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

by Doug Mack

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 States? What are they like? And why aren’t they states?

When Doug Mack realized just how little he knew about the territories, he set off on a globe-hopping quest covering more than 30,000 miles to see them all. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mack examines the Founding Fathers’ arguments over expansion. He explores Polynesia’s outsize influence on American culture, from tiki bars to tattoos, in American Samoa. He tours Guam with members of a military veterans’ motorcycle club, who offer personal stories about the territory’s role in World War II and its present-day importance for the American military. In the Northern Mariana Islands, he learns about star-guided seafaring from one of the ancient tradition’s last practitioners. And everywhere he goes in Puerto Rico, he listens in on the lively debate over political status—independence, statehood, or the status quo.

The Not-Quite States of America is an entertaining account of the territories’ place in the USA, and it raises fascinating questions about the nature of empire. As Mack shows, the territories aren’t mere footnotes to American history; they are a crucial part of the story.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, History, Politics, American History, Audiobook, United States

306 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 2017

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Not-Quite States of America by Doug Mack is a 2017 W.W. Norton Company publication.

These places are cool. These people are wonderful. Why the hell doesn’t anyone in the states know anything about them?

The embarrassing truth is, I knew absolutely nothing about the American commonwealths or territories before a 2016 segment of “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, in which John Oliver comically broke down the set-up in Puerto Rico, which left me utterly flabbergasted. (Look it up on YouTube if you get a chance- It has Lin-Manuel Miranda as the special guest- too.)

I did know a tiny bit about Guam, thanks to a few family members who, as Navy reservist, travelled to Guam on occasion. Still, I had absolutely no idea how the laws worked or what the resident’s rights were, or anything about the economy, etc.

After the John Oliver segment, I wanted to learn more about the territories, so when this book popped up on my radar a few years back, I immediately added it to my list. I pushed it up to the top of the pile when Puerto Rico was slammed by hurricane Maria and a dispute arose over how much aid and assistance the US owed them.

Unfortunately, the book slid back down the list again. It wasn’t until I decided to clean up my Goodreads ‘to read’ shelf that I was reminded of it. I plucked it off the list immediately and started reading through it a little at a time.

The book reads a little bit like a travelogue, as the author, who fancied himself to be quite knowledgeable about the US, suddenly realizes he knew nothing at all about the US territories and decided to make them his next travel destination.

Mack enjoys himself, for the most part, doing touristy things, but also chats up the locals and does plenty of research, even dropping in reading suggestions for a better understanding of each area he visited.

The complicated history and incredible laws that give the residents a few freedoms of the states, but depriving them of many others, is explained by laying out the 'pros and cons' in each territory.

In the case of Samoa, the residents are considered ‘Nationals’ but not citizens- of either the US or Samoa. How weird is that?

Yet, citizenships foes say:

Look, we understand the rights we’re giving up. But those rights actually aren’t so important to us, given that they’d come, inevitably, as a forced package deal with greater Federal scrutiny of our island and our culture- and with ever-greater American cultural and political takeover. It will lead, inevitably, to further erosion if not willful eradication of our traditional ways. Just look at Hawaii.

Oh snap! Yikes!

While I can see, and understand, the compelling arguments to remain ‘status quo’, there are very compelling arguments for statehood, too.

The argument is debated- albeit in a good natured way- in Puerto Rico almost daily- at the time this book was published- with was before Hurricane Maria. I'm not sure if that event changed the dynamics of the debate or not.

I did like the unique approach the author implemented because we hear directly from the residents, and experience the food, customs, and landscaping along with the history and law lessons. It also keeps the book from being too dry.

Overall, this a nice introduction to the topic of United States territories and commonwealths. It explains things- in an as easy to understand way as is possible- under the circumstances.

I think it would be wise to jot down the recommended reading the author suggested, for more serious, in- depth, and less casual, information.

From a personal standpoint, I will admit I felt very frustrated by what the author aptly describes as ‘dysfunction’-but the author also gently reminds readers ‘that the residents are proud of their homelands and have no interest in your pity or your patronizing’.

