Book Review - God and Hamilton

Book Title   God and Hamilton - Spiritual Themes From The Life of Alexander Hamilton and The Broadway Musical He Inspired 

Book Author    Kevin Cloud  

Pub. Year  2018

Genre    Religion/Christian Church/Leadership  

My Rating  5 Stars

Ease of Read  intermediate  

ISBN   9781632694775  

I was attracted to this book because… After watching Hamilton, I wanted more, the lyrics, the script, anything. I searched Amazon. This was one of the first options list, and I knew I had to have. Kevin Cloud sums it up in the first sentences of his Acknowledgments. “I will never forget the moment I walked out of the Richard Rogers Theatre after seeing Hamilton on Broadway. Although I couldn’t articulate it at the time, I knew I had experienced a deeply spiritual work of art.” I knew what he was talking about. 

This book was about Cloud brings together the timeliness of history, culture, art and how God works in a masterful presentation of the spiritual depth of this story. He points out how the characters in this story show us scene after scene, how it is possible to perform in an a brilliant manner working toward the good of mankind, and at the same time, be acting in despicable ways. And although they flawed humans, you care for them greatly, yet, hate what they have done. Cloud uses examples to support the play, from Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton, scriptural passages and his great pastoral wisdom to walk you through what you experienced in the play. All those things you couldn’t put words to, Cloud gives you the words and the scriptural background to support it. 

Things I liked about this book Part of my satisfaction with the book is the reassurance that I had experienced something more than the thrill of a good production. Cloud’s research served to enriched my experience. One of my favorite song lyrics (at least for this paragraph) is in Say No To This, when tempted by Maria Reynolds, Hamilton prays “Lord, show me how to Say No to this.” As Maria draws him into the bedroom, the ensemble keeps singing in his head, “Say no to this.” But he can’t bring himself to say no, as much as he knows he should, and his life and his family’s life suffers. Finally, there is a redemptive story of forgiveness that is unforgettable. Now, it’s on to Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton.

Why you should read this book If you knew while watching Hamilton you were experiencing something more than an amazing work of great art, music and dance, this book will help you know what you were really feeling. 

If you want to understand how to weave a story of cultural issues into strong spiritual values, this book will help you. 

If you want to know more about God, but don’t want to pick up the Bible, this book is for you. 

This book lived up to the back cover copy Here are some of the tidbits on the back cover that you will gain from God and Hamilton:

"Lead you into a deeper experience of God’s grace

  Help you battle guilt and shame

  Challenge you to forgive

  Inspire your faith

  Engage you in the struggle for human equality” 

God and Hamilton