American Sketches
by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson's essays on Franklin, Einstein, Kissinger, Gates, Jobs and others, plus reflections on journalism. Uneven but a good sampler of his thinking on what makes great lives.
Read it if…
you want short takes before committing to his big biographies.
See the book →
Skip it if…
you want depth on one subject.
Try instead: Lincoln's Virtues →
Three things you will actually use
- Curiosity connects the greats.
- Tolerance and humor matter.
- Great lives have patterns.
Do this first
Read the Franklin essay.
Our verdict
Isaacson's sampler.
See the book →
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