Can't Get Enough Hamilton?--A Reading (and Listening) List

Hamilton fever is about to take over Chicago. With previews of the musical opening last week and the regular run beginning in mid-October, interest in all things Hamilton is spiking.

Those already infected with the Hamilton bug may want to learn more about the play and the period of American history that Hamilton’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, makes come alive on the stage. 

Here are some suggestions to enhance your knowledge of Hamilton:

·         If you are not already hip-hopping to the songs from the musical, you may want to check out the recording from the original Broadway cast:

Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording by Miranda, Lin-Manuel 

·         For even more information on the music, take a look at the complete libretto:

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 and Jeremy McCarter  

·        

Hamilton was inspired by the following biography:

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 

(The Chernow biography is also available on audio. Settle in for 35.5 hours of leisurely listening by the highly regarded narrator, Scott Brick). Electronic versions of both the book and the audiobook can be checked out through the library’s My Media Mall service.

·         If you are interested in gaining further historical background about early American history, you might start with one of these nonfiction titles:

The Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 by Joseph J. Ellis

The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr by H.W. Brands

Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic by Joanne B. Freeman

War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr,and the Duel That Stunned the Nation by John Sedgwick

Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell 

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

·         For fiction lovers, try:

Burr by Gore Vidal

For even more suggestions, just ask a librarian!