Like so many, I have become a bit obsessed with Hamilton thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda's amazing musical. My minor in history what seemed ages ago barely skimmed over this founding father. So in Hamiltonian fashion I have tried to find every book I can. It was a no-brainer for me to pick up Jeff Wilser's book Alexander Hamilton's Guide to Life.
This book is history with a splash of pop culture. Wilser likens Hamilton to Chuck Norris and makes Star Wars references in regards to the founding of America. It's a history book for non-history lovers.
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The divisions of the book make it easy to explore Hamilton's life, in bits and pieces, but also flows through his life story as well from start to finish. Wilser also points to historical inaccuracies of the musical (in an informative way to point out the dramatic value of the changes). He provides additional reading sources, I'm hunting for the Fleming book now.
The best part of Wiser's book is the concept itself, inspired by the eulogy given by Gouvernor Morris, What Would Hamilton Do? And in reality, we could take so many notes from the "maxims" of Alexander Hamilton. From his tenacity to his indefatigable honesty, so much of the life of Hamilton can be applied to our daily life. He fought to form America, saw the future of the country even when no one else could, and in the end gave his life to preserve the nation that he had worked hard to build. America as we know it was Hamilton's dream and much of his legacy has become the cornerstone of the governing and economic policies of many nations.
Wilser creates his book to three men. Hamilton, Ron Chernow, and Lin Manuel Miranda. And truly the phenomenon that has become Hamilton can definitely be credited with a newfound desire to learn more about this underrated and misunderstood founding father. I think Wilser, himself, will help to bring more clarity to the subject.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
