Fallen Founder

The Life of Aaron Burr

By: Nancy Isenberg

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Generations have been told that Aaron Burr was a betrayer: of Alexander Hamilton, of his country, of those who had nobler ideas. But that version has been shaped by historians and writers from the 18th century on who were blinded by tabloid reports and propaganda created by Burr's political enemies during his lifetime. It is time to discover the real Aaron Burr.

Nancy Isenberg's eye-opening, painstakingly researched biography reveals a true patriot. A brave participant in the Revolutionary War and an Enlightenment figure as much as Jefferson, he was a feminist and an inspired politician, statesman, and legislator who promoted decency instead of the factionalism that threatened the solidity of the young nation. He was a brilliant orator and lawyer who served as New York's attorney general and senator, before his election as vice president.

Burr was, in short, a loyal citizen who had the bad fortune to make a powerful enemy early in his career. Alexander Hamilton was preoccupied with Burr for more than a decade, and subverted his career at every turn through outright lies and slanderous letters. Hamilton and Burr's other political rivals successfully denounced Burr as a man of extreme tastes, but the facts show him to be a man of moderation and open-mindedness generations ahead of time.

Isenberg shows the gritty reality of 18th-century America, with its cutthroat politics, partisan maneuvering, sexual indiscretions, financial fiascos, and media slander. A brilliant restoration of a figure who ran afoul of history, Fallen Founder is a stunningly modern story.

©2007 Nancy Isenberg (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Full of insight and new research. An important and engaging account." (New York Times Book Review)

"A sterling biography." (Boston Globe)

"Isenberg offers justice to a maligned man." (Wall Street Journal)

Variety is the spice of life, but so is nuance

I am an admitted sucker for the story of an unjustly maligned figure. Isenberg recounts the history of a figure who strove for enlightenment values in thought, in the courtroom, and in his private life. The evidence suggests that Burr's reputation was deliberately, maliciously, and continually tarnished by political and professional rivals, George Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson chiefly among them. Laudibly, Isenberg does not paint these rivals in a wholly villainous light, but rather in a balanced manner, depicting their virtues along with their faults. I couldn't hope for a better counterfactual effort to the mythologized narrative of America's founding fathers.

Apologia or Polemic?

What a fascinating biography, especially it's description of "fake news" in the founders' generation! I don't take its interpretation as rote but it is definitely an antithesis to the veneration of the likes of Jefferson and Hamilton. Great listening.

A worthwhile assessment of the early republic

This was an eye-opening consideration of the life and times of Aaron Burr, and reveals as much about Burr’s contemporaries as it does about Burr himself. Overall, the book does a wonderful job of contextualizing the man and the events of his life, and although Burr does not always come through it smelling like a rose, even less so do petty and jealous contemporaries Hamilton, Jefferson, and the Clinton clan in New York. Although already predisposed to dislike Burr, I found myself rooting for him in one chapter, and being disgusted by him in the next.  This book demonstrates the vital importance of cutting through the Halcyon propaganda regarding the supposed immaculate virtue of the revolutionary generation, and understanding, for good or ill, who these men really were in their time and place in history.

fascinating story but poorly edited

I'm not surprised, and happy to know, that Burr was not the villian commonly reported. The author has exhaustively researched the facts, too many of which are repeated as the narrative bounces back and forth in time to cram her points and wrath at Hamilton down the readers' throats. With 8 hours to go, I can't stand another minute of this bloated, repetitive tome.

Not perfect!

In order to make a more perfect union, these less than perfect men, created a solid fondation to build these United States.
A well told story that sheds a different light on Aaron Burr. I thoroughly enjoyed the naration. The political intrigue of the 1700's isn't a lot different than that of today. It made me think of a new term, Burred.

very good insight into the "second tier" founders.

Book gives excellent insight into the flaws of America's founders. also well read by the narrator.

Should be read for balance with Hamilton

As I usually find, there are always multiple perspectives on the same events. To know Alexander Hamilton, you must fully consider Aaron Burr.

Excellent follow-up to Chernow's Hamilton

I listened to this on a whim after listening to biographies on Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson and was very pleasantly surprised! Burr was a fascinating person and decidedly not the one-dimensional villain often portrayed. His reputation was railroaded in life by his enemies and again in history by star-struck biographers wanting to use him as a foil for other founding fathers. This book had me riveted from start to finish.

Interesting book

Really my only criticism is when I listen to non fiction I like to imagine it’s the author teaching me something, and I knew this book was written by a woman so I would have preferred a woman reading it. Otherwise it was very interesting. You you are a Jeffersonian or Hamiltonian it definitely gives you a different view on history.

Excellent biography

However the author needs to learn the distinction between imply and infer. Wrong every time.