Synopses & Reviews
“We forget, living in this era of heavily patented research and closely guarded results, how wonderfully exciting the scientific world used to be. In Stealing God’s Thunder, the story of Benjamin Franklin’s invention of the lightening rod and the resulting consequences, that sense of wonder and excitement and even fear comes beautifully to life. Philip Dray does a remarkable job of illuminating the ever-fascinating Franklin and, more than that, the way that he, and his invention, helped create the new scientific world.”
–Deborah Blum, author of Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection
Stealing God’s Thunder is a concise, richly detailed biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy. Today we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin’s day it was otherwise. Long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work, especially his experiments with lightning and electricity.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklin’s scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America’s struggle to establish its fundamental values. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and America’s pursuit of political equality for all, Stealing God’s Thunder recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of electricity and lightning. Rich in historic detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing God’s Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers.
Review
"Imagine a time when houses lacked electricity. Easy, break out the candles. Now try to imagine a time when no one knew what electricity was or that electric sparks on earth (stroke your cat) were the same thing as lightning. Now imagine Benjamin Franklin, dressed as the quintessential Quaker, recklessly and stupidly flying a kite in a storm and somehow not getting himself electrocuted. Now you've reached one of the major turning points in human history and science, in an eighteenth century where Franklin emerged as the premier world authority on electricity, long before he became one of our Founding Fathers.
Philip Dray focuses on this scientific aspect of Franklin, weaving around it a history of the theories and discovery of electricity, the Newtonian shift in scientific method, the emergence of the idea of political science, and inevitably, the religious opposition. After Franklin invented the lightning rod and installed a few, religious leaders accused him of stealing one of God's prerogatives: blasting human beings with thunderbolts. Some secular opponents objected that 'Franklin's rods,' as they were called, attracted damaging lightning strikes from the clouds. Pamphlet warfare ensued. Dray describes all this with expertise, wit, and balance. After you read his book, you'll know a new Ben, and you'll never again take your light switches for granted." Reviewed by Don Fry, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
"Philip Dray captures the genius and ingenuity of Franklins scientific thinking, and then does something even more fascinating: he shows how science shaped his diplomacy, politics and Enlightenment philosophy." Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Review
"Philip Dray adds a marvelous portrait of Franklin as scientist, justly acclaimed in his own day for his innovative study of electricity. A well-told tale that will interest readers of all descriptions." Mary Beth Norton, author of In the Devils Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692
Review
"Philip Dray has coaxed the familiar toward new dimensions and has succeeded in making the complex entirely, enthrallingly clear. This is a wise and lucid book, vastly informative, and a pleasure to read." Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Véra: (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America
Review
"Stealing Gods Thunder strikes me as the best study of Franklin as a scientist ever written." Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation and His Excellency: George Washington
Review
"Of greatest interest and relevance are Dray's stories about Franklin's electrical experiments (he electrocuted animals, just to see), about his scientific, religious and political opponents." Kirkus Review
Synopsis
A Pulitzer Prize finalist uses the story of Ben Franklin's science and his curious, empirical mind as a metaphor for America's struggle for democracy and the establishment of our fundamental values, and recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day.
Synopsis
Stealing Gods Thunder is a concise, richly detailed biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy. Today we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklins day it was otherwise. Long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work, especially his experiments with lightning and electricity.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklins scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for Americas struggle to establish its fundamental values. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and Americas pursuit of political equality for all, Stealing Gods Thunder recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of electricity and lightning. Rich in historic detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing Gods Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers.
About the Author
Philip Dray is the co-author of We Are Not Afraid: The Story of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney and the Civil Rights Campaign for Mississippi, which was a New York Times Notable Book for 1988. Born in Chicago and raised in Minnesota, Dray now lives in New York City. He has been a contributor to many publications, including Mother Jones, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.