I think we could all benefit from educating ourselves on this subject! It is fascinating, and extremely complicated, but also will help put a few things into proper perspective.

Despite all the complications, though, it is also very important, in my opinion, to remember the residents of these territories are Americans too, and we should never balk at providing assistance, especially in times of disaster and real human need.

The US has profited from Puerto Rico thanks to a few quirky tax laws over the years, and besides, like John Oliver said- We owe Puerto Rico for Lin-Manuel Miranda. 😁😁😁

4 stars

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) If you’ve ever wondered what the deal is with America’s overseas territories – the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico – this is the book for you. Most of the not-quite-but-basically-colonies came under American rule during a period of conscious expansionism at the turn of the nineteenth century and served as strategic military sites (especially Guam), but now come in for the government’s “benign neglect.” Mack mixes together jaunty on-the-ground travel observations, interviews with locals, historical surveys, and a clear discussion of the borderline political situation these areas find themselves in. Even where residents don’t have full citizenship rights, they pay taxes and sign up for military service at triple the rate of mainlanders. These islands are a mixture of indigenous and American culture, and there are potent arguments both in favor of and against statehood.

My favorite chapters were on the Virgin Islands and Samoa, which sound like appealing tourist destinations, especially the national park on Samoa. (Guam, by contrast, sounds like a hideous, hyper-American theme park.) I could feel my eyes glaze over during some of the passages about history, though, so I’d say a stronger-than-average interest in history would be a benefit to anyone undertaking the book.

Favorite passages:

(the opening of the first chapter on USVI) “By the time I got to the rum bar in the rain forest, the beer-drinking pigs were already sloshed. The bartender had cut them off.”

“Yes, there are some problems, some oddities, some kinks in the system. It can be paradise; it can be utterly maddening; it’s both, and also, for many residents, just a pleasingly average, American working- and middle-class existence.”

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part travelogue, part history book, and part rally cry.

Doug Mack considered himself very knowledgeable about all things U.S.A. It wasn't until his wife started collecting state quarters that he realized he was vastly ignorant of the territories. He decides to travel to each of them, interacting with the people, participating in some of their cultural festivities, and research their history before and after they became colonies--for even the author agrees that is what we are--of the United States.

I have to say that this book was particularly enlightening to me as a Puerto Rican and as a teacher. I have always been vocal about the abuse and neglect Puerto Ricans have endured during our time as a U.S. colony, but had selfishly not researched enough to see that all the territories have faced the same struggle my island nation has. This is an embarrassing omission to make, particularly when I teach about colonialist mentalities when I discuss Steinbeck's The Pearl.

I want to thank Doug Mack for opening himself up to this journey and for portraying the struggles--the good, the bad, and the ugly--that we, the second-class citizens of the United States face. I also want to encourage reader both within the fifty states and outside to read this book and instruct yourselves. Particularly with the current political climate where many of us feel our alliance--and citizenship--is tenuous at best.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been to Guam lately? Or how about the Northern Mariana Islands? If you have, you are still in the United States......well, sort of. These American territories, along with others scattered around the globe are a result of two things; the Manifest Destiny movement in the US at the turn of the 20th century and WWII. Although the US was not Empire driven, these lands became the "faux" Empire and have some of the same laws and benefits of living in the 50 states. But the Constitution didn't necessarily follow the flag and some basic rights enjoyed by the states are withheld from the territories. There are exceptions because there are status designations for each of the territories and the "American Way" is consistent with the designation. Confused? You bet.

This book is a mix of history and travel as the author visits all the territories, meeting the inhabitants, learning about the culture, and lamenting, with good reason, about the every rapidly receding languages and traditions of the indigenous populations. And how the presence of the American military in the Pacific territories is changing the environment and attitudes of the population. Independence is not on anyone's agenda and it may be that the world will lose some amazing traditions and cultures due to Americanization.

The author blends humor through his acquaintance with the colorful locals with serious concern for the future of the territories in an easy to read, entertaining travel guide. It will also make you ponder the future of these far flung specks of land.

