April 9, 2018
Williams (Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America) offers a brief and bland biography of founding father (and Broadway sensation) Alexander Hamilton. Williams starts with Hamilton’s upbringing on the Caribbean islands of Nevis and St. Croix, but focuses mostly on Hamilton’s professional life, his service in the Revolutionary War, his role in the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and his service in George Washington’s presidential cabinet as the first secretary of the treasury. Williams writes that he adopts a “consciously popular” style, opting “to modernize the quotations for readability and dispense with... referencing primary sources,” and takes a streamlined approach that sacrifices both context and vividness for the sake of brevity. The lack of context, however, can be confusing, as when Williams introduces Hessian soldiers without providing any information about who they were or what role they played in the Revolutionary War. This pared-down approach works better when discussing ideas, as in the book’s treatment of Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s differences of opinion about the role of government in society, the aftereffects of which resonate today in the two-party political system. The book fails to capitalize on the current popular interest in its subject, and feels mostly like dreary lecture.
April 1, 2018
Williams, author of several books on colonial and revolutionary American history, presents a short and informative biography of the guy on the 10-dollar bill and the protagonist of a megahit Broadway musical. Although his portrait borders, at times, on hagiography, Williams does examine his subject thoroughly and illuminates all facets of the nation's first secretary of the treasury, including Hamilton's personal virtues as well as his failings. His genius for administration and finance, incredible work ethic, and battlefield courage exist alongside extramarital affairs, his polarizing influence within government, and the impulsive defensiveness regarding his honor that ended in the duel with Aaron Burr. Williams handles Hamilton's complexity well and conveys the sometimes bitter partisanship in America during Hamilton's lifetime in easily understood prose while also providing a glimpse at the birthing pains of the United States' founding. Accessible and to the point.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)