Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 10, 2016

Review

When Ben Franklin traveled to France to seek financial assistance from King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette for the revolutionaries fighting Britain back in America, he encountered a form of “science” being practiced by a Dr. Franz Mesmer. In the tradition of a traveling snake oil salesman, Mesmer was peddling what he called animal magnetism to “cure” the sick. Well, the sick who could afford his lofty prices. In return for his assistance, King Louis asked Franklin to investigate this new phenomenon. Using the scientific method, which is well explained in this book, Franklin, along with a few other scientists of the day, disproved the existence of animal magnetism, proving instead that the cure was all in the patient’s head. Mesmer was discredited and fled back to his native Germany. The book is tough to place in terms of audience. It is not a biography of either Franklin or Mesmer; it is not a piece of American history, but more about an interesting side-note in the history of the fledgling nation, nor is it about the science of Franklin. It is a tough read-aloud due to the busy design on the pages, and the use of boxes and differing font sizes. The illustrations are gorgeous with fine detail and attention-grabbing color. The end sheets set the tone with their mesmerizing swirls that seem to move as you stare. It's a well-crafted book, and it is an interesting story, but its limited subject matter, really of more interest to adults and older students, brings this title up short for an excellent rating.

Overall Book Score: very good