REVIEWS
Kirkus (starred review): “An enthralling portrait of an artist whose genius has captivated the world.”
Library Journal (starred review): “A comprehensive and heartfelt look at one of the most talented and visionary minds of this generation and a reminder of how one person’s voice, when nurtured, can genuinely change the world.”
Booklist (starred review): “An insightful look into Miranda’s complex, magpie mind and phenomenal success.”
Publishers Weekly: “This affectionate portrait brings the house down.”
NPR: “Pollack-Pelzner brings us so deeply into [Miranda’s] work that we feel the zing of creation.”
Washington Post: “Triumphant and adoring...this valentine of a biography can only feed our hope.”
Los Angeles Times: “Pollack-Pelzner’s affectionate biography provides an illuminating look at Miranda’s creative development and influences. The biography depicts a joyous, charismatic, well-meaning, occasionally imperfect man and artist who loves the limelight and manages to absorb useful lessons from nearly everything he hears, reads and sees.”
San Francisco Chronicle: “A book packed with the kind of revelations and insights that should make musical theater nerds squeal. The biography also makes grad seminar-level connections in sparkly, accessible prose.”
BBC: “A vibrant portrait of Miranda and the influences and creatives that have shaped him. This book busts the ‘genius myth’, lifting the lid on the process of rewrites, mistakes and cuts that have made [Miranda] the preeminent musical theater voice of a generation.”
America: “Engaging…involving…this is the rare book where you are likely to be singing along as you read.”
Shelf Awareness: “Packed with insider quotes, enjoyable details, and musings on the artistic process, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a delightful glimpse into the mind of an endlessly ingenious creator.”
Front Row Center: “Pollack-Pelzner pulls us in, making us feel like we’re part of the production stories, waiting with bated breath. Not only does the book take us through Miranda’s incredible life, it also takes us into his thinking and his decisions; it’s educational, inspiring, and downright fun to read.”
Daily Bruin: “An absolute win for ‘Hamilton’ enthusiasts, artists and those curious about education.”
AudioFile (Earphones Award): “Actor Javier Muñoz, who also starred in HAMILTON, delivers an engaging performance as he delivers this biography of playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. Muñoz gives a much-deserved sense of joy to Pollack-Pelzner's careful research, amusing anecdotes, and quotes from Miranda, overlooking nothing from his early life to his later influences.”
EXCERPTS AND ARTICLES
The New York Times: “How Lin-Manuel Miranda Weathered the Storm.”
Broadway News: “How Lin-Manuel Miranda and the ‘In the Heights’ team turned ‘96,000’ into showstopper gold.”
American Theatre: “A High School Ham’s First Take on ‘Hamilton.’”
The New York Times: “‘Hamilton’ Feels Different 10 Years Later.”
The New Statesman: “Hamilton’s British Roots.”
Big Issue: “How did Lin-Manuel Miranda become a global superstar?”
INTERVIEWS
Television
Australia Today Extra: “A New Biography Reveals the Creative Genius Behind Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Chicago WGN Morning News: “Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist.”
Portland KGW: “Portland State professor pens first authorized biography of Lin-Manuel Miranda: ‘Who tells your story?’”
Portland KGW Hello, Rose City!: “A Portland author has written the first authorized biography of Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Portland KATU AM Northwest: “‘Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist’ Author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner.”
Portland KATU Afternoon Live: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner: ‘Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist.’”
Portland KOIN AM Extra: “Portland professor authors Lin-Manuel Miranda biography.”
Audio
NPR: “Why the musical ‘Hamilton’ retains much of its original appeal ten years later.”
Vox Today, Explained: “Rewatching Hamilton in 2025.”
EdTech Insiders: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on creativity, mentorship, and the role of technology in artistic education.”
Arts Educators Save the World: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on his new Lin-Manuel Miranda Bio.”
The Hamilcast: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner // Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist” Part One, Part Two, Part Three.
The Drama Book Show: “Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner and Javier Muñoz.”
Broadway Podcast Hub: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner Talks Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist!”
The DJ Bob Show: “Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist (with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner).”
Arroe Collins View from the Writing Instrument: “Walking a Mile in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Shoes: The Education of an Artist with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner.”
Chat del Barrio: “Chatting with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner — Author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist.”
Free Food For Thought: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Reduced Shakespeare Company: “Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Oregon Arts Watch: “Lin-Manuel Miranda: Portrait of an artist.”
The Sondheim Hub: “A Conversation with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist.”
TAPintoPrinceton: “‘Lin-Manuel Miranda: the Education of an Artist,’ From Sensitive Child to Redefining Musical Theater.”
Portland State University: “The genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda: A Q&A with author and PSU scholar Daniel Pollack-Pelzner.”