Friday, September 15, 2017

Review- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow


395848
Genre: Biography
Age Group: Adult
Hardcover 818 pgs
Penguin Press (2004)
Add it// Buy it

Rating: 5/5

In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, National Book Award winner Ron Chernow tells the riveting story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. According to historian Joseph Ellis, Alexander Hamilton is “a robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all.”Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. “To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.

Though I enjoy biographies, I don't think I would have found this one or enjoyed it as much without the Hamilton musical. I was deeply obsessed with the music when I originally borrowed the audiobook from Overdrive, but I picked up the physical book at Christmas when I couldn't finish 36 hours of audio in two weeks. Finally after many fits and starts I made it my mission to focus on this monster this summer. Unlike Angelica, I am completely satisfied. 

Hamilton's life is a whirlwind and completely captured my attention. He overcame tremendous odds to even make it to the American Colonies and it was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed the writing style and the narrator of the audiobook was fantastic. I did find myself skimming most of the sections about Hamilton's financial policies. They were a bit over my head and his personal as well as his political battles interested me much more. 

While some of the topics can be a little dry, the final few chapters detailing the duel and its aftermath had me in tears. Chernow does a fantastic job of weaving Hamilton's story through the many historical events he was at and connecting you to his life. I can highly recommend this to any fan of the musical as well as any history buff.

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