Book Review: The Founders’ Fortunes: How Money Shaped the Birth of America
The Founders’ Fortunes: How Money Shaped the Birth of America by Willard Sterne Randall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This well-researched book is more than just an overview of the finances of America’s founders. As we learn the details of how (and why) they made their fortunes, we also learn a lot about their personal lives and the times they lived in. After all, you can’t separate the amassing of a fortune from the reasons that fortune was sought after in the first place.
The writing style isn’t sleep-inducing academic dusty fact-dumping, thank goodness. I love history, and enjoy learning about famous figures, but I can’t abide dry, lifeless writing. This book is a comfortably pleasant read in that respect. I’ll probably read it twice through, as there’s a lot of interesting information presented and I’d like to soak up as much of it as possible.
Spoiler alert – Benjamin Franklin is, and probably always will be, one of the most interesting men in history!
My thanks to author Willard Sterne Randall, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
