Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Alexander Hamilton
Book Review: an exceptional biography
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an extremely well written and researched biography. Chernow argues
convincingly that Hamilton's contribution to the shaping of the nascent United
States was of fundamental importance and can still be felt in the present.
Chernow clearly admires Hamilton (and Hamilton's wife Eliza), but he does show
that it was ultimately Hamilton himself destroyed his own political career. His
rancorous and frequently inappropriate actions also made it easy for his opponents
to obscure his deserved place in American history.
While this is certainly not a hagiography, I concur with other reviewers that Hamilton's
enemies are not always portrayed fairly. Jefferson may have been a sly politician,
but despite his faults, he was a true visionary. Jefferson's and Madison's contributions
are on par with those of Hamilton. While Hamilton may have been the most talented
of the lot, it is hard to agree with the implied judgement that, whatever his flaws, he
was morally superior to the other two.
Book Review: effusive and overwhelming with facts, like Hamilton himself
Summary: 4 Stars
Sometimes too much detail can be a bad thing. Without sacrificing key details, this book could easily have been half as long.
The book was a little heavy on Hamilton's backstory, although I did find his years at King's College before joining George Washington's revolutionary army very interesting. The major debates and national crises of the 1790s are also covered in excrutiating detail, which in some cases was not a bad thing. Being a work of such enormous length, it was difficult keeping all the political players straight in my mind.
The book centers on Hamilton at the frequent expense of Jefferson, Madison, and Adams, who are consistently portrayed as rakes and imbeciles compared to Hamilton. The author apologizes for Hamilton almost to the point of absurdity.
This book was informative at the expense of being enjoyable. Get the audio version (30+ hours) and listen to it while you're driving to and from work. I don't think I could have actually read this 800-page behemoth.
Book Review: jack's take
Summary: 5 Stars
The book arrived as advertised, and the content was as advertised, too. Have read much about Hamilton, it's a shame the congressmen/women and wall streeters haven't done that. As our Premier Banker he saw most of the future ills that we have created with worthless paper, worthless stocks, backed by terrible credit loans, along with no gold standard. I also enjoyed reading about the Founders and their struggles to give us what we cavalierly pour down the drain. The wall street mess, only from a 1700's perspective, makes woeful reading. Whenever there is Market trouble, I ask my stock jobber friends to read.."Extraordinary Delusions and the madness of Crowds." They never do. There will be a John Law in every generation.
Jack Flobeck