My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

".... there is not a breath in any American's life that is not shaped in some way by Alexander Hamilton.  My husband. My hero. My betrayer."

Because of Lin Manuel Miranda's astonishing Broadway phenom, Hamilton, most of America has become mesmerized by the story of this statesman.  However, when the story is depicted by his wife, Eliza, as in this book, there is a vast broadening of understanding and perception.

 
This 700 page epic is a brilliant example of why I love historical novels!  As I became enthralled in the story line, my "need to know" mind kept sending me to Wikipedia to check for the real facts....how little I actually know about the story behind our founding fathers!  In some ways I questioned whether that early government could be equally as divided as our nation today, and could the authors have put a "present day spin" on those matters of long ago?  But as I reviewed my previous thoughts about well-mannered gentlemen sitting around a table politely discussing the birth of a new nation, I realistically was able to put aside that vision and understand that "birthing" is messy, hard, and painful. 

Many of our first presidents were ardent believers in freedom...but how to manage the nitty gritty of that?  "Black and white" thinkers were on both sides of the fence, Hamilton stridently supporting a strong federal government, and Jefferson just as adamant on states' rights.....and so it has continued for over 200 years.  I was appalled when Eliza eloquently voiced that the Jacobins actually wanted the "commoners" to have just as equal a say in government matters as the educated and wealthy; while she and Alexander stood firmly against that position, believing that the "rabble" of commoners did not understand the intricacies of government.  It sounded so elite and uppity but caused me to wonder if our political parties actually feel the same today.  I also thought it interesting that Eliza could mentally feel this way but also have compassionate feelings against slavery...did she want them free but not fully as free as the wealthy?  And ironically, Alexander was not born into class so wasn't he considered a commoner?!  I recently read this from an opinion piece: "Our equation of spending with speech has led to a political arena in which a rich person's or corporations's "speech" is necessarily valued more highly than an average or poor person's speech."  Democracy has been fighting the same issues since its inception!

 The authors bring this well documented period in history alive with all of the drama, intrigue and disappointments that happened to the Hamilton family.  Eliza Hamilton was a strong and passionate woman who endured humiliation from the community, but persevered to not only bring Alexander's  detailed writings to the public for posterity; but to establish homes for orphans.  She was no "shrinking violet", even when her heart wanted to quit from all of the sufferings of her life.  I appreciated the sensitivity of the authors in acknowledging her strong faith, that brought her through the hardness of her life.

Kudos to the Dray and Kamoie for telling Eliza's story, the story of a true Influencer.  I am ready to read more from these two.