Dec 12, 20 lepore is the history and literature department chair at harvard university. Her many books include the secret history of wonder woman, a national bestseller, and book of ages, a finalist for the national book award. Jill lepore opens a smeared casement on the life of jane, benjamin franklins gifted sister, confidante and lifelong correspondent. From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historiansa rev. Jill lepore has written a long overdue history of the united states.
So we learn in book of ages, an astonishing, if necessarily sketchy, biography of jane franklin 171294 by jill lepore, a harvard university history professor and new yorker staff writer. Blindspot pays more attention to sensory truths than most history writing does. But in jill lepore s meticulously constructed biography, book of ages. A convincing fictional world needs the truths of the flesh, ear, nose, and eye more than the truths of the archive. National book award finalist one of the best books of the year npr time magazine the washington post entertainment weekly. The content is thorough, wellresearched, timely, and wellwritten.
Author interview jill lepore, author of book of ages bookpage. These truths by jill lepore is a gutsy and lyrical look. Jill lepore is the david woods kemper 41 professor of american history at harvard university and a staff writer at the new yorker. Only jill lepore has the verve, wit, range, and insights to pull off this daring and provocative book. Jill lepore, a new york times bestselling author, is the david woods kemper 41 professor of american history at harvard university and a staff writer at the new yorker. In the remarkable book of ages, harvard professor and new yorker staff writer jill lepore examines the life of jane franklin mecom. Apr 23, 2012 discover jill lepore famous and rare quotes. This fat, ludicrously ambitious onevolume history is a lot more than that. Jane was born in late march 1712, married at fifteen and lived until early may 1794. The mansion of happiness, shortlisted for the 20 andrew carnegie medal for excellence in nonfiction. These truths by jill lepore norton at the heart of all such conflicts, she argues, is the lingering dispute over the origin of truth. Share jill lepore quotations about books, study and empathy. Book of ages is the latest example of lepore s project of reclaiming and revising aspects of american history a task she accomplishes, as in her 2012 essay collection the story of america.
Deftly combines biography and cultural history to trace the entwined stories of marston, wonder woman, and 20thcentury feminism. Jane mecom nee franklin birthed some thirteen or fourteen children, most of whom preceded her in death. Book of ages is the latest example of lepores project of reclaiming and revising aspects of american history a task she accomplishes, as in her 2012 essay collection the story of america. These truths by jill lepore overdrive rakuten overdrive. In the story of america, harvard historian and new yorker staff writer jill lepore investigates american origin stories from john smiths account of the founding of jamestown in 1607 to barack obamas 2009 inaugural address to show how american democracy is bound up with the history of print. New yorker writer lepore historyharvard univ the story of america, 2012 masterfully formulates the story of benjamin franklins youngest sister, who will be virtually unknown to many readers, using only a few of her letters and a small archive of births and deaths. Franklin s was a family of tradesmen, soapmakers, saddlemakers, candlemakers, and printers. Her many books include the secret history of wonder woman, a national bestseller, and book of ages, a finalist for. Jill lepore, a staff writer, has been contributing to the new yorker since 2005.
Oct 20, 20 jill lepore reconstructs the life of an 18thcentury woman, benjamin franklins favorite sister. Taylor, the washington times go read jill lepore s book of ages. Book of ages, about ben franklins sibling the new york times. Historian lepore the mansion of happiness, who has a knack for crafting a beautiful, inventive, and accessible story, has delicately and creatively pieced together a biography of jane franklin, despite a lack of surviving letters jane wrote little else, except for a small handstitched book in which she recorded the births and deaths of her. This biography of benjamin franklins sister, jane franklin mecom, does not resemble those works. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read book of ages. Joe gould, a madman, believed he was the most brilliant historian of the twentieth century. The life and opinions of jane franklin jill lepore. Jill lepore has 25 books on goodreads with 121722 ratings. Her books include new york burning, a finalist for the pulitzer prize. The life and opinions of jane franklin, in which she recalls the life of benjamin franklins youngest sister, jane franklin. Its a worthy question, one that seeks to recover the experiences of the. The end product is thrillingan example of how a gifted scholar and writer can lift the obscure out of silence.
The life and opinions of jane franklin, recently placed on the long list of nominees for the national book award in. Jill lepore books list of books by author jill lepore. Jun 27, 2014 15 books about the american revolution for fourth of july reading. And lepore s manner of writing can sometimes get annoying. And she muses at length about janes book of ages, the document that supplies lepore. Dari michele, photo distributed by knopf doubleday publishing what would it mean to write the history of an age not only from what has been saved but also. Book of ages is a beautiful portrait of a forgotten woman, whose importance lies in her ordinariness. The life and opinions of jane franklin 20 is a biography of the eighteenthcentury figure jane franklin mecom by american historian jill lepore. She was buried in the ecton churchyard, but her father would hardly have paid a carver to engrave so small a stone. Jill lepore opens a smeared casement on the life of jane, benjamin franklin s gifted sister, confidante and lifelong correspondent. Author jill lepore joins me from a studio in cambridge. Jill lepore interweaves her research on jane franklin, ben. Historian jill lepore explores this extraordinary, overlooked life in a discussion of her new book book of ages. The secret history of wonder woman is as racy, as improbable, as awesomely righteous, and as filled with curious devices as an episode of the comic book itself.
