Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America by Russell Shorto

Book Review — A riveting, conversational history of how New Amsterdam became New York — and how the city’s birth reflects the soul (and struggle) of America.

Taking Manhattan by Russell Shorto

Russell Shorto, the masterful storyteller behind the beloved The Island at the Center of the World, returns with another triumph in Taking Manhattan. Usually, sequels to great works make me cautious — after all, when a book is that good, why risk tampering with it? But Shorto proves that some follow-ups are not only jus…