[thefourthvine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t exactly what I hoped for — some descriptions of the “I went here, and it was very pretty, and I ate a food and met a person” variety, with none of the humor or richness I want from travel essays. However, as a source of information, this book was embarrassingly useful. It turns out I don’t — or at least didn’t — know very much about the US territories.

I didn’t know, for example, that if you’re born in American Samoa to American Samoans, you aren’t necessarily an American citizen. You’re more likely to be an American national, a citizen of no country, and to become a citizen you have to go to an embassy (in New Zealand or Samoa), take a test, and pay a lot of money. I didn’t know that we had internment camps on Saipan during WWII (not prisoner of war camps, since everyone on the island was interned); on July 4, Saipan celebrates both US independence from Britain and the release of the internees from the camps — freedom from the US and of the US, both on the same day. Lots of stuff like that. So this was educational.

But it was also a bit out of time. Yes, it was only published a year ago, but Mack traveled in 2014 and 2015. Two of the territories he visited were horribly changed by hurricanes in 2017. (There’s a painful moment when he mentions that one of the advantages of being part of the US, even with the limited rights and privileges of a resident of the territories, is clean tap water. Yeah, that’s ... not really a guaranteed thing anymore.) So this book is, through no fault of its own, not up to date. A lot of its information is no longer accurate.

Basically, I’m glad I read this, since there’s not a whole lot of writing on the US territories out there, and I feel like a lot of the information in this book is basic stuff I should already have known and didn’t. But as a book of travel essays, well, it’s a bit dull.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A book about America’s territories: part travelogue, part history, part investigation of the territories’ political status, this is a lightweight, readable introduction to a complicated topic. Doug Mack takes readers along on his trip through the territories: beginning in the U.S. Virgin Islands, then traveling to American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, and ending with a trip to Puerto Rico. He even makes a stop in the Marshall Islands and briefly discusses the U.S.’s “freely associated states” of the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. (These are independent Pacific Island countries that have a special relationship with the U.S., even having U.S. post offices and citizens serving in the U.S. military; as a group, they were best known to me for being the only other U.N. member states to always vote against sanctions for Israel.) Along the way, he shares his research about the territories in an accessible way that provides a good primer for readers new to the topic.

I found this book interesting, educational and easy to read. The author shows readers each territory as a unique place and digs into their histories and the history of U.S. international policies more broadly. He also examines the legal oddities governing the rights of the territories and their residents: for instance, they are eligible for some public benefits on their islands, but never become eligible for others even when living in the mainland U.S. (some of which actual foreign immigrants can receive after several years). Meanwhile mainland Americans can’t vote for president if they relocate to the territories. Mack pushes for opinions on the territories’ political status, and except in Puerto Rico often finds them hard to come by; for the most part, territory residents seem to prefer a flawed status quo to possibly losing individuality by becoming a state, or losing economically by becoming independent.

Mack could have improved the book a bit by being a little more willing to go out of his comfort zone as a traveler. He does meet a variety of people living in the territories, including, in the Northern Mariana Islands, a man who spent several years in another part of the Pacific learning traditional navigation, and a woman who immigrated from China to work in the garment factories. But his only exposure to obeah in the U.S. Virgin Islands is asking a well-off couple (he’s a local but she is a scuba instructor from the mainland U.S.) about it, to which they essentially smile and roll their eyes. Toward the end, he comments with surprising honesty that “In all my travels in the territories, I’d seen countless shacks and set foot in many middle-class houses and gaped from afar at the occasional oceanfront villa.” It doesn’t seem to occur to him to try to get invitations to some shacks as well, and the book gives little sense of how most people live in the territories.

All that said, with the exception of Puerto Rico, the territories are tiny islands about which relatively little has been written, especially in such an easy-to-read, bite-sized format, and this book did an excellent job of filling them out on my mental map. I would recommend it to any American to learn a bit more about some of the furthest-flung parts of the country. It can even be funny: did you know about the U.S. government’s machinations in the 19th century to claim uninhabitated islands for their bird poop?

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really between three and four stars, but rounding up for the effort.

