Customer Reviews

Fart Proudly: Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Fart Proudly" is a wonderfully hilarious collection of some of Franklin's satirical works. It is a brief but highly enjoyable read. Mr. Japikse's introductions provide a handy frame for many of the articles and letters of one of America's exquisite minds.

One caveat: There is a closing piece written by Mr. Japikse entitled "The Dream" in which he injects his own political agenda into Mr. Franklin's mouth. In this piece I feel he has exceeded his calling to Fart Proudly and has soiled himself leaving us with a small pile of excrement. Be careful that it doesn't stick to your shoe.

This book is a terrific compilation of Ben's lesser known writings. Reading this, I have to say - if I could invite any one person to dinner, past, present or future, it would be Benjamin Franklin. He's smart, funny, rebellious, irreverent, and eloquent.

Every schoolteacher in every elementary school history classroom across America - or the world - should have multiple copies of this book freely available at all times. There's a reason Ben was a hero in other countries besides the states.

That said, the preface sucked. Using Ben to push your own politics? Get over it. I agree, but I dislike being told what to think.

So - definitely buy the book, definitely skip the preface, definitely laugh your musical behind off.

I have to say that I rather enjoyed reading Franklin's lesser known works/letters. At one point I was even chuckling out loud.

However the book was ruined at the end by the editor's own political agenda. He assumes to many things and discredits his own opinion about the freedom of speech (if it is true that no one is allowed to speak their mind or are afraid - how is it that you got published).

My recommendation is to rip out that section of the book and enjoy what a gifted writer and thinker has to say - Ben Franklin

Bland history makes great men look great. Bad history makes great men look bad. This makes a great man look great being a 'bad boy' - a tasty bit of irony and accuracy.

Franklin was one of the first printers in the US - he was a material supporter of freedom of the press, and a severe critic of irresponsible press. He was a statesman and clown, when clowning made his point the best way. He was a politician, scientist, and bawd - how else to take in so much of the human condition?

This collection captures some of the contradictions that comprised Benjamin Frnaklin. Maybe it takes some of the sheen off the gold star that history dumped on him, but it adds toughness and flexibility to the steel that he showed as diplomat. Satire is a voice, and this short book shows a few octaves of his.

I have to admit that poor teachers put me quite off American history. Books like this get me reading history again. It shows Franklin the patriot and firebrand defending the mothers without husbands and deflating the learned academies of Europe. This is short but sweet, and even his choices of words show me a lot about how modern English is used.

//wiredweird

Benjamin Franklin, as I knew him (mostly from elementary school TV cartoons), was a busy old man who spent his time inventing stoves and bifocals, getting electrocuted by lightning, writing newspapers, and admonishing us to work hard and "unite or die".

Franklin, it turns out, was also a brilliant humorist and satirist. The opening essay of "Fart Proudly", suggesting the Royal Academy of Brussels drop their efforts on cute mathematical theorems and focus instead on finding ways to make farts smell pleasant, is a riot. Franklin tops it later in his essay "On Choosing a Mistress", which expands upon the merits of older women ("there is no hazard of Children, which irregularly produced may be attended with much Inconvenience." "covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old one from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure or corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of improvement.")

Once you get used to the style, the book goes very quickly, and you can read it in an afternoon easily. And, in addition to being a deep repository of wit, the book is also a fun history lesson, as through a variety of Franklin's satirical essays on politics ("Three Fables", "Rules by Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One", "Transporting Rattlesnakes") you can see the evolution of Franklin's grievances with Britain from a perspective far more entertaining than a history text.

My only complaint is that Japiske, the editor, is an ignoramus, and exactly the kind of gentleman Franklin would have gone out of his way to mock mercilessly in print.

One hardly thinks of our "founding fathers" as people with a sense of humor, let alone as individuals who could be downright bawdy and naughty. _Fart Proudly_ demonstrates this side of Benjamin Franklin in a collection of his lesser known writings including his "Letter to the Royal Academy" (from which the book gets its title). It is a humourous read, if for no other reason than to revel in the wit (and witicisms) of one of the revolutionary generation's great minds.

While several articles are funny ("How to Choose a Mistress" is also a favorite), many miss the mark - humor has changed a bit over the last 200 - odd years. Nonetheless, I recommed the book for no other reason than to give our founding fathers a more "human" face.

I can't understand why standard Franklin anthologies don't include more of these wonderful pieces. Among many lovely things, this book includes 'The Grand Leap', Franklin's spot on satire of the news media, and a political fable which would have been the definitive analysis of US Middle Mid East foreign policy if someone had been smart enough to write it today. These writings are as wise as they are funny, and they are very funny. Great read!

This book is just what the title says. Not ALL of the writings are as rare as you think but I would say most of it is unknown on a High School level. By college a lot of this should be known by anybody who knows American History or is a fan of Benjamin Franklin. There is humor but also a message in each piece, showing Mr. Franklin's views on the subject of the press, government and how to live life. Now, why did I take away a star? Because the last chapter is not by Mr. Franklin. The last chapter is Carl Japikse using the ghost of Mr. Franklin as a mouth piece. While I agree with much of what he raves against, mostly about his view on the modern mass media, this space could have been used to hold something by Mr. Franklin. That is who the book is about, after all.

My husband has a wacky sense of humor and asked me to order this book. Wackier yet is that I've read it and he has not.

I enjoyed most of the essays inside. One essay in particular sticks to the forefront of my mind and that was on choosing a mistress. Not exactly something you'd expect the revered Almanac writing Ben Franklin to write about! Still, it was tongue in cheek.

Much of what is inside pertains to personal finance. Old Ben was not a fan of borrowing money, that is for sure. But still, his practical advice is timeless.

I agree with what another writer wrote about the final chapter. The author does take some literary license with how he thought Ben would feel about the state of the country these days. It was a little over the top and perhaps a bit out of place. While I did appreciate his framing of essays with a little bit of background info (particularly as it related to what Ben wrote about another almanac writer), the last chapter was out of place. In reading the book, the reader likely came to the realization that Ben would not be amused with how our country turned out. We didn't need that last chapter to drive the point home. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading the lesser known works of Ben Franklin, though I freely admit I had trouble following him at times. Our colonial forefathers did have a different way of phrasing things and annoying habit of capitalizing words that are not capitalized as a matter of course in modern works.

I bought this to be a "gag" type of gift for a holiday grab bag. It was fought over by several guests. After reading it myself, I realized Ben Franklin is one cool dude!