The life and opinions of jane franklin in new york journal of books. A biography of jane franklin, benjamins sister, it is simultaneously a fascinating look at early america, a meditation on one. Her many books include new york burning, a finalist for the pulitzer prize. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore. The life and opinions of jane franklin virginia woolf, writing a room of ones own, invented a sister for shakespeare. Book of ages, by jill lepore for centuries, the memory of jane franklin has languished in brother benjamins shadow. Book of ages is an ardently told life story, brimming with love and loss against a background of political strife and war. New yorker writer lepore historyharvard univ the story of america, 2012 masterfully formulates the story of benjamin franklin s youngest sister, who will be virtually unknown to many readers, using only a few of her letters and a small archive of births and deaths. Lepore spends pages pondering things only peripherally related to the book at large, such as pages and pages of painful detail about the frankln family soap recipe. Book of ages is the name of lepores extraordinary new book about jane franklin, but to call it simply a biography would be like calling bens experiments with electricity mere kite flying.
And she muses at length about jane s book of ages, the document that supplies lepore s own volume with its title. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore knopf. Sep 27, 20 but in jill lepores meticulously constructed biography, book of ages. Bibliography note includes bibliographical references pages 327417 and index carrier category volume carrier marc source rdacarrier content category text.
Her books include the new york times best seller the secret history of wonder woman and book of ages, a finalist for the national book award. While ben is on currency and splashed across textbooks, janes life. Interweaving many lively biographies, these truths illuminates the origins of the passions and causes, which still inspire and divide americans in an age that needs all the truth we can find. Over the centuries, americans have read and written their way into a political culture of ink and. Because of that, book of ages becomes almost more of a reflection about the lost lives of those who arent documented, especially the women of the past.
Thats just one of a multitude of striking observations that jill lepore makes about jane franklin, the baby sister of ben. An oldfashioned civics book, harvard historian and new yorker contributor jill lepore calls it, a glint in her eye. Jan 01, 20 jill lepore does a great job of recreating jane franklins life as best as she can, given that, as the author says, her paper trail is miserably scant. Her books include the name of war, which won the bancroft prize.
She writes about american history, law, literature, and politics. In the nexus of feminism and popular culture, jill lepore has found a revelatory chapter of american history. The secret history of wonder woman by jill lepore, paperback. It was a chronicle of births and deaths in her family, including her 12 children. Jill lepore born august 27, 1966 citation needed is an american historian. Jill lepore is a staff writer at the new yorker and the david woods kemper 41 professor of american history at harvard university. Book of ages by jill lepore, 9780307948830, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Lepore is the author of book of ages, new york burning and the. The youngest sister of the inventor and politician benjamin franklin, jane franklin was his closest confidant. National book award finalist from one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister and a history of history itself. Lepore a professor of american history at harvard, a new yorker writer, and the author of book of ages is an endlessly energetic and knowledgeable guide to the fascinating backstory of wonder woman. Book of ages on apple books apple books apple apple. Jill lepore, harvard historian and staff writer for the new yorker, has recreated the story of an obscure woman with a famous brother, though jane franklin, sister of benjamin, was real, and she. Reviewed by rachel adams, columbia university the question now inevitably asks itself, in 1939, wrote virginia woolf whether the lives of great men only should be recorded. What lepore means by that line of nearpoetry is that jane franklins life, beginning at age 17 when she gave birth to the first of her 12 children, was one of nursing, lugging pails of night soil. To some americans, truth derived from god, to others from. The most poignant artifact lepore unearthed was janes handmade book of ages, recording the birth of her 12 children and, excruciatingly, the eventual deaths of all but one of them. Knopf all there is to know about edward mecom is a scant paper trail of failure furniture. Books by jill lepore goodreads meet your next favorite book. The life and opinions of jane franklin, by jill lepore june 27, 2014.
Listen to book of ages audiobook by jill lepore, narrated by robin miles. A conversation with jane kamensky and jill lepore jane kamensky. The life and opinions of jane franklin ebook written by jill lepore. It is the first such book that i have read listened to that gives due recognition of slavery throughout our history as well as womens rights. She lyrically describes this register of births and deaths jane kept for her. Jane franklin mecom 17121794 did not come into her own until she was widowed in 1765. Lepore pieces together jane franklins life from other documents, including newspapers, benjamins letters, and also a small book that jane herself wrote, which she titled book of ages. A biography of jane franklin, benjamins sister, it is simultaneously a fascinating look at early america, a meditation on one remarkable mind by another, and, implicitly, a biography of all the other janeshistorys anonymous and overlooked women. Jill lepore talked about her book, the secret history of wonder woman, in which she examines the feminist underpinnings of the november 16, 20 interview on book of ages.
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