Hamilton: The Revolution Book Review

Hamilton is the newest hit Broadway show it was written by Lin Manuel Miranda. Through hip-hop tells the story of Alexander Hamilton. A “kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States”.

I love this musical. Its such a fun new take on what could be considered quite an important historical moment. Though its one I as a Scottish person never learned about in school. I don’t think I even really knew who Alexander Hamilton was till I learned about this musical.

Hamilton is still a long way from playing in London and there is no way I could afford tickets to see it on Broadway. But I was able to buy Hamilton: The Revolution which is a book all about the musical and how it was made.

HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION

The book contains essays and tells the story of how the show went from Miranda reading Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Deciding to write a musical all the way to the opening night on Broadway. It also contains the lyrics from all the songs. Along with side notes from Miranda about rhyming schemes and why he chose particular words.

This book in itself is a work of art. The whole thing is designed to look like a book from the 1800s, from the deckled edges to the old timey spine. I got my copy from Amazon.com while it was half price a few weeks ago. When you add shipping I paid £20 for this book which I think is a really good price for what it is. Basically if you are a fan of Hamilton you need to buy this.

If this is your first time hearing about Hamilton and you want to find out more watch this video of Lin Manuel Miranda performing the original version of the opening song at the White House in 2008.