Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)

Ron Chernow

SO THE committee told me that book reviews don’t necessarily need to be Christian books! I would encourage you, of course, to read Christian books (especially the ones I review!) but I would encourage you not to neglect picking up a classic or enjoying a perusal of Waterstones. I am an avid reader and do particularly enjoy a good novel, biography or history book. I delight that God has provided such an amazing way to explore the world and given such talent to others to work with words, possibly the most powerful weapon in the human arsenal.

This particular review is for a book I’d be surprised you’d pick up, considering its hefty size of about 700 pages but it is really worth it. The name Alexander Hamilton was one I had never heard before, due to perhaps an ignorance of American history, until the cleverly constructed and innovative musical Hamilton opened on Broadway. This is an expertly crafted musical which catapulted both the musical and American history back into the 21st century public domain by a beautiful blending of rap, r&b and traditional musical style to tell a story of one of the founding Fathers of America.

The biography by Ron Chernow is the inspiration behind the Tony award-winning musical, which has recently arrived to the West End. The story of Alexander Hamilton is indeed a remarkable one, a penniless orphan (well almost) immigrant who manages through his diligence and hard work to become the advisor to Washington penmen of the American constitution. It is a story of sacrifice, ingenuity, genius, political scandal, romance, duelling and everything you could ever wish for in a biography. Its 700 pages will certainly keep you gripped – promise.

What struck me most as I read his biography and indeed as I listened (on repeat) to the soundtrack was the burning desire to forge a lasting legacy -man’s desire to hold on and leave a mark after death. Perhaps this in itself is a recognition of the unnatural nature of death. More than that, I was struck by this man’s diligence to work for what he believed in, to create a better world for his family and to leave a mark. We have something far greater to work for than the American constitution, which, like all earthly kingdoms, rises and will fall and pass away. We have a mark to leave but not for our own glory. We have a far greater purpose than that of Alexander Hamilton; we have a Kingdom that will not perish or fade, we have a reassurance of the everlasting King of kings that work for him is the only thing that will last. In spite of this we fail to work for the Kingdom of God, showing half the diligence or zeal that Alexander Hamilton did for his earthly kingdom. Ought that to be?

This biography is worth the effort, but, if you can’t hack the 700 pages, you could always listen to the soundtrack.