LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
by nature, Miranda bloomed in high school, where he made movies with a camcorder and took advantage of the school’s drama program, staging ambitious plays. In his sophomore year at Wesleyan University, Miranda wrote a musical set in Washington Heights\u003B it would become the first draft of In the Heights, his first Broadway musical. Most of Pollack\u002DPelzner’s book is dedicated to the creative process behind In the Heights, which won four Tony Awards, and Hamilton, the idea for which came when Miranda took a copy of Ron Chernow’s biography on vacation. Miranda talked to Pollack\u002DPelzner for the book, and his remarkable candor is part of why it succeeds. The author’s chronicle of the musicals’ development is equally thrilling. Pollack\u002DPelzner, who writes about theater and culture for the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times, understands the technical and creative aspects of the stage, and he proves himself to also be an astute observer of the more human side of creating art."
Based on 94 Goodreads ratings
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Lin-Manuel Miranda's path from a childhood steeped in New York City's arts scene to reshaping Broadway gets the full biography treatment here, with real attention paid to how In the Heights and Hamil...
Our Review
Lin-Manuel Miranda's path from a childhood steeped in New York City's arts scene to reshaping Broadway gets the full biography treatment here, with real attention paid to how In the Heights and Hamilton actually got made rather than just the applause that followed. One detail readers are likely to remember: it traces the idea for a musical about Alexander Hamilton back to a high school class assignment, an ordinary school moment most people forget, that grew into something much bigger. The book runs 400 pages and is marked for readers 12 to 18, posting a 4.64 average across 94 Goodreads ratings.
The book is honest about the work behind the reputation, showing setbacks and false starts as clearly as it shows the wins, which makes the eventual success feel earned instead of inevitable. That choice is what turns it into more than a highlight reel, a teenager who wants to write, compose, or perform gets to see that Miranda's path ran through ordinary effort and specific creative problem-solving rather than talent that simply showed up fully formed. A teen already drawn to theater or songwriting will get real proof here that a major creative career starts with small, unglamorous steps rather than a lucky break.
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