Book Review: The Printer and the Preacher by Randy Petersen

I love learning about early American history, specifically Colonial-era history. I love the different personalities and the interactions between them that worked to shape this country. Benjamin Franklin is one of the personalities that has always interested me. So when I saw this book, The Printer and the Preacher: Ben Franklin, George Whitefield, and the Surprising Friendship that Invented America by Randy Petersen, I thought it could be a very interesting read.

While I'm not entirely sure that the author proved his point of their friendship "inventing America," I really enjoyed the book nonetheless.

Petersen spent a good deal of the book describing the backgrounds of each of the two men. He described how the upbringing of the two played into the personalities of the men they would grow up to be. To me, it was fascinating and probably my favorite part of the book.

Another interesting thing for me was the description of the Great Awakening. Living in New England, it made me laugh a little reading the descriptions of the spiritual state of this area even in the 1720s and 30s. When the Great Awakening happened (before George Whitefield came to America) there was a "fear that people would become overemotional, seeking some passionate experience that had little grounding in good theology." Lots of thinkers, wary of passionate feelings. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.

The friendship between Ben Franklin and George Whitefield was almost secondary to the book, in my mind. The individual men were both so interesting to me. What starts out as a business relationship that was mutually beneficial to both of them goes through various phases over the course of their lives and the two became good friends. Whitefield tried to convince Franklin that he really needed to put his trust in Jesus Christ. Franklin appreciated the effect that religious conversion had on people, ultimately making them better citizens - and good citizenship is what Franklin worked for throughout his life.

This was truly an interesting book and I feel like I have a new insight into the history of our nation that I had never had before. I like that.