"I am not throwing away my shot!"
Hamilton: An American Musical is coming back to the Bay Area, and we at YA Friday are all about it! Megan and I have joined forces to put together a list of fun and informative titles so that Hamilfans can get there Hamilfix whether or not they scored tickets to the show.
Fiction
Alex & Eliza by Melissa De la Cruz
The unlikely romance between America's first treasury secretary and a young woman from a socially connected family receives fictionalized treatment that speculates on unknown details, ending on their wedding night. Alexander Hamilton is a young aide to Gen. George Washington when he has his first, unsuccessful encounter with Elizabeth Schuyler at her family home in Albany, New York, setting up romantic tension for subsequent meetings at the home of Eliza's aunt and uncle in Morristown, New Jersey. The bright, ambitious, but penniless Hamilton is drawn to practical Eliza, falling deeply in love, at one point becoming so addled he forgets a military password. Eliza's parents want to marry her off to a wealthy son of one of their connections, forcing Alexander to prove his character superior to that of his rival.
Hamilton and Peggy! by L. M. Elliott
Peggy Schuyler has grown used to her place among her sisters, not quite as clever as Angelica, or as pretty as Eliza, but capable of helping them both out in times of need. As the Revolutionary War comes ever-closer to the door of their family home, Peggy finds herself yearning for a more active role in assisting her father, but instead she ends up in the service of Alexander Hamilton, a young general determined to win Eliza’s heart.
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
This sequel to Chains opens with Curzon, an enslaved teen who was freed from prison by Isabel, recalling his escape and anticipating the future. After an argument with Isabel about where they should go next, the 15-year-old battles the British at Saratoga and winters in Valley Forge with the Patriots. He reveals many details of the conditions endured by the soldiers during the winter of 1777–1778, including the limited food supply, lack of adequate shelter, and tattered clothing. When Curzon and Isabel meet again, they have both been captured and must devise a plan of escape once again. While the Patriots are fighting for the freedom of a country, these young people must fight for their personal freedom.
Nonfiction
The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Judith St. George
In curiously parallel lives, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were both orphaned at an early age. Both were brilliant students who attended college - one at Princeton, the other at Columbia - and studied law. Both were young staff officers under General George Washington, and both became war heroes. Politics beckoned them, and each served in the newly formed government of the fledgling nation. Why, then, did these two face each other at dawn in a duel that ended with death for one and opprobrium for the other?
Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough
Complex, passionate, brilliant, flawed-Alexander Hamilton comes alive in this exciting biography. He was born out of wedlock on a small island in the West Indies and orphaned as a teenager. From those inauspicious circumstances, he rose to a position of power and influence in colonial America. Discover this founding father's incredible true story: his brilliant scholarship and military career; his groundbreaking and enduring policy, which shapes American government today; his salacious and scandalous personal life; his heartrending end. Richly informed by Hamilton's own writing, with archival artwork and new illustrations, this is an in-depth biography of an extraordinary man.
Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father by Jonathan Hennessey with art by Justin Greenwood
This complete graphic novel-style biography presents the life and legacy of one of the most influential figures in United States history. Alexander Hamilton was on hand for the Revolutionary War, the development of the Constitution, and the establishment of the Treasury and banking as we have come to know them today. Cut down by a bullet from political rival Aaron Burr, Hamilton may have faded into the background among other great American leaders like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. However a recent resurgence of interest in Hamilton, thanks in no small part to the hit Broadway musical Hamilton has returned the formerly forgotten Founder to prominence, not just in a historical context but in terms of his lasting impact on American society today.
Further Reading and Listening
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