Lin-Manuel Miranda’s journey is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and cultural synthesis. He was not a musical prodigy, but an insatiable drive to create art and learn from those around him propelled him to fuse his Latino heritage with pop, hip-hop, and the musical styles of Broadway. His was a new way of telling American stories, and of speaking to new audiences.
Drawing on interviews with Miranda’s family, friends, and mentors—and many conversations with Miranda himself, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner delves into the formative experiences that shaped Miranda as an artist, from his early musicals in high school and college to the creation of his Broadway and Hollywood triumphs. With full access to Miranda’s inner circle, this behind-the-scenes origin story is sure to captivate his legions of fans and beyond.
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist will be published on September 9, 2025. Simon & Schuster provided an early galley for review.
I really enjoyed the approach that the author takes with this biography, telling it in a narrative focus with quotes from the interviews he conducted sprinkled in for emphasis and flavor as needed. The first quarter takes the reader through Lin-Manuel's youth and adolesence through college; the retelling of those school years might spark a bit of sweet nostalgia in the readers' minds (it did for me).
The book goes deep in the development of In the Heights and Hamilton, both which had interesting narrative evolutions. Fans and theatre-nerds will enjoy those various chapters.
Finally, this book very much concentrates on the creative process of Miranda as well as the ups and downs that came with it. As a creative, I can learn from his journey and take comfort in knowing that the process can be hard for everyone. Before reading this book, I had respect for his talent and accomplishments. The book raised that respect level by leaps and bounds.
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