Comment by jprd | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jprd | Hacker News Reader

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Absolutely not a disservice. Chernow has to play 2nd fiddle, though that audience is leagues larger due to the influence of the generational gem that is the musical.

Everyone wins here, especially those who will _never_ read the Chernow bio, let alone finish it.

Chernow is his own generational talent, though in a niche most would never look askance at.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's nerdy-ass beach book inspiration has now opened a gateway for many more to discover Chernow and hopefully, rediscover the genius of the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution. They wrote in the remedy to their original sin, acknowledged they were imperfect, and fought SAVAGELY to protect us from ourselves.

We've haven't yet lived up to the ideal, but we (U.S.) have also not yet let that idea die.

Isn't Chernow a bit too referential towards his subject?

Gore Vidal for example has much more cynical view of George Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

I recommend Gore Vidal's "Burr", an account a lot of the early days of the US with Burr as the focal point.

"Burr (1973) portrays the eponymous anti-hero as a fascinating and honorable gentleman, and portrays his contemporary opponents as mortal men; thus, George Washington is an incompetent military officer, a general who lost most of his battles; Thomas Jefferson is a fey, especially dark and pedantic hypocrite who schemed and bribed witnesses in support of a false charge of treason against Burr, to whom he almost lost the presidency in the 1800 United States presidential election; and Alexander Hamilton is an over-ambitious opportunist whose rise in high politics was by General Washington's hand." -- from Wikipedia

I wouldn't recommend relying too heavily on an explicitly fictionalized novel for an accurate historical narrative, even if Vidal did attempt to ground it in fact (with some notable exceptions, such as the instigating factor behind the infamous duel).

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