Review of "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernov

My latest source of inspiration and admiration is Alexander Hamilton - I was surprized to learn how little I knew about the Revolution, and especially about Hamilton, who might well turn out to be my favorite founding character - the biography is portraying him as a charismatic evil genius (I have not come to the evil part yet, I am still in the 'genius' chapters, and I am curious to see how he made so many enemies). Chernov's style is eloquent, his chapter titles are nostalgic, ex; The Collegian, The Little Lion, etc - reminding me of the last period of the Ottoman Empire for some reason. Of course, some of my interest results from my currently being located in Alexandria VA. As it turnes out, Hamilton had personal aides in Alexandria (so maybe Alexandria is named after Alexander, after all), not to mention that General George Washington's plantation, is located only a few miles from here, in Mount Vernon. The book is not simply about politics. It is about intrigue, love, affairs, mistresses, and character clashes. It is like the American War and Peace- a major political drama unfolding in the backdrop of great love stories, betrayals, and duels. I am still very much in the beginning to be able to say the last word, but I was a little astonished to learn that Alexander was born in the West Indian tropical island of Nevis, and came to New York as an orphan and an illegitimate child. His determination, character, and intelligence made him the persona we know today (yesterday I drove by the grandiose The Hamilton hotel in Washington DC). Also, George Washington too, never finished college, and worked hard to ecucate himself and be part of the "high society". In this sense, he is a self-made man, just like Alexander - and I used to think they were aristocrats in the classic tradition. Even though they became aristocrats, they were not born as such.