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

4.0

Learning early American history in New England schools in the 1970s, one tended to jump from the English Pilgrims straight to the American Revolution against the British. So it was fascinating to learn about the history of the Dutch colonies in early America, and to learn about its polyglot (today we might say multicultural) values. The battles for control between the centralizing Dutch control and more local, participatory self-government echo those that would follow one hundred years later in the more famous American Revolution. Fascinating!

A before-bed read-aloud, read by my NYC-native husband.