A review by zuomiriam
The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto

5.0

I received this book as an early Christmas gift, so I was extra excited to read it. Though dense, the story of New Netherland grabs you from the start -- Henry Hudson's voyage to the island of Manhattan -- until the very end -- the English takeover of New Netherland and the colony's subsequent impact on early America. Over the course of just over 300 pages, Shorto takes readers from 1608 to the surrender of 1664 in close detail, gracefully introducing characters as they step up to the historical stage and phasing them out as they retreat into normalcy (or, in one notable case, mysteriously disappears). He also makes a compelling case for how Manhattan's early tolerance and trading power has contributed to the development of New York and to the settlement of the West. I enjoyed Shorto's writing style a lot; reading this book took me a good deal of focused attention, but I think the rich, lesser known narrative of Dutch Manhattan readers take away is well worth the effort.