Russell Shorto

The best-selling author of The Island at the Center of the World chronicles the more than three-hundred-year debate between religion and science as revealed through the long and momentous odyssey of the skeletal remains of French philosopher René Descartes, creator of the famous phrase "I think, therefore I am."

In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today.In the late 1960s, an archivist in the New York State Library made an astounding discovery: 12,000 pages of centuries-old correspondence, court cases, legal contracts, and reports from a forgotten society: the Dutch colony centered on Manhattan, which predated the thirteen "original" American colonies. For the past thirty years scholar Charles Gehring has been translating this trove, which was recently declared a national treasure. Now, Russell Shorto has made use of this vital material to construct a sweeping narrative of Manhattan's founding that gives a startling, fresh perspective on how America began. In an account that blends a novelist's grasp of storytelling with cutting-edge scholarship, The Island at the Center of the World strips Manhattan of its asphalt, bringing us back to a wilderness island--a hunting ground for Indians, populated by wolves and bears--that became a prize in the global power struggle between the English and the Dutch. Indeed, Russell Shorto shows that America's founding was not the work of English settlers alone but a result of the clashing of these two seventeenth century powers. In fact, it was Amsterdam--Europe's most liberal city, with an unusual policy of tolerance and a polyglot society dedicated to free trade--that became the model for the city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan. While the Puritans of New England were founding a society based on intolerance, on Manhattan the Dutch created a free-trade, upwardly-mobile melting pot that would help shape not only New York, but America.The story moves from the halls of power in London and The Hague to bloody naval encounters on the high seas. The characters in the saga--the men and women who played a part in Manhattan's founding--range from the philosopher Rene Descartes to James, the Duke of York, to prostitutes and smugglers. At the heart of the story is a bitter power struggle between two men: Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony, and a forgotten American hero named Adriaen van der Donck, a maverick, liberal-minded lawyer whose brilliant political gamesmanship, commitment to individual freedom, and exuberant love of his new country would have a lasting impact on the history of this nation.

"Russell Shorto tells remarkable stories of people suffering from what once were deemed spiritual afflictions, then came to be seen as purely medical disorders, and now, thanks to this new generation of psychiatric pioneers, are being treated as both."--BOOK JACKET. "In the process, Shorto brings to bear issues from the cutting edge of consciousness studies. He explores the shared territory of psychosis and mysticism; the changing meaning of "self," "soul," "mind," and "brain"; the theory that psychotropic drugs have a spiritual dimension; the meaning of religious terrorism; and the possibility that addiction and depression are spiritual conditions."--BOOK JACKET. "In weaving his case studies into a single story, Shorto delivers a concise update on the science of the mind and the newest efforts to probe the deepest meaning of human existence."--BOOK JACKET.

The Last Supper, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection: one by one the great beams of Christianity are being tested. Biblical scholars - once the guardians of Christian theology - are now using the tools of archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, computer science, and even particle physics to probe the question "Who was Jesus?" The result is a radical revision of the gospel story that is both surprisingly vivid and, to some people, deeply shocking. In Gospel Truth, Russell. Shorto draws the first composite of Jesus the man. With the skill of a seasoned journalist and the passion of an amateur sleuth, he moves from scholarly conclaves in California to archaeological digs in Israel, tracking down the story of the astounding consensus emerging from a varied group of experts. Most important, he tells of the impact the scientific perspective is having now that even scholars working under a conservative Catholic imprimatur agree that much of what. We know of Jesus is myth. Many people believe that to move closer to historical and scientific truth is to undermine spiritual truth. But Shorto reports on a profound change in thinking that is under way among the scholars, clergy, and ordinary Christians who believe that the new findings about the life and times of Jesus do not negate Christian faith but in fact give it new life and a secure foundation in the modern world.

People working in a wide range of careers, including a day care worker, flight attendant, and hotel manager, describe the daily routine, benefits, and drawbacks of their jobs and the education and training they received.

People who like to use their minds, including an antique collector, opinion researcher, and detective, describe what they do in their jobs, how they got there, and what others would need to get a similar job.

Explains how space shuttles work and what astronauts do during the course of a shuttle mission.

People who work with their hands, including a tailor, film editor, and masseuse, describe what they do in their jobs, how they got there, and what others would need to get a similar job.

Includes interviews with people who hold such varied careers as tour consultant, literary agent, international lawyer, and foreign language textbook editor, describing what they do, how they got started, and the necessary preparation for each job.

Includes interviews with people who hold such varied careers as animal illustrator, pet store owner, dairy farmer, and zoo biologist, telling what they do, how they got started, and the necessary preparation for each job.

A brief biography of Abraham Lincoln, describing his political career, his feelings about slavery, and his role as president during the Civil War.

A biography of the American naval officer for whom Congress created the rank of full admiral.

After reading the classic tale of Cinderella, the reader is invited to turn the book upside down and read an updated version told from the "evil" stepsister's vantage point.

A biography of the Shawnee warrior, orator, and leader who united a confederacy of Indians in an effort to save Indian land from the advance of white soldiers and settlers.

Recounts the life story of the Apache chief who led one of the last great Indian uprisings.

A biography of the film actress known for her political activism during the Vietnam War and her more recent physical fitness programs.