Alexander Hamilton

Children's Literature

A hurricane (at least his brilliant report of one) blew the teenaged Alexander Hamilton from the Virgin Islands to the American colonies in 1772. The rest of his meteoric rise during the American Revolution, and his fall under the hand of the villain, Aaron Burr, could also be described as a hurricane. Alexander Hamilton became an almost unstoppable force in American history. Rosenburg, the author of a three-part biography of George Washington, takes on this force as he expands his coverage of the Founding Fathers in his substantial exploration of Hamilton's life. Not only is it readable and well-illustrated, but Rosenburg has managed to make it interesting for kids and adults alike. His reportage of Hamilton's early life in the West Indies never glosses over the issue of illegitimacy, and the explanation of Hamilton's later maneuvers to create a national bank for the young republic is understandable, at last, for someone without a degree in economics. This is a solid, intelligent piece of work that deserves to be added to school libraries. 2000, Twenty-First Century Books. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-This accurate, but dry account is unlikely to spur any interest or excitement in readers. Still, Rosenburg succeeds in supporting his claim, which bookends the narrative, that Hamilton was one of the most important of America's Founding Fathers. The text covers his illegitimate birth and young years, his role in the American Revolution and at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, his authorship of the Federalist Papers, and his service as the first Secretary of the Treasury. The author touches on his subject's large family (eldest son Philip died in a duel several years before his father); a politically motivated sexual-affair conspiracy; and Hamilton's many enemies, including Aaron Burr. Rosenburg jumps from one event or circumstance to the other without much of a segue. Frequent quotes and segments of letters and speeches are included, but portraits and reproductions appear sparingly and there are no maps to accompany the many explanations of Hamilton's movements throughout the Revolution, or his journey as a young man to the Colonies. Nancy Whitelaw's More Perfect Union: The Story of Alexander Hamilton (Morgan Reynolds, 1997) is a better, more readable choice but Rosenburg's title should be considered a supplementary resource for reports.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.