Great premise, with a load of kudos to the author for following up with the idea! However, I wasn't too impressed early on when he stated that he had "no idea" there were American territories, in spite of his background as an "international journalist" and history student at university, until he came across their bicentennial quarters. Really? Did he think the U. S. Virgin Islands was an independent country?

The first section on the USVI kind of dragged for me, perhaps because I've been there, so the travel narrative aspect wasn't very new, except to learn that they get a fair number of Danish visitors who see them as part of their history also. Not a bad chapter, but just didn't do much to hook me personally.

Mack does a lot better with the Pacific region that follows: American Samoa (SAM-oh-ah, not Sa-MOW-ah), Guam, and the Northern Marianas. Samoa focuses on their unique status as nationals, but not citizens, of the USA (passports, with residence and employment right in the States, yes; voting elsewhere and TSA (actual citizen-only jobs), no. Guam seemed like a mini-Hawaii to me. Northern Marianas focused on now-defunct garment factory labor exploitation, along with the contrast between their situation and the independent, yet "associated" Marianas (there was less contrast between American and Western Samoa, as he seems not to have visited the latter).

Finally, there came Puerto Rico. This may not be entirely politically correct, but I found him a bit starry-eyed about their current situation. Still, he did do a good job balancing the views of territorial, statehood and independence advocates. I felt he glossed over the language issue, however.

I would recommend the book, especially the audio edition as the narrator seems to have captured the "voice" well. I certainly felt as though it were the author addressing me rather than just a reading of the text.

[Karen Germain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You to W.W. Norton & Company for providing me with an advanced copy of Doug Mack's The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Doug Mack's The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA, is part travelogue and part history lesson. Mack travels to Puerto Rico, The U.S. Virgin Islands, America Samoa, The Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam, to meet the people who inhabit these lands that are "not-quite part of America," and to better understand their history and culture. 

LIKE- I consider myself fairly knowledgeable when it comes to US History, but Mack has opened my eyes. I had no idea that the United States still has so many territories or that it is so darn muddled regarding the rights of the people living in these areas. I felt a little relieved, when early in his book, Mack, a travel writer, admitted to also being unaware of the full extent of these territories. This made me feel less clueless and in good company. I enjoyed tagging along with Mack, as he visits these islands.. Mack's sense of humor and his interactions with the locals, blends well with the history and politics of each island.

Admittedly, some of the politics and legal talk of territories can get a little dry and very confusing, however, Mack puts it out in layman terms, so if I read it carefully, I felt like I was gaining an understanding. My overall impression of the situation is that it is complicated and there is no one solution. I was surprised by the high number of people from the territories serving in the US armed forces, yet depending on where they live, they may not have very many rights. I was shocked by how the rights can vary dramatically from each territory, depending on status ( incorporated/ unincorporated, commonwealth, organized/ unorganized). Seeing how messy this all is, coupled with a general lack of interest or knowledge that most US Citizens have towards the territories, I doubt we will be adding any new states in the near future. It's even presumptuous to think that people in the territories necessarily want statehood. Mack is perceptive with his noting how the idea of colonization is very distasteful and not politically correct, yet colonies are essentially what America still has, even if we call them territories and try to play "out of sight, out of mind." 

Some of the history, for example the connection between World War 2 and Guam, was familiar. Currently, with North Korea ramping up its nuclear capabilities, and other nations in the Pacific, feeling on edge, these small islands are becoming more valuable for their strategic positioning in future wars. Each country wants to grab what they can in the Pacific for their own security. Mack speaks of this towards the end of his book and it gave me the chills. Speaking of Chills, I was gutted when I read about the thousands of Japanese citizens, including families with small children, committing suicide off of a cliff in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) after learning that they had lost WW2. I'm sure that story will forever stick with me. 

DISLIKE- Nothing. The Not-Quite States of America has left me a better informed citizen, it has given me a new perspective. 

RECOMMEND- If you're an American citizen, you should definitely add The Not-Quite States of America, to your reading list. Mack is an entertaining writer and his book is important. 

