Russell Anthony Shorto (born February 8, 1959) is an American author, historian, and journalist who is best known for his book on the Dutch origins of New York City, '' The Island at the Center of the World''. Shorto's research for the book relied greatly on the work of the New Netherland Project, now known as the New Netherland Research Center, as well as the

New Netherland Institute The New Netherland Institute (formerly Friends of the New Netherland Project) is a non-profit organization created to support the translation and publication of 17th-century Dutch documents from the period of the Dutch colonization of New Netherlan ...

. Shorto has been the New Netherland Research Center's Senior Scholar since 2013. In November 2017, he published ''Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom'', which tells the story of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

through the eyes of six Americans from vastly different walks of life. His most recent work is ''Smalltime: The Story of My Family and the Mob'', published in February 2021. The book is a memoir, covering Shorto's own family history and his ancestors involvement in the

American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its memb ...

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...

Personal life

Born in

, on February 8, 1959, Shorto is a 1981 graduate of

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

. He is a contributing writer for ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'' and was from 2008 to 2013 the director of the in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, where he lived from 2007 to 2013. As of 2014, Shorto resided in

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...

, where he wrote ''Revolution Song'', his narrative history of the

. On September 8, 2009, Shorto received a Dutch knighthood in the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

for strengthening Netherlands-United States relations through his publications and as director of the John Adams Institute. He is married to Marnie Henricksson.

Bibliography

Books

* ''Gospel Truth: The New Image of Jesus Emerging from Science and History, and Why It Matters'' (New York, Riverhead Books, 1997) * ''Saints and Madmen: How Pioneering Psychiatrists Are Creating a New Science of the Soul'' (New York, Henry Holt & Company, 1999) * '' The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America'' (New York, Doubleday, 2004) * ''Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason'' (New York, Random House, October 14, 2008) * ''Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City'' (New York, Doubleday, October 2013) * ''Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom'' (New York, W. W. Norton & Company, November 7, 2017)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shorto, Russell 1959 births Living people 21st-century American historians American male journalists Critics of the Christ myth theory Historians of the Netherlands Historians of New York City Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau George Washington University alumni American expatriates in the Netherlands 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers People from Cumberland, Maryland 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Journalists from Maryland Journalists from Pennsylvania Historians from Maryland Historians from Pennsylvania