Orhan Suleiman

Having read each of his books, I came away very disappointed. It appears to me, at least, is that he was driven by deadlines, hence the many and short chapters and excessive detail , much more so than usual. The plot was slow at times, and then the book ended suddenly. I found his Acknowledgements section, longer than any of his chapters, more entertaining. One wonders if his shift from the political to the criminal is an intentional effort to mute his historic bias, in an attempt to distance himself from current Middle East events. De Silva has been an interesting and enjoyable read, but maybe like Clancy and Picasso, once famous, the quality of their works diminished. A book a year, quantity versus quality. Just disappointed. Still a fan.

Having read presidential biographies through Grant, and many others, Hamilton increased my understanding of this great American, who may have contributed more to the blueprint that is America than many presidents. Chernow is a great historian, I loved his Grant and Rockefeller biographies, and like my children, cannot pick a favorite. (Have not read his Washington and other works yet.) His biographies reveal so much of these once living and breathing humans. Having conducted scientific research in my career, I especially appreciate the meticulous research historians conduct, in search of the Truth, as imperfect as that is. I literally could not put the book down, reading it to either fill historical voids, or clarify historical episodes of both Hamilton, his Family, and especially the founding fathers and presidents. This reenforces the saying, truth is stranger than fiction. Why bother with fiction when you can learn at the same time.