A quick search suggests that this book has been reviewed for Cannonball at least eight times already, so it’s not like anything I say about the book is likely to be new or revolutionary (see what I did there). I don’t think there was ever any doubt that I was going to love this book, considering just how much I love the musical. I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about Hamilton, but it’s likely to be early in 2016 (I got this as […]
The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.
4.5 stars Aristotle “Ari” is a conflicted teenager growing up in El Paso in the late 1980s. He’s sixteen and a loner, but doesn’t really mind his lack of friends. He’s very close to his mother, whose a high school teacher (not at Ari’s school), but wishes he could talk to his dad, a Vietnam vet about, well, anything really. The youngest of his family, Ari’s twin sisters are much older than him and his brother is in prison, never spoken about by anyone in […]
Just you wait… wait for it.
Although I was late to the Hamilton party, I think I’ve made up for it with my wealth of enthusiasm since joining the festivities. Things began with the cast recording, and from there I’ve moved onto the documentary (which I signed up for the $5/mo. PBS donation to watch), the behind-the-scenes book, and now two Hamilton pins for my vest at work. Sorry, I can’t resist the urge to include a plug for my flair game. That’s 73 pins, in case you were wondering […]
Hamilton wrote THE OTHER FIFTY ONE!
I’m not good at finishing things. I love starting new projects. New blogs. New novels. New hobbies. New anything, really. The planning stage is the most fun. It’s the time you get to think about how amazing your new project is going to be. It’ll be brilliant! Everyone will love it! And then the planning stage is over, and it’s time to actually work. You realize that the actual doing is a lot harder than you’d imagined. It’s also not as fun. It’s like any […]
The Hamiltome.
This is an excellent book that all fans of Hamilton should read. Reading it gave me a fuller experience of the musical, it was fun to see behind the scenes stories, and Lin’s notes were always interesting. I cried while reading it (the same part I cry at while listening), and spent about a week listening to nothing but the soundtrack on a loop. So why no five stars? Like Aaron Burr, I want more. I’m never going to see the musical in person, or […]
Hamilton Makes a Dent in Modern History
Please spare me your lack of surprise that I’ve finished Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter’s book chronicling the gestation of the eponymous musical, before having finished the book said musical was based on, Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton. They are both big thick tomes spanning years (arguable decades), but while Chernow’s prose is delightful and accessible, his book does not consist of rap lyrics, easily digestible footnotes, and beautiful photos. Like Cannonballer ellesfena, I bought the book because I am an obsessive Midwestern […]