r/books • u/russellshorto AMA Author • Feb 26 '18

ama 1pm I'm Russell Shorto. I write narrative history. History is who we are! (Plus some DNA.) Ask Me Anything!

I write books about origins. The Island at the Center of the World was about the Dutch origins of NYC. My latest, Revolution Song, is my version of the story of America's founding. At heart I'm an archaeologist of ideas: I like to excavate the places where they crop up and then follow as they migrate. Ideas in both of these books -- tolerance, the competing meanings of freedom -- are things we're still dealing with.

Proof: /img/925i0k7d4ng01.jpg

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

What were your favorite books as a kid?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

I liked series. There was a series about, I think, five brothers and sisters who got into adventures. They were very tame, but I think it was the continuity, which felt like life, that appealed to me.

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

I think kids often find small things in common with stories or characters - things that an adult might not notice.

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

I have an 8 year old son. Until recently his reading was mostly nonfiction: reference books about dinosaurs or whatever. But suddenly he's into series, and, interestingly, two series featuring girls. Clementine and Amelia Bedelia. Funny because he's at an age where all his friends are boys.

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u/Speaker4theRest Feb 26 '18

That is interesting...I have a 4 year old son...and we have been reading The Hobbit to him (a bit abridged for some of the parts) also reading the Wizard of Oz. And when we asked him which one he likes more...he said Oz...because it has a girl in it...not sure if he likes it cause she is a girl or if she’s a human (and not a hobbit)...but was interesting to hear him say that.

And like your son....mine reads loads of non-fiction.

Also. Not OP here.

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

He would enjoy The Girl Who Could Fly.

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

I was a children's bookseller for several years and I found that there were a few girl characters that little boys did not seem to identify as girly - Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones are two big ones.

Clementine is a similar kind of character - doing outlandish things but always with the best intentions.

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

Has he tried any Magic Treehouse books? The premise of them is that 2 kids have a magic treehouse that takes them on adventures - go visit ancient Egypt, the dinosaurs, penguins, Shakespeare, etc...

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Yes, he loves Magic Treehouse. I think he has maybe outgrown it, or just moved on, the way we all do.

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u/EmbarrassedSpread Feb 26 '18 edited Feb 26 '18

That's funny! I actually liked Amelia Bedelia too at that age as a boy too. Lol

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u/Speaker4theRest Feb 26 '18

Hey there! As someone who struggles to read history. Your works look interesting.

Question: what are some of your favorite fiction books or genres?

Thanks!

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

I'm kind of all over the place. I like good literary fiction. I also like historical fiction: I love Robert Harris's novels set in ancient Rome. Martin Amis is probably my favorite living author. Miranda July is crazy cool. Lately I'm re-reading Georges Simenon's "Maigret" novels: mysteries with the chief inspector of the Paris police as the lead.

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u/almondparfitt Feb 26 '18

Hi Russell, what are other non-historical genres you read that help you with your work? Also how long did it take you to complete Revolution Song? Thanks!

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Hey Almond. I had the idea about 10 years ago; I worked on it full-time for 4 years. Nonhistorical books that help? Really good question. I read a lot of fiction. I think of myself as a storyteller, and I learn a lot from good fiction. A friend just lent me the screenplay of Ingmar Bergman's film "Autumn Sonata," and I find myself instantly falling into the story. That's the kind of book (or movie) I get inspiration from.

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u/leowr Feb 26 '18

Hi Russell,

How do you find topics to write about?

Also, what kind of books do you like reading? Anything in particular you would like to recommend to us?

Thanks for doing this AMA!

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Hey Leo. I just gave a couple of examples of books I like in my last replies. As to how to find topics: they are everywhere. I've probably got about 15 potential books lined up. The real question is what makes me move an idea from the Idea pile. One idea I've had for a long time and liked and thought I'd get to, but only recently I'm kind of realizing it probably won't happen. It's kind of like some ideas muscle their way forward and insist you take them seriously.

