Alexander Hamilton
Author: Ron Chernow
Grade: A-
Me on July 13th- I know what I’ll do… Since I can’t see the play I’ll read Hamilton while listening to the soundtrack! I was a political science major it will be a blast!
Me on August 5th- I am finishing this today if it’s the last thing I do!
I’m definitely making this sound worse than it was. Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated the book even if I did have to put it down a couple of times and pick it back up. Alexander Hamilton, like most of the founding fathers, was a fascinating, contradictory guy. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I was thinking this would be an easier read.
Not just the way his life ended either.
(I always try not to give out spoilers but people know this right? I mean it’s history. I don’t even remember when I first heard about Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s duel. But it was probably even before I learned about it in school.)
Plus he actually exposed his own sex scandal!
That’s right! Politicians have not ever changed. And they fought their political battles in the newspapers of the time under pen names- even though it seemed everyone knew who was writing. I was trying to picture Hamilton and Jefferson going at it on Twitter. They could not have kept to a word limit.
But then, at least in terms of intellect if nothing else, I try to imagine modern day politicians going toe to toe in a debate with the likes of Hamilton and they’d probably be killed. I think that’s one of the things that made the book a difficult read. He was policy King. Probably did more to put together the government than anyone else. It was interesting to read about the day-to-day of the forming government, Washington’s calming presence, Jefferson’s backstabbing and everything else.
Maybe I’m just too much a child of my times reading like, “This treasury department stuff is really interesting but when do we get to the sex scandal?”
I wish I could say that I didn’t really think that.
Recommend: Yes. If you take an interest in government, history, or the founding fathers Alexander Hamilton is definitely a great one to pick up.
Favorite Soundtrack Song: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story
I listened to this one a thousand times. I don’t even know why it’s kind of maudlin but Eliza’s definitely an interesting character. The book mentions that in putting together the definitive writings on her husband she purposefully tried to erase her own contributions. This was just the stand out song to me. Really moving.