AMERICAN EMPEROR Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America

The life of "the inconvenient survivor of America's founding era," Aaron Burr, was changed by his famous duel with Alexander Hamilton, which sent Burr, the third vice president of the U.S., westward in search of new challenges. David O. Stewart does a lot to humanize this early American historical figure, and Andrew Garman's narration emphasizes those human moments, making Burr into a human being rather than a caricature and a footnote. The book explains the circumstances of the duel and Burr's love for his daughter, Theodesia, and shares the wry humor in some of Burr's own writings. There are some passages about Burr's treason trial that bog down, but for the most part this is an interesting account of an interesting life. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]