Stealing God's Thunder
Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America
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Narrated by:
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David Chandler
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By:
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Philip Dray
About this listen
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Critic reviews
"Dray provides not only a masterful glimpse of this aspect of Franklin's work but also a captivating cultural history of Franklin's America." (Publishers Weekly)
"Tracing Franklin's beliefs through science, Dray's congenial history has information that will surprise even veteran Franklin fans." (Booklist)
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Story
On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, Frenchman Rene Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely deathfar from home. Sixteen years later, the pious French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who washounded from country after country on charges of atheism?
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Philosophy of Modernity
- By Roger on 06-17-09
By: Russell Shorto
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Benjamin Franklin: A Captivating Guide to an American Polymath and a Founding Father of the United States of America
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father of America and had an enormous impact on America as it is today. In addition to that, there are many little-known facts about the man who is Benjamin Franklin. Unlike many of the other Founding Fathers, he started out in humble circumstances. From a young age, Benjamin Franklin fought for the rights of America at home and abroad. Yet, he bore the burdens of leadership and never shirked nor faltered in his mission. His greatest asset was his charm and friendliness, but he had his detractors as well and felt the emotional impact of that.
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Excellent Audiobook
- By Jaxon Jordon on 02-10-19
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The Road to Monticello
- The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Kevin J. Hayes
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 25 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson was an avid book-collector, a voracious reader, and a gifted writer - a man who prided himself on his knowledge of classical and modern languages and whose marginal annotations include quotations from Euripides, Herodotus, and Milton. And yet there has never been a literary life of our most literary president.
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Very Boring Book
- By Greg on 05-13-14
By: Kevin J. Hayes
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Emerson
- The Mind on Fire
- By: Robert D. Richardson
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 26 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most important figures in the history of American thought, religion, and literature. The vitality of his writings and the unsettling power of his example continue to influence us more than a hundred years after his death. Now Robert D. Richardson Jr. brings to life an Emerson very different from the old stereotype of the passionless Sage of Concord.
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Finally!
- By Douglas on 08-15-14
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How the Scots Invented the Modern World
- By: Arthur Herman
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the 18th and 19th centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics - contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since. This book is not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world.
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Eagerly Awaited Audiobook
- By Lulu on 09-01-16
By: Arthur Herman
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Thomas Paine
- Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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John Adams told Thomas Jefferson that “history is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine.” Thomas Edison called him “the equal of Washington in making American liberty possible.” He was a founder of both the United States and the French Revolution. He invented the phrase, “The United States of America.” He rose from abject poverty in working-class England to the highest levels of the era’s intellectual elite. And yet, by the end of his life, Thomas Paine was almost universally reviled.
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This man should be a household name!
- By Darlene Davis on 11-21-11
By: Craig Nelson
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Tesla vs Edison
- A Captivating Guide to the War of the Currents and the Life of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Human history has seen many surprising and profound turning points. The ways that humans learned to use raw materials to create activity and resources set the stage for the most compelling and life-altering phase of the modern era, the Industrial Revolution. Born during this time on different continents but connected by similar interests, two men indelibly marked their generation and those that followed with their genius and foresight. This audiobook covers the war of currents and the individual lives of Tesla and Edison.
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Arduous
- By Hasbro on 10-22-18
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The Infidel and the Professor
- David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought
- By: Dennis C. Rasmussen
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Vividly written, The Infidel and the Professor is a compelling account of a great friendship of two towering Enlightenment thinkers that had great consequences for modern thought. David Hume is widely regarded as the most important philosopher ever to write in English, but during his lifetime, he was attacked as "the Great Infidel" for his skeptical religious views and deemed unfit to teach the young. In contrast, Adam Smith was a revered professor of moral philosophy and is now often hailed as the founding father of capitalism.
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a thoroughly enjoyable account of friendship
- By henryj on 02-21-20
What listeners say about Stealing God's Thunder
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- DavidK
- 09-15-06
Thought-provoking historical biography
This is not a traditional biography of Benjamin Franklin, but gives insights into this remarkable man which many biographies don't. The book presents an investigation of how scientific inquiry dealt with superstition and tradition in the 18th century, particulary as early investigations into electricity were discovering its power and danger. I enjoyed the introduction to Franklin's remarkably inquisitive mind, and the narrative of events leading to the several inventions which advanced understanding of electricity and other related issues (hot air balloons, the glass harmonica, Mersmer's medical treatments, etc.). There were occasional diversions which dragged a bit, but overall I found the writing excellent and the narration effective.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sam Novey
- 12-17-14
Eye opening and informative
Where does Stealing God's Thunder rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is among the best books I've had the opportunity to listen to so far on Audible. Dray moves briskly through Franklin's life and gives the reader a fascinating window into the scientific activities he was engaged in AND how they affected his role as a political leader. Highly recommend this recording for other audible customers!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Abigail
- 05-26-11
Fascinating
Oh my but I love Ben Franklin, and let me tell you generally getting me to read American history is like pulling teeth. Its not that I didnt like American history its just after years of it in high school, AP exams and college you kinda think maybe the thousands of years of history in the rest of the world need some looking into. This didnt bore me at all and made everything seem new and exciting. There are a few repetitive bits but almost all of the best reviewed books of this genre are like that (the clockwork universe for example, great read). Ben Franklin is funny and such an amazing man and this time in history is enthralling as well (if you havent overdone it). It is also always fun to laugh at the mistakes of the past (lightning rods piss off god and cause earthquakes) as long as we realize we are likely being equally stupid today. I do wish the author had gone into even more of Franklin's other scientific interests. I loved learning about Franklin's views on slavery as they evolved throughout his life. I think this is a great, quick listen that is read well and will keep most people interested.
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4 people found this helpful
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- GregRobin Smith
- 02-13-22
Informative, Interesting, Entertaining
Franklin is and was a marvel of complex interests and a simple desire to help his fellow Creatures.
Well performed. Well researched. This work 'Pokes and Prods' into many skipped over areas of Ben's life. I enjoyed it greatly.
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Overall
- AW
- 10-30-06
Boring
I am a big fan of history books including long reads (Truman is one of my favorites at over 50 hours), but I was very disappointed at how this book dragged along. I must admit that I didn't even download the second part of this book and probably never will.
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