Alexander Hamilton The graphic history of an American founding father

Alexander Hamilton has never been hotter than right now, so a graphic novel about the man's accomplished yet tragic life seems inevitable. Previously, Hennessey has tackled histories of pop-culture phenomena, such as beer and video games, though they've been more like graphic textbooks than narrative-driven works, at times bogged down by large blocks of text. But with this title, Hennessey seems to have found his stride: the prose is still dense, but the more traditional narrative format makes it a far more entertaining and enjoyable read. There's loads to be learned here, and any Hamilton addict will eagerly eat it up Hennessey not only goes into the vivid details of Hamilton's life, but he also delves into the history of the time period and offers helpful context to explain the significance of the events. Greenwood's artwork elevates the piece even further. A plethora of illustrations keep the text from being too overwhelming, while the grittiness of his artwork contributes to a vintage-newspaper visual quality. Sure to be popular, but worthy of high praise independent of its timeliness.--Blenski, Peter Copyright 2017 Booklist

Born to a single mother on a culture-impoverished Caribbean island, yet with persuasive writing skills plus a dogged interest in learning, Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) went on to become a soldier in the Revolutionary War, a U.S. founding father, and the first secretary of the treasury. Hennessey's (The United States Constitution) script spotlights Hamilton's dilemmas, skimming only lightly over historical details outside the leader's personal and professional penumbra. Neither monkishly pure nor in agreement about the greater good, the nation's founding fathers persevered through schism, scandal, and slander. Much turmoil concerned whether the new republic should have a strong, elitist-run central government hewing to a Constitution (Hamilton's viewpoint) or a looser confederation with power given to states and the "common people." We're still struggling over that today, and it's fascinating to read how it all began. Greenwood's (The Fuse) real-ish color art takes on the pleasant quality of candlelight, spiked by sharper reds as tempers flair. VERDICT Unpacking the history behind the high-energy Broadway megahit Hamilton, this focused biography will get teen through adult readers to ask questions about the country's past and present. Find copious source notes at -HamiltonGraphicNovel.com. [Previewed in Douglas Rednour's "Comics Cross Over," LJ 6/15/17, p. 40-46.-Ed.]-MC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.