Ron ChernowAlexander Hamilton

GREAT book. I feel like I lived it. It will take me quite a while to fully digest. Perhaps it was the same for the colleagues or legislators that were presented with overwhelming arguments by Hamilton himself when building the foundation of what has become the American government and its constitution. You just sit with your mouth open for awhile.Chernow has yet again (I equally loved "Titan" and "House of Morgan") written a thoroughly researched and gripping biography. Thank you.Hamilton's energy, intellect and ambition seep through practically every page. As do his contradictions, impatience, sensitivities occasional hypocrisy. Like others I was put off by the length (and small point size) and weight of the book. I actually found it easier to read on Kindle. I can't say I found any slow parts and the drama leading up to and through the duel with Burr is captivating.Some commentators think Chernow was too much of a fan of Hamilton's. I think to write a book of such depth you need to be truly interested if not obsessed with your subject. But where he compares Hamilton to Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Burr or others I think he brings enough evidence and directly quoted source material to back up his descriptions and accounts both good and bad. I think Chernow gives very rich descriptions of the main characters in Hamilton's life. His descriptions of his wife Eliza and her family are as fully rounded and deep as those of the Founding Fathers. Where Hamilton's actions were inexplicable, stupid, arrogant or misguided I believe the readers were equally treated to Hamilton's flaws.Jefferson does come across rather badly. But maybe he should. The evidence of his "relationship" with Sally Hemmings raises deep questions about his moral compass. He was a callous slave owner whose lifestyle was completely subsidized by their work and suffering. Some may argue that "that was the times" but I think there's plenty of evidence that other leaders of the time were realizing how evil slavery was and doing something about it. Hamilton was one of them.At the core I appreciated and learned so much about how the Revolution was fought. The aftermath of uncertainty that lead to the Constitutional Congress and the critical role the Federalist Papers played in explaining the government to the people along with Hamilton's leadership of the US Treasury to truly construct a durable government. Chernow's "real time" descriptions add to the drama. You feel the uncertainty of events and the perilousness of the times as they must have felt.I always reflect on some of the great people on history on how they are able to do so much. Aside from not watching tv I think the biggest contributor is the neglect of their families. For all of Hamilton's professed love of family he really is an absentee father as were both Roosevelts and many others. I think it gets glossed over that in an earlier time fathers had a nice put option on family obligations. The duel with Burr was the ultimate selfish act which cannot be forgiven. As his son had already died by the same route why couldn't Hamilton have written something reflective to Burr in response to the challenge? He has a wife and seven children, the youngest was 2. It was pride ahead of family in my view. Chernow captures it well and puts you at the scene.Well its a great book. I am intimated by the amount of source material which was obviously very thoroughly read. Like any great book it should lead a reader to seek out other books. I cannot wait for Chernow's biography on George Washington due in October!

You may want to clear your calendar and prepare to lock yourself up in a private room for the duration of the reading of Ron Chernow's ALEXANDER HAMILTON. Not only is this 800 + pg. book meticulously researched and extremely well written, but it seems as if the author did his groundwork thoroughly, and then moved out of the way, allowing the full force, brilliance, and (on occasion) astounding naivete of the central character, Alexander Hamilton himself, to drive the riveting story of his extraordinary life and person. And even more important, in addition to a myriad of details about his personal life and, often, tumultuous relationships, the book carefully chronicles the essential role Hamilton played in the Revolutionary War, as George Washington's right hand man and most trusted advisor, as well as the construction and establishment of the federal government and banking system of the United States of America.Chernow's rendition of Hamilton's life is not just another biography, but rather a full bodied feast of narratives; a soaring, inspiring drama filled with a stunning array of characters, interactions, romance and intrigues; a triumph of the human spirit; and moreover, the rise, fall, restoration, redemption, and ultimate demise of one of the great men of human history. In the entitled and litigious world we live in today, its hard to believe that Hamilton survived his difficult childhood and questionable parentage growing up and roaming in the rough streets of the British West Indies in tact. And that in subsequent years, he was able to excel with relative ease in his university studies, and then display the most remarkable courage on the battlefield during the Revolutionary War, eventually becoming one of the most powerful men in the early formation of what would become the United States of America. Chernow does an excellent job of conveying Hamilton's genius; that is to say how his prodigious abilities to think, learn, speak, write, manage, and charm with immediate eloquence and erudition enabled his rapid ascent to positions of social, intellectual, and political superiority. You get a real sense that Alexander Hamilton was not only essential in the formation of the U.S., but a man without peers.In the personal realm, the tenderness of Hamilton's sincere love and devotion to his wife Eliza and his children is clearly expressed in letters exchanged throughout his married life, and yet he failed to remain faithful, and then failed again to realize the folly and consequence of his insatiable need to write a public confession, provoking further scandal and embarrassment for his family and friends. In addition, this strange contradictory element was also made manifest in financial matters. On the one hand, Hamilton, as the first Treasury Secretary of the United States of America, was enormously successfully in creating a financial system, including the first Central Bank, that would remain the economic foundation of what was destined to be the greatest country on earth, for many decades, and even centuries, to come. And yet, when his own resources were in question, at least in the end, Alexander Hamilton was deficient, even shockingly derelict in his duties and responsibilities.Bottom line, Chernow does a marvelous job of weaving all the many aspects of Alexander Hamilton's life; his character, relationships, accomplishments, and shortcomings together in a most enjoyable and educational read. And I haven't even mentioned his relationship with Aaron Burr, which, appropriately, holds the reader in suspense to the end of the book. Highly Recommended for history and drama loving adults and precocious high school and college students. Enjoy!

