Book overview
One of Library Journal's 10 Best Books of 2015
Following his acclaimed Atlantic and The Men Who United the States, New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature.
As the Mediterranean shaped the classical world, and the Atlantic connected Europe to the New World, the Pacific Ocean defines our tomorrow. With China on the rise, so, too, are the American cities of the West coast, including Seattle, San Francisco, and the long cluster of towns down the Silicon Valley.
Today, the Pacific is ascendant. Its geological history has long transformed us--tremendous earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis--but its human history, from a Western perspective, is quite young, beginning with Magellan's sixteenth-century circumnavigation. It is a natural wonder whose most fascinating history is currently being made.
In telling the story of the Pacific, Simon Winchester takes us from the Bering Strait to Cape Horn, the Yangtze River to the Panama Canal, and to the many small islands and archipelagos that lie in between. He observes the fall of a dictator in Manila, visits aboriginals in northern Queensland, and is jailed in Tierra del Fuego, the land at the end of the world. His journey encompasses a trip down the Alaska Highway, a stop at the isolated Pitcairn Islands, a trek across South Korea and a glimpse of its mysterious northern neighbor.
Winchester's personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.
This landmark work of maritime history explores ten moments that define our modern world:
- Cold War Flashpoints: From the nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll to the capture of the USS Pueblo, uncover the secret history of the atomic ocean and its high-stakes confrontations.
- The Rise of Asia: Witness the postwar Japanese electronics revolution sparked by a tiny transistor radio and explore the deep roots of China's modern naval ambitions.
- Geology, Climate, and Nature: Journey from deep-sea hydrothermal vents to the eye of a supercyclone to understand the tectonic and climatic forces that shape both the planet and our future.
- An Empire's Retreat: Follow the decline of colonial power across the Pacific, marked by the fiery end of a legendary ocean liner in Hong Kong harbor.
- A Cultural Crossroads: Discover the Polynesian navigational genius that conquered the ocean and the Californian counter-culture born from the simple pleasure of riding a wave.
