Book Review: Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary

 



1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brockenbrough, M. (2019). Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary. Square Fish.

ISBN: 1250211700

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This biography details the life of Alexander Hamilton and the impact it had on America. This biography shares different aspects of Hamilton’s life, starting from his birth, the key role he played during the American Revolution, post revolution times and his untimely death. As an added bonus, Brockenbrough added additional information at the end of the book that includes timelines and other relevant information to help readers understand the time period.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Let me start by saying this biography was very well researched, I couldn’t put it down. Brockenbrough really put in the time to accurately depict one of our founding fathers as a remarkable leader who greatly impacted the America we know today. After reading the foreword, I was immediately hooked. Hamilton was a portrayed as a fearless leader who brilliantly helped our founding fathers write the constitution that we endure today. Not only did she carefully research Alexander Hamilton, but she also added additional graphic features at the end of her book to help readers better under Hamilton and the time period in which he lived. For example, she included time lines, information on the sad life of Aaron Burr, and the rules of duels among other things. Her attention to details did not go unnoticed, and they allowed readers to make connections between their readings and build background knowledge needed to understand his life. Her writing was very engaging and well organized. I for one learned a lot about this remark leader who is sometimes overlooked.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in School Library Journal: "A highly enjoyable, well-researched biography of Alexander Hamilton that both applauds his significant accomplishments and highlights his flaws." 

Starred review in Booklist: "Hamilton’s life is an inspiration, a fact that Brockenbrough captures nicely in a well-written biography . . . Expect wide reader interest."

Starred review in Publishers Weekly: "Brockenbrough’s ambitious and impressively researched project gives equal weight to Alexander Hamilton’s personal and professional lives and to the history of the founding and early years of the United States." 

5. CONNECTIONS

* Group students in small groups and engage them in a research project. Have students research the life of Alexander Hamilton and create a presentation they can share with the class. Have students discuss what they have learned and compare the information from the book to the information they researched. Was the book accurate?  

*Have students analysis Alexander Hamilton. Encourage them to think about the character traits that describe him and how they can support those traits with his actions.  Students will create a portrait of Hamilton and use different symbols to represent his character based on information they learned after reading the novel.

*Engage learners think about some of the different accomplishments that highlight Hamilton’s legacy. Have them find different photos that depict his legacy and have them create a photo walk showcasing these photos. Students can choose to draw some of the photos that will be used for the photo walk.

*Other biographies about Alexander Hamilton:

George, S. J. (2016). The duel: The parallel lives of Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr. Speak. ISBN: 0425288218

Hennessey, J., Greenwood, J. (2017). Alexander Hamilton the graphic history of an American founding father. Ten Speed Press. ISBN: 039958000X

This review was written for SHSU's MLA course. 


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