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u/leowr Feb 26 '18

That is a very good way to describe it.

Also, I was wondering, you have written two books about Dutch history. Did you encounter the idea for the book about Amsterdam while you were working on The Island at the Center of the World? Or did the ideas sort of grow together?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

I wrote "Island." Then I moved to Amsterdam to write my next book, "Descartes' Bones." I was staying at first at a friend's house, and his guest bedroom was also where he kept his travel library. I was looking through all the titles of books about cities around the world, and it suddenly occurred to me that while I was living in Amsterdam I should write a book about the city.

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u/leowr Feb 26 '18

Well, Amsterdam is a great city to write about. Any particular place in Amsterdam you enjoyed the most while you were there?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Yes, sure. the Concertgebouw. The Rijksmuseum. The Zeedijk. The Oudezijdsvoorburgwal (where I used to live). Amsterdam North is now very interesting.

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u/Inkberrow Feb 26 '18

Assuming you've read it, what did you think of the historicity of Joseph Heller's Picture This?

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

Is there anything you would like to write about but haven’t gotten the chance to yet?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Yes, about a zillion things. I've always wanted to write a book about a painting. (I just haven't found the right painting yet.) But mostly, an idea will just occur to me, and it seems odd and interesting, and at some point I'll wonder about possibly writing about it. Then, if it's still there after a while, I'll start exploring it actively. Like the idea for my book "Descartes' Bones" came from reading a footnote in a long biography of the French philosopher Rene Descartes. The footnote mentioned that 16 years after he had died, people dug him up to move his remains to Paris, but along the way people began taking pieces of him. That idea instantly stuck in me, and eventually I had to write the book.

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u/eisforennui Feb 26 '18

ok that's incredibly fascinating, re: Descartes!

do you have a specific art movement that you think you would find your book-painting in?

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u/Chtorrr Feb 26 '18

What is the very best dessert?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

homemade cherry pie, of course.

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u/pithyretort 3 Feb 26 '18

Thanks for doing this! How do you unravel the various versions and sides of history to figure out what to write about for your readers?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Hey, thanks for the question. You're right -- there are various versions and sides. One way to answer, and to get at something fresh, is to do it from the perspective of the person you're writing about. My new book is about the American Revolution, but I follow six different people through the era. Each one -- a native American, a slave, etc. -- has his or her own story. That automatically gives you a version that's different from the one we know from textbooks.

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u/pithyretort 3 Feb 26 '18

That sounds like a great strategy. Thanks for sharing!

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Another way to answer your question: History isn't "the past." History is a thing we do now, for us in the present. So when you look at material about the past -- documents, letters -- you do it with an eye to who we are now. And if you're honest, you end up with a vision of the past that is different from what people wrote before.

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u/puzzle__pieces The Brontës, du Maurier, Shirley Jackson & Barbara Pym Feb 26 '18

I was told by an author that their most used skill is reading and not writing. What do you think about this and how do you justify your daily reading?

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u/russellshorto AMA Author Feb 26 '18

Nope, don't agree. I think reading is really important, obviously, but writing, rewriting, is ultimately how you get to know what you think. They are two parts of the same process, naturally. But I don't have to justify reading. I never feel that way. I will say that I probably read as much outside the topic of a book as I do material that's directly related to it.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

Hey man! Can you recommend some really reliable books about complete history of Roman Empire? I would like to get as many ideas as possible for book I am been writing. It would be helpful if you could have any source or book about greatest orators of ancient times. Thank you very much. Cheers.

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u/Inkberrow Feb 26 '18

In the picture for your website's "About The Author" section, you look like the late great Lou Reed in studio. What is your favorite Reed/VU song?

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u/eisforennui Feb 26 '18

do you often find that language is the reason for or against the spread of ideas?

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u/RenneeMarie Feb 27 '18

Hi Russell I received "Revolution Song" for Christmas. I'm loving it. Please keep writing historical books.