It is rare to encounter a biographer who is as enamored of his subject as Ron Chernow clearly is of Alexander Hamilton, and the effect is remarkable. For an 800-page tome to remain engaging throughout is a testament to both the author and the subject; Ron Chernow and Alexander Hamilton seem to have been a near-perfect match in this regard. Indeed, every chapter is infused with details from the life of Hamilton and his contemporaries in a way that gives the story depth far beyond a chronology of a fascinating man's short life. Chernow made a character of Alexander Hamilton, presenting readers not only with a litany of his countless accomplishments, but also a sense of his perspective. We get to know Alexander Hamilton as the abandoned boy, the ambitious immigrant soldier, the abundant writer, the astute litigator, and the adept civil servant. We are exposed to his deficiencies as readily as to his virtues, and Chernow adroitly juxtaposes evidence of Hamilton's complicated personal history and personality such that readers can hardly help but feel that, despite his many failings, Alexander Hamilton has been given the short stick by history (until, of course, the fabulous musical rendition of the book and the life of the man).