read: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (4 stars)

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's enthusiasm for it and the subsequent popularity of his Broadway hit, Hamilton. It's a daunting tome, at almost 800 pages. It took me 5 months to get through it, mostly due to only reading it part-time and finishing several other books during that period. But it is well worth the persistence.

I found it easy to read and quite compelling. No matter how many facts and quotes the author managed to cram into it (and I'm certain he left out far more), almost every word is fascinating. The story of Hamilton's rise from obscurity to successful lawyer would be story enough. Add in his Revolutionary War exploits and contributions to the Constitution and early government and his life is quite astounding. This book doesn't overlook his foibles and failures, either. It all paints a quite different picture of that period of American history than I had ever heard before.

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