Alexander Hamilton

Chernow begins on the islands of Nevis and St. Croix, where Hamilton grew up in poverty and lost his mother. A vivid letter he wrote about a hurricane impressed local merchants, who helped send him to study in New York. He joined the revolutionary cause, served for years as Washington's aide-de-camp, married Elizabeth Schuyler and finally won a field command at Yorktown. After the war he became a lawyer, argued for a strong Constitution and wrote most of the Federalist essays.

As Treasury Secretary, Hamilton created a national bank, a system of credit and plans for manufacturing, and his fierce clashes with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison helped give rise to the first political parties. Chernow does not hide his flaws: his pride, his quick temper and a scandal that damaged his reputation. The book follows his long rivalry with Aaron Burr to their duel in 1804 and Eliza's decades of work to preserve his memory. It is long and detailed but reads like a novel.

Monumental and compelling, the book behind the hit musical. About 818 pages in the Penguin paperback.