizing his competitors; allowing his wife to be openly nasty to his son, her stepson; and publishing a piece a few weeks after his marriage about how wives need to serve their husbands in everything and "deny yourself the trivial satisfaction of your own will," among many similarly unfortunate exhortations. Isaacson treats all this material uncritically, and I don't have much use for biographies that can't take an honest and balanced look at their subject, however widely loved that person might be. But Isaacson seems too enamored of Franklin's self-improvement schemes, all discussed in great detail, to do so.

At any rate, there are plenty of Franklin biographies out there and I can't say I have much use for this one. If only the library would take it back!

Where does the time go? Man....

For 2018 I am going to change things up a little. Instead of reading only ebooks or only hardcopies, I have decided I will read one ebook and  one mass market paperback at the beginning of the month then move on to the rest of my books. This will help me knock down the hoards of both types of books I seem to be collecting without ever reading. I have fewer mm paperbacks that Kindle books by far, but still, I tend to buy them and then never read them. Hopefully this will help me get things in order better around here.

What's your 2018 challenge? Mine is 100 books. 

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

Margaret Fuller

Journalist and women's rights activist Margaret Fuller (born May 23, 1810) was the first woman to be allowed the use of Harvard's Library. It was granted because she'd earned a reputation as the most well-read person in New England.

A very engaging ethnography - as a college student, the author moved to the inner city and spent her time hanging out with a group of young black men often on the run from the law. The book is a good look into how heavy policing affects all aspects of individual and community life. And the author is a good storyteller so it makes for engaging reading. Since she writes about one social network it's hard to tell how representative this is, and I think the criticism that the author herself got in too deep is probably valid. She also contradicts herself a few times. Still, it is worth reading.

106. MY NEW AMERICAN LIFE, BY FRANCINE PROSE

Recommended to me by my two-year-old niece. She hasn’t read it, she still doesn’t know how to read, but she said the lady in the cover was pretty and I should read it because of that. Yeah, she still has to learn not to judge a book by its cover... Though, in this case, she wasn’t completely wrong.

Synopsis: Lula, an Albanian immigrant, works as something like a nanny to a 19-year-old boy in a suburban house. Her boss tries very hard to keep everything together, even after his wife left him on Christmas eve; he’s the kind of person who always wants to do what’s right and proper. Lula’s life working for this family descends very easily into a stifling routine, which is shaken when three strange Albanian men ask her to hide a gun for them.

Overall enjoyment: It was a bit satirical, light, and entertaining. The characters are vivid and interesting, and they manage to hold a somewhat weak plot. A nice read for a lazy day.

Plot: There are some holes, some things that are too convenient or that happen at too convenient times, but overall, it works.

Characters: Lula is delightful. She is very realistic in her ennui and yearning for something different, while being afraid of losing what she has. The other characters work very well alongside of her.

World/setting: Lula rarely leaves a very restricted segment of the suburbia. In fact, she rarely leaves the house at all. She feels oppressed by it, wanting to escape, but she also somewhat sees it as home.

Writing style: Light, quick and funny.

Representation: Lula is an Albanian immigrant, and she also serves as a nice portrait to immigrants in general. She’s not overly romanticized nor stereotyped, just a person doing her best with what she has.

Political correctness: There are some instances of slut-shaming, over-awareness of body images, some light homophobia. Those are all the views of the characters, though, hardly sustained by the book itself.

Up next: Mayhem, by Sarah Pinborough