"The Island at the Center of the World" is the most captivating history book I've ever read.
It is about the colonization of Manhattan Island by the Dutch -- long before the establishment of English dominance. It is based on the efforts of a modern scholar of Old Dutch, who has/is translated/translating 12,000 pages of difficult text. Even the history of the document being translated is gripping. But, more to the point, the book seems almost like a novel, though it is full of footnotes and clearly grounded in fact, it is still a gripping story. It even includes a 1600's drawing of the Manhattan skyline.
Even if you hate history, you MUST read it.
This book is about the colonization of Manhattan Island from it's earliest (European) times. It includes incisive descriptions of relations between early Dutch settlers and the native population. It draws modern-day parallels to how American "character" came about as a result of Renaissance thought centered in Holland.
It is a gripping story. It is also History at it's best -- with full cites, footnotes and a foundation in documentation that has it's own story to tell.
My attention was drawn to this book as a result of a visit of some Dutch friends who came to visit myself and my (Dutch) wife. They kindly offered this book as a Thank-You. When I started reading it, I simply couldn't put it down. I usually read mindless adventure books, but this one grabbed me and wouldn't let go. My Dutch wife read it after me -- she and I both, kept saying, "I didn't know that!" You must read this book!
I made some comments in another thread that I'll modify slightly and include below.
When you've read it, you'll know more about the Renaissance and Peter Stuyvesant and the East India Company and early colonist/native relations and the foundations of the democratic form of government -- than you could ever imagine you DIDN'T know.
...
Things You Will Learn:
- Where the term "cole slaw" came from,
- How America came to have the "one man, one vote" philosophy,
- Where the separation of Church and State distinction came from,
- How, the idea of normal citizens participating in their own rule was derived,
- That Peter Stuyvesant could have been classified as a pirate (though he may have had a good heart),
- That the only trained lawyer on Manhattan Island, may be the man who established the "character" of America.
... sorry to go on about this book, but REALLY, you have to read it to realize how much we don't know about our own heritage.