Like my review? Check out my blog!

[Helen Marquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the outlying fringes of the US Empire - islands they own but which aren't really part of the States structure - you don't go through passport control to get there if you're traveling from within the US, but the locals have little or no representation in Washington.
Mack takes the reader on a journey from the BMVI to American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, exploring these American outposts and their mixture of traditional cultures with an American twist. As someone from Guernsey - an outlying island of the British Commonwealth, I found it fascinating to learn I wasn't the only one living in weird limbo - with a British passport but no rights to vote for the British parliament and no representation in Whitehall.
I have to say, this book gave me serious wanderlust. I have added a couple of the locations explored to my bucket list of destinations to visit. I did find myself wishing that Mack had made this more of a travelogue, interviewing more of the local characters that he encounters, and focused less on the history, which at times can become a bit dry, however I appreciate that context is key in positioning the locations in space and time.
All in all, a great read and one that had me reaching for Google Maps and flight prices!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book Donald Trump should probably read. By now, he's figured out that Puerto Rico is actually part of the United States, even if he thinks it's surrounded by "Big water. Ocean water." But does he know about the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands?

Doug Mack was all like "What is THE DEAL with these islands?" Visiting each of the five populated territories (which are basically colonies, even though we don't like to call them that, because colonialism is so passé), he examines how each became part of the United States (along with the general history), what the current status of the island (or group of islands) is, how the residents feel about that, and what life is like there. His conversational tone reminds me of J. Maarten Troost with less snark. Like any good travel writer, he has a knack for befriending interesting people: members of a biker club, local djs, artists, oddball mainlanders, etc. The result is interesting, informative, and highly readable.

[Elaine Ruth Boe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't given much thought to the US territories before coming across this title. I chose it in order to educate myself a bit. And this book was informative. I learned that there are 5 US territories, but they all have different levels of affiliation with the US, usually a contentious and oft-debated affiliation. The US hasn't treated the territories well. I don't think Americans like to think of themselves today as colonizers, but that's basically what we've done. We have an empire, and we're not willing to give them full citizen rights. Of course, many people in these territories don't want to become states because they fear how that will affect their cultural identity.

I learned a lot, but I found Mack a rather annoying narrator. He tried to be funny, but he wasn't really. And I also got a conservative whiff off of him. Mack loves Teddy Roosevelt, but should we really laud someone some imperialistic, who joined the Spanish-American war for fun? The truth is, the presidents and politicians who supported taking over these lands were imperialists and not looking out for the rights of the islanders. To kick people off their homeland so you can test nuclear weapons, and then not compensate them for the harmful effects of those testings--that's shameful, and a part of the US's legacy that we don't often consider. For bringing that history into the light, I thank Mack. I just wish he'd had a more critical eye to America's meddling.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Not-Quite States of America
Author: Doug Mack
Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company
Published In: New York, NY; London, England
Date: 2017
Pgs: 306
_________________________________________________

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
50 states, et al.

American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S.Virgin Islands...4 million people who fly the American flag, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, but, not statehood. History, independence, statehood, the status quo, the nature of empire.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
Nonfiction
Travel
Travel Writing
United States
Regions
History
World

Why this book:
‘merica.
_________________________________________________

Least Favorite Character:
The racist bastards who flummoxed the normal progression that should have lead to these territories, re: colonies, being states by now. And to the Supreme Court for abetting that racist, imperialist agenda.

The Feel:
The weight that he feels when he starts rudimenting on the atomic bombs dropped on Japan as he stands alongside the runway on Tinian that the B-29s launched from.

Favorite Scene / Quote:
When Mack describes the shack on the beach in American Samoa with the outdoor shower and the full, layered Milky Way haloing the sky and the perfect night that it was with he and his wife there, his description only leaves out one thing that in deference to he and his wife wouldn’t do to be described since it isn’t that kind of book. But it’s so custom romance made, that anyone who reads the scene and doesn’t think it has no soul.

When the kids in the village on Aunu’u in American Samoa started following Mack and his wife around asking if they knew various people in the village, so, he asked if they knew Prince who was from his village of Minneapolis.

