Alexander Hamilton

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 35 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton! In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, National Book Award winner Ron Chernow tells the riveting story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America.

According to historian Joseph Ellis, Alexander Hamilton is “a robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all.”

Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. 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.

“To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.

Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. 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. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton’s famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.

Chernow’s biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America’s birth seen through its most central figure. 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.

©2004 Ron Chernow (P)2004 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

• George Washington Book Prize Winner, 2005

"Comprehensive and superbly written." (Booklist)
"This is a fine work that captures Hamilton's life with judiciousness and verve." (Publishers Weekly)
"Literate and full of engaging historical asides. By far the best of the many lives of Hamilton now in print." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Scott Brick delivers a highly professional, straightforward narration that holds one's interest throughout. Straight narrative can become boring, and Brick is never that. Nor does he become lazy in the course of 36 hours. His voice and evident interest are fresh throughout." (AudioFile)

Outstanding book

Would you consider the audio edition of Alexander Hamilton to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed listening to it because I'm in my car a lot. I don't think I could compare audio to reading it

What did you like best about this story?

The history was fascinating and it's clear that the author did a lot of research. I didn't know much about Hamilton before listening to this and I was amazed at how much he had accomplished. I also found the parallels to what is happening in todays world to be very similar especially with this being an election year

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time and I thought he was very goood

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it was too long to do so. It kept my interest till the end

An astonishing autobiography!!

This book is one of the most astounding autobiographies of one of our greatious founding fathers. It is a remarkable creation pieced together by the scholarly author Ron Chernow. I hope you will enjoy this book and appritiate the colonial livelihood of an American founding father and a family man. God bless you.
DB

What a great story

Where does Alexander Hamilton rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best

What did you like best about this story?

That it is also a play

Which scene was your favorite?

The duel

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

How much this country owes to this one man

Any additional comments?

Amazing how the same issues are playing out today

A balanced review of Hamilton.

The author does an excellent job of tying multiple points of historical evidence together in order to present plausable thoughts and motives for Hamilton's actions. This allows for a much deeper understanding and appreciation of Hamilton.

Amazing-

Amazingly written and narrated.
A masterful rendition, representative of history and yet our current times. Truly moving and compelling to act, be and understand true human greatness that one can achieve Hamilton’s life. Thank you General Hamilton. Thank you Ron Chernow for the great historical resurrection and Scott Brick for the genuine narration depicted.

Great book

about a complex and fascinating man, his wife, and his times. A very good read.

Outstanding - Start to Finish

So we’ll done. The perfect voice for an amazing story. It was a joy to learn so much about Hamilton, but the entire book is full of amazing facts, stories and events around him and the era.

PatriotPowerPodcast(dot)com

Genius' genius

Even surrounded by the brilliance of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison the wunderkind Hamilton set himself apart. This wonderful book captures the improbable rise to the very top of our new government by a young waif from Nevis, who was blessed with a mind that only comes along once in a generation. Creator of the US system of treasury, finance, and lending Hamilton was exceptional at virtually everything he attempted. His ending is as tragic today as it was then. It fills us with "what ifs" that can never be answered. He was among the closest (if that can be said) to George Washington, and was a co-writer of the Federalist Papers with Madison and Jay. An argument could be made that Hamilton is the most impressive of all our Founding Fathers.

awesome and spellbinding,

how fortunate this country is to have had such a patriot.. should be a must read

nice history

the last few chapeters were boring though but what do i know...
i wish thee were more on the war...