Today I completed a task started nearly 2 months ago - I finished Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton. This behemoth weighs in at over 800 pages and the audiobook takes over 36 hours to complete (I did it the old fashioned way). The biography was completed around 2008 and inspired Lin Manuel Miranda's Broadway phenomenon, Hamilton.
One of my goals for the trip is to get a significant amount of reading done, so completing this one was a big step to that goal. Ashlee Vance's biography of Elon Musk is up next. Full disclosure - I only read non-fiction. Haven't picked up a fiction book since I read Angels and Demons in college 10 years ago.
Back to Hamilton. For an 800 page biography on one of our founding fathers, this was as close as you get to a page turner. The beginning chapters about Hamilton's childhood were a bit dense and challenging to get through, but once Hamilton came to America on the eve of the revolution, it really picked up the pace. My only other complaint is Chernow's incessant use of vocabulary that no one outside of a high school English teacher would understand. Seriously, you'll need a dictionary to get through some chapters. Even with all that, you find yourself rooting for this brilliant but deeply flawed man even though you know exactly how the story will end.
What I found most interesting about Chernow's effort, besides the tremendous amount I learned about the founding fathers and the infancy of our country, was the ability to judge for myself Hamilton's character and place in American history. In short, I'd be willing to debate anyone that no founding father had a greater impact on the current state of our country than Alexander Hamilton. Over 200 years ago, this man envisioned modern America, a country who generates its strength from a powerful federal government, access to credit, strong trade with rival nations, and armed forces ready to protect the country from its deepest threats. He is the foremost interpreter of the Constitution through the Federalist papers and ran a significant amount of the government during the Washington administration when every decision set a new precedent for our country. He was also a self-destructive maniac who imploded his own career and ultimately his life because he was so set in his moralistic views. Reconciling these two truths was fascinating as it frequently is with the world's most influential people - can you be truly great while maintaining a healthy life outside of your career pursuit? Most of the evidence out there points to a sobering truth - it's nearly impossible.
If you have any interest in American history or if you just love Hamilton and want to learn about the source material behind the play, I highly recommend this read. You won't be disappointed.
Jeff
1 comment:
Just purchased Hamilton, on Kindle. There is no way I can read this tome without a built in dictionary! It might take me a year to finish tho. Jack Reacher has to be finished before the movie comes out, and Mitch Albom's new book Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is fascinating, LOL!
I agree with you on Hamilton's impact in American history. It is a continuing learning process for me, since we were not taught in depth US History in the Philippines, go figure, right?
I highly recommend Walter Isaacson's version of Benjamin Franklin. A renowned polymath, born in Boston, but arguably a citizen of Philadelphia! My favorite founding father, hands down. I might change my mind after I read through Hamilton, we shall see.
Have fun in your pursuit of travel, culture, and humanity. Being immersed in a different culture helps people become more patient and less judgemental.
Hugs!
Rose
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