Alexander Hamilton in Around the Year in 52 Books

Mar 26, 2016 Jennifer W rated it really liked it

Immense, detailed, thorough. I picked it up because I fell in love with the musical. There was so much more to Alexander Hamilton's life than could possibly fit into a musical. This book has also given me a different point of view on our current politics. Very interesting to read in an election year!

Being now a couple of weeks removed from this book, I have to say I miss being in the lives of our founding fathers and mothers. Those were such tumultuous times and my high school history education ...more

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Jul 05, 2016 Jesse rated it it was amazing

I would love to say that I have always been a Hamilton-phile, that this book was on my reading list long before I fell in love with a certain historical musical production. But that would be a lie. *sigh* I hate admitting when popular culture is right. Alexander Hamilton truly is one of the most underestimated figures in US history. This is an amazing biography that reads like fiction while maintaining a close tie to verifiable facts. The author makes it very clear when he does introduce conject ...more

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Sep 14, 2019 Joan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction

This lengthy tome can be intimidating, but after seeing the play, I was determined to read it. I found it to be delightfully engaging and wonderfully informative. The incomparable Hamilton and his equally legendary contemporaries are shown at their best and their most foolish. The very end, with its focus on the underappreciated Eliza, who lived to be 97, had me tearful. A wonderful examination of the early years of our nation and a tribute to an often overlooked central player in the events tha ...more

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Jul 31, 2019 Kathleen (itpdx) rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, lwv-book-group

So very interesting. I see echoes of our current political scene. There were no neutral, unbiased newspapers. Principals wrote under pseudonyms and had proxies write screed. There was name calling and sharp political divides. Neither side could only rarely attribute good intentions to the other.
It is heartening to see how a illegitimate orphan immigrant was so instrumental in founding of our country and stabilizing and strengthening our early, experimental government. Well written.

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Jan 08, 2019 Celeste rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-book

4.5 stars. This is a fascinating history of not only Hamilton but many of the Founding Fathers. I loved the way it was written as it reads like a novel. It was interesting to learn how influential Hamilton’s ideas were and still are. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is holy mercy it’s LONG. Also, side note Scott Brick reads the audio book and does an amazing job. Social Studies B.C.

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