Product Description
Everyone knows that the USA is made up of fifty states and, uh . . . some other stuff. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands are often neglected, but they are filled with American flags and national parks and US post offices and some 4 million people, many of whom are as proudly red-white-and-blue as any Daughter of the American Revolution.
In The Not-Quite States of America, Doug Mack ventures 31,000 miles across the globe and deep into American history to reveal the fascinating and forgotten story of how these places became part of the United States, what they're like today, and how they helped create the nation as we know it. Along the way, Mack meets members of millennia-old indigenous groups, far-flung US government workers, ardent separatists, and tropical-paradise dropouts and dreamers in a quixotic and winning quest to find America where it is least expected.
In The Not-Quite States of America, Doug Mack ventures 31,000 miles across the globe and deep into American history to reveal the fascinating and forgotten story of how these places became part of the United States, what they're like today, and how they helped create the nation as we know it. Along the way, Mack meets members of millennia-old indigenous groups, far-flung US government workers, ardent separatists, and tropical-paradise dropouts and dreamers in a quixotic and winning quest to find America where it is least expected.
Reviews/Praise
"The Not-Quite States of America by Doug Mack is read by Jonathan Yen, who lends a smooth and evocative voice to enrich a production that focuses on the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and other places." —Donovan’s Literary Services
"Hilarious and deeply moving. . . . This book, quite simply, is travel writing at its finest.” —Andrew Carroll, author of War Letters
“To truly understand the United States, one must understand The Not-Quite States of America . . . Doug Mack opens our eyes to the variety of reasons we need them in this consistently entertaining read.” —Mark Stein, author of How the States Got Their Shapes
"Funny and engaging, Mack is the perfect guide to these simultaneously strange and familiar places, and the book goes to the heart of a perennial and, these days, urgent question: What does it mean to be American?” —Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Genius
"Witty and thoughtful, with plenty of vibrant characters and vivid descriptions, The Not-Quite States of America is also a well-researched history and a highly enjoyable travelogue." —Shelf Awareness