💵 Great Lives Autobiography : Benjamin Franklin (the man on the $100 bill)

### 🧠💵 Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography - was he the original self‑improvement influencer?

Short summary
Benjamin Franklin is basically the prototype for “invent yourself.”
He’s funny, ruthless, charming, and weirdly modern - the kind of guy who’d thrive in 2026 as a startup founder, political operator, or productivity guru… depending on how cynical you are.
This meetup is the story version of Franklin, not the statue version: the runaway apprentice, the hunger, the social climbing, the self‑discipline, the reinvention.
We’ll read the Autobiography and pressure-test the myth: is this a guide to freedom… or a guide to performance?

Come even if you. havent read the book but are a fan of the 100$ bill :)
What we’ll explore

• Do you find Franklin inspiring or slightly unbearable? Like… is he building a life, or building a brand?
• The “self-made” question: is this a real recipe anyone could use… or a story that only works if you already have the right luck and temperament?
• Is Franklin honest, or is he writing PR for his own legend? What’s he not telling us - and why?
• Virtue as strategy: when he talks about discipline and improvement, does it feel like moral seriousness… or like a way to win?
• Social climbing without calling it that: what does he seem to believe about reputation, networks, and respect?
• Modern parallel: if a 17-year-old Franklin showed up in Vancouver today with nothing, what would he actually do first?

Reading for this meetup :

https://www.amazon.ca/Autobiography-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/1508475091

This is an autobiography written by himself, it is the shortest one out there.

When and where

• 🗓️ Date: March 8th
• 🕒 Time: 1 PM
• 📍 Location: Central Library - Meeting Rooms - L4 North (492) Meeting Room

Cap 12–15 + waitlist
Small room on purpose so it stays conversational.
Optional note
This is Part 1. If the group likes it, we’ll keep going through the Autobiography in future sessions (in clean, manageable chunks).