I’ve read several books on Benjamin Franklin, but this is the first on his sister.

Lepore brings all the things we have to expect from her writing, especially the telling detail.  

Yes, it’s true.  Women in the eighteenth century were discouraged from reading history.  What’s the point?  History reading is for those who serve in political and educational leadership.  Since women couldn’t do those sorts of things in colonial America, what’s the point in them reading history?  For a Christian this crass utilitarian notion of learning history is at odds with a faith that is historical in nature.  

There are many wonderful insights in this wonderfully conceived book.