Ben Franklin had a younger sister Jane. He and Jane adored each other and had a lot in common. Everyone knows how things turned out for Ben, now we know how things turned out for Jane. First, you have to understand the time. Jane was born into a world where girls didn't get educated. Their one lot in life was to get married and reproduce. Jane did and had a horribly tough time of it. By all accounts, her husband was a bit of a loser. He couldn't make money, had a gambling problem and owed everyone. Jane survived by taking in boarders. She did all the work. She had several children, many of whom died young and a couple of whom went a bit mad. Through out all, she corresponded with her brother. She read everything he wrote and any other books she could get her hands on, including things he printed. She wrote with poor writing and even worse spelling but she had strong opinions (esp. as she aged) and looked forward to visits from Ben. They actually lived together for awhile as adults after his wife died. They seemed to have a great time. We would know more details but most of her letters were destroyed...why keep the writings of some unknown woman? History and historians have not been kind to the likes of Jan Franklin Mecom which is why this book is so amazing. Jane gets her due and you will learn something. In a world where girls are still being denied educational opportunities it is interesting to speculate what Jane would have done with her life had she had some backing and training. I couldn't put this down after I started it and am sure it one of my favorites of the year.
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