The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA

by Doug Mack

Book Overview

Everyone knows that America is 50 states and...some other stuff. Scattered shards in the Pacific and the Caribbean, the not-quite states--American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--and their 4 million people are often forgotten, even by most Americans. But they're filled with American flags, U.S. post offices, and Little League baseball games. How did these territories come to be part of the United...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393247600
• ISBN13: 9780393247602
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Eye-opening Education

First off, Mack writes beautifully. Its acknowledged that he had help with word choice from friends, but no matter. Parts of this book will make you tear up. Mack introduces the reader to fundamental questions of political theory and how it affects the lives of those who reside on the territories. I don't 100% agree with all the conclusions he comes to in the book. For example, turning the territories into states does seem like a good idea, until you remember that a large section of Puerto Ricans oppose statehood and want independence instead. Shouldn't their wishes be respected? Other than that, this book is well worth your time and the questions it raises are worth your consideration.