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.

Si te gustó Hamilton, el musical de Lin Manuel Miranda (Moana, Encanto), deberás leer ésta biografía. Una idea diseñada para instruir, entretener y honrar la memoria de uno de los grandes personajes históricos de Estados Unidos.

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.

Una gran edición, cuidada y además ha llegado en buen estado. El libro en sí es un poco rígido pero el lomo no se ha estropeado. Recomendado.

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 economy. He was a powerful steam engine spearheading towards a future that only few could see. When he was so far ahead of time, he found himself a lone voice in the wilderness. He was given the opportunity and he did not squander it but made something out it – he could because he was full of ideas. Proposals after proposals, he never lost sight of his vision. He tried to explain but out of self-interest or out of their wildest imagination, he invited critics and suspicions all his life. He put his head down as the doer, but calumnies plagued his whole career. For a man of honour, he fought many battles to clear his reputation. Sadly he “was villainized in American history textbooks as an apologist of privilege and wealth” (p. 629) which was quite the opposite to who he was – a self-made man, a fervent abolitionist and a staunch believer in meritocracy.Hamilton was a prolific writer; he incessantly published papers, official reports, pamphlets, essays, newspaper articles. In addition, there were private papers and letters. Because his life intertwined with so many prominent figures of the time, one can imagine the colossal volume of materials to sieve through and sort for the biography, which demonstrates the biographer’s excellent organisational skills. The end product flows smoothly as if without effort. Secondly, I am most impressed by the versatility of the biographer’s writing skill. A biographer is naturally a narrator. However, Hamilton is a challenging subject as the biographer is required to make lucid many varied technical details of his pioneer thinking in historical critical moments that shaped the world, such as the development and debate on the Constitution, Hamilton’s federal fiscal and financial system and its opposition, the development of political thoughts for a new country, in particular the inner conflict of Hamilton if a republican government could deliver a proper balance of liberty and order. I believe the biographer has done a marverllous job in introducing us to the controversies that Hamilton was embroiled in.But my biggest enjoyment of this biography is probably not the intent of the biographer! It reads to me the redemptive story of Hamilton – his testimony of God! To me who shares his faith, it is an exhilarating read to see the providence of God working marvellously in his life. His life, plainly and faithfully told by the biographer, speaks for itself. Things that the biographer finds puzzling, like Hamilton’s injudicious behaviour in the whole Reynolds Affair at the height of his power and fame, his vision for the army during the Quasi-War with France in 1798-1800, the “execrable” idea of the Christian Constitutional Society, and his preoccupation with religion in his final years, make sense if one understands the challenges of Christian walk. For example, I see striking parallels in David sinning with Bathsheba and Hamilton sinning with Reynolds – the injudicious behaviour, the coverup and the subsequent compulsion to confess when exposed. His many inner struggles also makes perfect sense in the light of the Bible.I find his dying scene particularly moving for its gospel light. When Eliza was called to his deathbed following the duel with Burr, Hamilton’s words of comfort to her were, “Remember, my Eliza, you are a Christian.” Do we feel the weightiness of that name? He was entreating her to live like one worthy of that call. However powerful, influential and capable he was on earth, at his deathbed, he could promise nothing except to point Eliza to their Almighty God who is greater than he, loves her more perfectly and in whom their hope is found. He died a repentant sinner, having “a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He repeated to the Bishop present that “he was dying in a peaceful state, and that he was reconciled to his God and his fate.” On our measures, it was a tragic end to a great man’s life, but God single-handedly turned it into a good ending of eternal hope that we all share.Burr, on the other hand, was a contrast to Hamilton. Both were orphaned from a young age. Who was more likely to be a principled and religious man with integrity from family background? I imagine it would have been Burr because he was the grandson of Jonathan Edwards, the renowned American theologian of all time, while Hamilton was illegitimate. But then Burr was “a dissipated, libidinous character” and “had been openly accused of every conceivable sin: deflowering virgins, breaking up marriages through adultery, forcing women into prostitution, accepting bribes, fornicating with slaves, looting the estates of legal clients. The grandson of theologian Jonathan Edwards had sampled many forbidden fruits (p. 682).” He lived to 77 while Hamilton died in his hand at the age of 49 in the infamous duel. What memory did he leave? “The death mask of Aaron Burr is haunting and unforgettable, with the nose twisted to the left, the mouth crooked, and the expression grotesque, as if all the suppressed pain of his life were engraved in his face by the end. John Quincy Adams left this epitaph of the man: “Burr’s life take it all together, was such as in any country of sound morals his friends would be desirous of burying in profound oblivion.” (p.722)” What biblical doctrine does it shine out for us? Election of God’s people – i.e. they are chosen by God and not the other way round.How does the biographer achieve telling all these without it being intentional? He seeks to tell the story faithfully and authentically and comprehensively, and the story will speak for itself.