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fractaltexan's review against another edition
In the collection of essays titled Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America’s Past, Renee C. Romano and Clair Bond Potter argue that historians, academia, and others should pay attention to Hamilton due not only to its popularity, but to its ability to bring history to the forefront of American (and international) Pop culture. The essays themselves are split into three parts: focusing on the Script, the Stage, and the audience; respectively, and I will focus on two essays that bring Hamilton, and the history behind the musical, to life.
Historians on Hamilton then asks an important question: How do we bring history into pop culture in a way that is not only entertaining but also historically accurate, or rather, how can we correct historic inaccuracies in media and culture, to ensure that those who watch Hamilton or other plays get the best education, while also posing questions of identity and race. The book also changes the conversation of the Founding Fathers by bridging Cultural and Political history, much as the play has done.
Historians on Hamilton then asks an important question: How do we bring history into pop culture in a way that is not only entertaining but also historically accurate, or rather, how can we correct historic inaccuracies in media and culture, to ensure that those who watch Hamilton or other plays get the best education, while also posing questions of identity and race. The book also changes the conversation of the Founding Fathers by bridging Cultural and Political history, much as the play has done.
line_magnus's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent collection of essays for fans of Hamilton who want a more critical look at their favorite show. The essays by no means criticize the show too harshly (many authors freely admit that they, too, are fans), but they investigate the ways in which this musical may not be quite as revolutionary as it claims to be, and it delineates ways that future shows might take the Hamilton concept even further. A lot of historical background was given about Hamilton and the Revolutionary period, as well as some interesting histories of Broadway, and all in all I genuinely enjoyed this collection and feel like I've learned a lot. I definitely look at Hamilton in a different light now, but that does not diminish my enjoyment of the music at all.
kokenyreka's review against another edition
3.0
some of the essays were very strong and thought-provoking, others stuck out like a sore thumb. certain topics and ideas got a little repetitive by the end of the book since they were mentioned by numerous authors, and i just cannot look past the frequent misquotations and misinterpretations of the lyrics, or the typos in the text, i expected more from a scholarly publication on that front.
esotericareads's review against another edition
5.0
I am quite obsessed with the musical Hamilton. But just because we enjoy something does not make it perfect. Historians on Hamilton put out by Rutgers University Press is a book in which historians wrote essays focusing on different aspects of the musical and brought their knowledge and perspective to the topic. The essay topics include: Missing Politics in Hamilton, Race-Conscious Casting and the Erasure of the Black Past in Hamilton, Slavery in New York in the Age of Hamilton, Masculinity, Marriage, and Gender in Hamilton, and my favorite essay--Hamilton as Founders Chic (which looks at trends in the books written about founding fathers). We must realize that when we are watching a show or even reading a book, that the story-tellers are usually focusing on a couple of narratives that need to be simplified for our enjoyment. But real history is never quite so simple. There is so much that must be left out, especially in the case of a Broadway musical. Usually the narrative told says more about the state of the current times. I feel smarter after reading this book.
rachelcox's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
To put it simply, this book is a must read. The essays in this collection cover a range of topics relating to Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton that were all informative. I really appreciate that the authors were critical of the musical, but not harsh. Many of them admit that they are fans of the musical and/or acknowledge how the show is a beneficial tool for getting more people interested in history, all while rightfully pointing out the historical inaccuracies that result from Miranda's telling. This collection has a good balance between praise and criticism for the show, making it something that both historians and fans of the musical can enjoy. I give this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 only because there were 4 or 5 essays that did not hold my attention. I completely understand why they were included in this collection; they just did not interest me that much. Apart from these, I will definitely be revisiting the rest of the essays many times in the future.
pun_intended's review
4.0
An interesting collection of essays covering a wide range of topics. As other reviewers indicated, some topics did get repetitive, especially in the intro/set up of each chapter. I really enjoyed it, but this is also one of those texts that you could pick and choose which chapters most appealed to you.
bovineuniversity's review
4.0
This fascinating set of essays about the intersections of Hamilton (the play) and Hamilton (the man) offer much to fans of either. Much of this collection considers how the former obscured the historical complexity of the latter, there’s a great deal to chew on here. I was eager to read this to find essays that I might share with students, and I was pleased with the range and quality of the analysis. To crib a line, as I now assemble my syllabus, it’s not a question of if (Burr) but which one(s).
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