Read, Review, Travel: The Not-Quite States of America

It’s taken me awhile to read this book, but not because I wasn’t interested. I just couldn’t find the time to read. But when I did find the time, this book grabbed my attention! The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA by Doug Mack is part history, part political science, and part travel book. I love these three topics, so to find all three in one book was magical! I double majored in history and political science at Valparaiso University.

Doug Mack, who majored in American Studies in college, admitted that he didn’t know much, if anything, about the U.S. territories before writing this book. As a travel writer, he decided to visit all of the territories and then write about his adventures at each one. He also researched and wrote about the history of each territory, as well as discussed the political issues of each one. Some of the citizens of each territory want independence, and others want to become a state of the United States. And some just don’t care what they are.

Oh and in case you didn’t know, here are the list of U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands are technically commonwealths, not territories. Mack explains the differences and also clarifies how territories and commonwealths compare to colonies.

I really liked this book since it combined three of my interests (history, political science, and travel) into one book. I also liked that he actually visited all five of the territories and talked with the locals to get their perspectives. He even talked with lawyers to get a better understanding on the laws of the territories. It astonished me that the territories allow people to serve in the U.S. military, but some of those territories do not allow their people to become U.S. citizens. I found that to be abhorrent. If you serve in the U.S. military, I think you should have the right to become a U.S. citizen. Also, I was shocked to find out that Japan invaded and occupied Guam during World War II. I had thought that no U.S. land had been controlled by Axis powers during the war, but I was wrong.

I learned a lot in this book, and I feel that more rights should be given to the individuals living in these lands. It sounds like these lands are present-day colonies, which is what the Founding Fathers of the U.S. complained about at the beginning of our nation! I knew about Puerto Rico wanting to become a state, but I was unaware of the other U.S. territories. Hopefully, Mack’s book can give these people more of a voice and educate other American citizens like myself of these people. I encourage you to give this book a read!