Alexander Hamilton's Impact on the American Revolutionary War, 1814-1815

Cathryn Conroy: I read this book for one reason only: Because I thought I should. For me, it falls into the same category as "War and Peace" or the "Complete Poems and Tales" of Edgar Allen Poe. I call myself a reader; therefore, I should read the big and important books. This is one of those. Lin-Manuel Miranda was so inspired after reading this book that he created the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton," making this book a cultural touchstone.

Written by Ron Chernow, this is a heavy-duty scholarly biography of the man who was far more influential and critical to the founding of our country than Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams, even though he was never president or vice president. Alexander Hamilton was brilliant, a gifted political writer, extremely generous, tender, and amiable. But he was also controversial, divisive, opinionated, cocky, and conceited. He is considered the father of American government, "creating the institutional scaffolding for America's future emergence as a great power," writes Chernow. He was the creator of American capitalism.

He was also the most controversial figure of his time. And he made a lot of enemies.

This book is the story of...

United States on Aug 27, 2023

Amazon Kunde: Uma vida brilhante, Hamilton foi uma pessoa certa na hora certa. Contribui imensamente para formação dos EUA. Um grande homem, assim como sua esposa Eliza foi uma grande mulher. Livro fantastico.

Brazil on Jul 09, 2023

J. Mao: Bought the book as a preread before to see the musical of the same name. But it did take me a little while to complete the book in over 700 pages!

United Kingdom on Jul 04, 2023

Livio: Che dire.
Ho letto più libri di Ron Chernow, un maestro di biografie.
Anche questa su Alexander Hamilton conferma la grande accuratezza nella ricerca delle fonti storiche, descrivendo la storia di quello che molto probabilmente, con George Washington, è stato il più grande Founding Father degli USA, con dovizia di particolari che rendono la lettura interessante, sempre più avvincente in un crescendo irresistibile.
Altri maestri come David McCullough e Joseph Ellis hanno celebrato questo libro, confermando, se ce ne fosse bisogno, quale straordinaria opera abbia partorito la mente di Chernow.
Imperdibile.

Italy on Jun 18, 2023

Penguin: Alexander Hamilton’s story has been made famous by the popular musical that bears the same name. The musical has successfully roused my interest in his biography on which it is based because I want to fill the gaps in between scenes and have a deeper grasp of the relationships and antagonism between characters. I also find Hamilton an intriguing, controversial and complex character worth exploring, something that a musical does not permit.

First let’s appreciate the skills of the biographer. His subject was a great man with eloquence and many talents. His breath of knowledge and knowhow few could match, covering first and foremost law, then finance and economics, military administration and tactics, and science of government. He was “a thinker and doer”, “unashamedly brainy to appeal to the masses” (p.627). He was a visionary, well ahead of his time, and a fierce pioneer, who was effective in meticulously forging a way to turn his vision into reality. He laid down the constitutional framework and built the federal financial system – institutional infrastructure needed for the flourishing of this modern market economy when America was still a largely rural...

United Kingdom on Feb 09, 2021

Kyle B.: I am rather surprised at not really liking this biography. My previous experience with Chernow (Grant) was positive, but I think Chernow is so pro-Hamilton in this book, that at times it causes misunderstandings of history. I will concede Hamilton's brilliance, importance, and generally good character, but you would think Hamilton was a prophet or a saint with some of Chernow's descriptions. (All page numbers come from a Kindle version). Also, sorry, this is long.

The main reason I felt annoyed by Chernow's description is how he calls Alexander an "ardent abolitionist" (p. 579), "Hamilton's staunch abolitionism" (p. 579), "uncompromising abolitionist" (p. 592), and "fervent abolitionist" (p. 752). Now, because Chernow does not describe what an abolitionist is, let me point a common one from McPherson as "one who before the Civil War had agitated for immediate, unconditional, and total abolition of slavery in the United States". If we use this definition Hamilton clearly does not qualify. I could probably accept that Chernow is using a broader use of abolitionist, but "ardent", "staunch", etc. imply that Hamilton pushed against slavery strong and hard. Chernow never gives us...

United States on May 01, 2020

Mummy: What an amazing man!

A phenomenal man and yet so human and fragile, and in some ways so deeply flawed.

This is an amazing book about a truly amazing man.

I was fortunate to be given a free ticket to see Hamilton and although I had already bought a ticket, I happily accepted the free one and I saw the musical. I am a Hamilfan and proud of it and like so many people I have the mixtape, the original broadcast, the Hamildrops etc etc and I hang on to Lin Manuel Miranda's every word.

I also have the Hamiltome and Chernow. I decided to read Chernow because I thought it would help me understand Hamilton and enhance my enjoyment of the musical second time round.

And it will because of course Lin Manuel Miranda is an amazing man and the musical brings Alexander Hamilton to life.

But the book etches the man upon your soul.

In some ways his death was just such an utter loss, but in other ways it was a dramatic end to a incredibly dramatic life. I finished reading this and just felt rather shell shocked. I also felt that Hamilton had a very cavalier attitude about the impact of his death on his wife and seven children.

But I also feel...

United Kingdom on Jan 26, 2018