Fallen Founder

The Life of Aaron Burr

By: Nancy Isenberg

Narrated by: Scott Brick

A controversial challenge to the works of Ron Chernow and David McCullough

Lin-Manuel Miranda's play "Hamilton" has reignited interest in the founding fathers; and it features Aaron Burr among its vibrant cast of characters. With Fallen Founder, Nancy Isenberg plumbs rare and obscure sources to shed new light on everyone's favorite founding villain. The Aaron Burr whom we meet through Isenberg's eye-opening biography is a feminist, an Enlightenment figure on par with Jefferson, a patriot, and—most importantly—a man with powerful enemies in an age of vitriolic political fighting. Revealing the gritty reality of eighteenth-century America, Fallen Founder is the authoritative restoration of a figure who ran afoul of history and a much-needed antidote to the hagiography of the revolutionary era.©2007 Nancy Isenberg; (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Full of insight and new research. An important and engaging account."--New York Times Book Review

"A sterling biography."--Boston Globe

"Isenberg offers justice to a maligned man."--Wall Street Journal

"Isenberg's meticulous biography reveals a gifted lawyer, politician, and orator who championed civility in government and even feminist ideals, in a political climate that bears a marked resemblance to our own."--Washington Post

Variety is the spice of life, but so is nuance

I am an admitted sucker for the story of an unjustly maligned figure. Isenberg recounts the history of a figure who strove for enlightenment values in thought, in the courtroom, and in his private life. The evidence suggests that Burr's reputation was deliberately, maliciously, and continually tarnished by political and professional rivals, George Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson chiefly among them. Laudibly, Isenberg does not paint these rivals in a wholly villainous light, but rather in a balanced manner, depicting their virtues along with their faults. I couldn't hope for a better counterfactual effort to the mythologized narrative of America's founding fathers.

Apologia or Polemic?

What a fascinating biography, especially it's description of "fake news" in the founders' generation! I don't take its interpretation as rote but it is definitely an antithesis to the veneration of the likes of Jefferson and Hamilton. Great listening.

A worthwhile assessment of the early republic

This was an eye-opening consideration of the life and times of Aaron Burr, and reveals as much about Burr’s contemporaries as it does about Burr himself. Overall, the book does a wonderful job of contextualizing the man and the events of his life, and although Burr does not always come through it smelling like a rose, even less so do petty and jealous contemporaries Hamilton, Jefferson, and the Clinton clan in New York. Although already predisposed to dislike Burr, I found myself rooting for him in one chapter, and being disgusted by him in the next.  This book demonstrates the vital importance of cutting through the Halcyon propaganda regarding the supposed immaculate virtue of the revolutionary generation, and understanding, for good or ill, who these men really were in their time and place in history.

fascinating story but poorly edited

I'm not surprised, and happy to know, that Burr was not the villian commonly reported. The author has exhaustively researched the facts, too many of which are repeated as the narrative bounces back and forth in time to cram her points and wrath at Hamilton down the readers' throats. With 8 hours to go, I can't stand another minute of this bloated, repetitive tome.

Not perfect!

In order to make a more perfect union, these less than perfect men, created a solid fondation to build these United States.
A well told story that sheds a different light on Aaron Burr. I thoroughly enjoyed the naration. The political intrigue of the 1700's isn't a lot different than that of today. It made me think of a new term, Burred.