Alexander Hamilton
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.63 (645 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0143034758 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 832 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-06-25 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Full and well-drawn portrait of Hamilton; less so for his opponents Daniel Putman This book is a beautifully rendered portrait of Hamilton, both his public life and his private life. As so many other reviewers have noted, the book is an example of first-rate biographical research and most of the book is well-written.Up to chapter 16, “Dr. Pangloss,” the story is superbly told. But, when Thomas Jefferson enters Hamilton’s life, much of the book becomes a . "A great man, a flawed man, a challenging environment" according to Dave Schan. Hamilton is a commitment, around 800 pages worth. It falls a bit too strongly in praise of Hamilton. He was pretty unfair, for example, in his anonymous criticisms of rival politicians. It also took a very long time to outline Hamilton's poor relationships with Jefferson and Adams. His affair was dealt with in painful detail. Beyond these limitations, Hamilton gives a good behind-the-scenes . "Thoroughly researched and very informative" according to Donna S. Meredith. I learned so much from reading this biography. I found out I admire the heck out of Hamilton and disliked Jefferson. I thought I knew something about early American history, but I had no idea how contentious we Americans have been since our very founding. It is easy to understand now that we have always been a deeply divided country and in light of the recent election, I have no reason to th
Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we’ve encountered before—from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.“Nobody has captured Hamilton better than Chernow” —The New York Times Book Review Ron Chernow's new biography,&
One fault of the book, is that Chernow is so convinced of Hamilton’s excellence that his narrative sometimes becomes hagiographic. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Chernow’s account of the infamous duel between Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804. Chernow argues that in contrast to Jefferson and Washington’s now outmoded agrarian idealism, Hamilton was "the prophet of the capitalist revolution" and the true forebear of modern America. Hamilton’s achievements as first Secretary of the Treasury, co-author of The Federalist Papers,