Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father, was believed to have been born on January 11th, 1755. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he founded the National Bank of America. Posthumously, he inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. In honor of Alexander Hamilton's birthday, here are some books for fans of both the historical figure and the modern-day musical.
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Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow The personal life of Alexander Hamilton, an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean who rose to become George Washington's aide-de-camp and the first Treasury Secretary of the United States, is captured in a definitive biography by the National Book Award-winning author of The House of Morgan. |
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Hamilton : the revolution : being the complete libretto of the Broadway musical, with a true account of its creation, and concise remarks on hip-hop, the power of stories, and the new America
by Lin-Manuel Miranda The Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist-star takes readers behind the scenes of his groundbreaking hit musical, which is filled with romance, drama, violence, patriotism and adventure and details the many dramatic episodes in Alexander Hamilton's life. |
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Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents and his family that he has never asked before. (Audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda.) |
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Hip hop matters : politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of a movement
by S. Craig Watkins The author explores the evolution of hip hop and the backlash against it, from Detroit Mayer Kwame Killpatrick, the nation's first hip hop mayor, to the reception of the music on college campuses, where debates over its misogyny thrive. |
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Black Broadway : African Americans on the great white way
by Stewart F. Lane The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them. Like the doors of many professions, those of the theater world were shut to minorities for decades. While the Civil War may have freed the slaves, it was not until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that the playing field began to level. In this remarkable book, theater producer and historian Stewart F. Lane uses words and pictures to capture this tumultuous century and to highlight the rocky road that black actors have travelled to reach recognition on the Great White Way. |
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Lafayette in the somewhat United States
by Sarah Vowell A portrait of the popular French Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, discusses his nonpartisan influence on a fledgling United States, his relationships with the Founding Fathers and his contributions during the contentious 1824 presidential election. |
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Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson When her former owner breaks his promise to set her free and ends up sending her to live with a cruel loyalist family at the start of the Revolutionary War, Isabel is heartbroken and so becomes determined to do whatever is necessary to win her freedom, including spying on her family to help the rebels win the war. |
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The heartbreak of Aaron Burr : a tale of homicide, intrigue and a father's worst fear
by H. W. Brands In a new look at political outcast Aaron Burr, the author bases his text around the vice president's correspondence with his daughter, shedding new light on his life, his belief in equal rights and the fateful day he shot Alexander Hamilton dead during a duel. |
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The Hemingses of Monticello : an American family
by Annette Gordon-Reed Traces the history of the Hemings family from its origins in early eighteenth-century Virginia to its dispersal after Jefferson's death in 1826, in an account that describes their family ties to the third president. |
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Prez : Corndog-in-chief Volume 1, Corndog-in-chief
by Mark Russell Meet Beth Ross, the first teenaged President of the United States. In a nation where corporations can run for office, the poor are used as human billboards, and tacos are delivered by drone, our only hope is this nineteen-year-old Twitter sensation. Butthe real question isn't whether she's ready for politics--it's whether politics is ready for her. |
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Founding mothers : the women who raised our nation
by Cokie Roberts An inspirational but personal look into the trials and tribulations of historical women who helped shape our nation into what it has become exhibits the many facets of their lives and how they supported some of the founders of our country, profiling such key figures as Abigail Adams, Eliza Pinkney, Dolley Payne Madison, Deborah Read Franklin, and Catherine Littlefield Greene. |
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Our musicals, ourselves : a social history of the American musical theater
by John Bush Jones A retired professor of theater arts from Brandeis University serves up the first social history of American musical theater, covering the broad sweep of plays, from "Showboat" to "Urinetown," discussing the impact of this brand of theater on culture and society. |
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Washington : a life
by Ron Chernow The National Book Award-winning author of The House of Morgan offers a comprehensive account of the life of George Washington, disposing of the stereotype of a stolid, unemotional man and instead bringing to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods who fiercely guarded his private life. |
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Stamped from the beginning : the definitive history of racist ideas in America
by Ibram X Kendi A comprehensive history of anti-black racism focuses on the lives of five major players in American history, including Cotton Mather and Thomas Jefferson, and highlights the debates that took place between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. |