Description of the crush of a 4th of July on Guam with so many tourists from so many places that he hit upon a way of IDing them from the locals by the degree of red, white, and blue they were wearing. Reads like a cultural hurricane, force 1776. Guam as gateway to all things American, America on a budget, from China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, etc.

Pacing:
For a travelogue/documentary style book, the pacing is very good.

Word Choice / Usage:
The way Mack describes Guamanian barbecue made my mouth water.

Hmm Moments:
The United States Virgin Islands, the USVI, seem to be searching for an identity or more appropriately living in a vacuum. They have a history, but it is sanitized to Disneyfied levels. Their real history exists far away in archives in Washington DC and Copenhagen, Denmark.

WTF Moments:
When the modern legal professor tried to explain the incorporated/unincorporated territories’ standing to the author, who didn’t make any bones about them being held at arm’s length and blocked from the path to statehood being at base an exercise in institutionalized racism. She pointed out that you can find it in all the, so-called, Insular Cases. The Cases were legal challenges that were ruled by the Supreme Court, ultimately, and governed the disposition of those territories seized and annexed in the United States’ Imperial Moment. Those territories populated by people, not like those of the English, re: White, United States were owned by, but not part of the United States.

The ghost town moments on Saipan and Tinian in the Marianas bring to mind Detroit; abandoned malls: empty hotel: etc.

Wisdom:
The USVI should be put on the parth to either statehood or independence. The same should happen with all of the inhabited territories.

In contrast to the USVI, American Samoa, whose inhabitants want citizenship, but want to maintain their intrinsic cultural and societal identity, are caught in a catch-22. If they adopt the Constitution in totality, some of their cultural and social norms would be considered unconstitutional and ripe for lawsuit and being legislated out of existence. Maybe their solution would be to go the statehood route with the proviso, that upon gaining statehood, they would be, enshrined is the wrong word, encapsulated...incorporated as a reservation in the manner of the First Peoples’ Reservations in Oklahoma.

Guam seems way passed ready for statehood.

Whatever gets done vis-a-vis statehood, all residents of these territories born there should be given birthright American citizenship. Some of these territories have been American for over a hundred years. These territories as a percentage of population outserve the states in numbers of members of the military. They deserve citizenship.

Reid v Covert, SCOTUS: 1957, Hugo Black, plurality decision
The concept that the Bill of Rights and other Constitutional protections against arbitrary government are inoperant when they become inconvenient or when expediency dictates otherwise is a very dangerous doctrine and if allowed to flourish would destroy the benefits of a written Constitution and undermine the basis of our government.

When Mack started trying to put his thoughts together for his conclusion and hit up on the idea that there were 4 groups that were in all the territories: the Change-Averse-who support the status quo/better off with the United States and partly on their own; the Nationalists-who support independence; the Melting Pot Optimists-for all its flaws, the United States has brought a lot of good things, they are proudly American, And want to become a state; and the Jaded Realists-like it or not, they are depended on the USA and that won’t change if they are an independent nation. Might as well be stuck with them. There’s not stopping cultural change, globalization is the new Americanization.

Missed Opportunity:
These territories existing in a racist, imperialist limbo, some since 1900 or before, is a travesty on the Constitution’s face. That’s American soil, those are American citizens. They need to either be on the path to statehood and birthright citizenship or on their way to independence.
_________________________________________________

Last Page Sound:
Very good. I learned things. Fascinating travelogue, history lesson, and civics discussion.

Author Assessment:
Would definitely read other stuff by this author.

Editorial Assessment:
Well edited. Well put together.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
instant classic

Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library
South Campus
Irving, TX

Dewey Decimal System:
909.0971273
MAC

Would recommend to:
genre fans
_________________________________________________

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jones Act. The Insular Cases. Unincorporated Territories. These once obscure terms entered the daily conversation after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. No longer were the territories (or at least two of them) out of sight and out of mind. For a few weeks, they were front and center.

Also front and center were the obstacles that their political status posed to both local and federal recovery efforts. Among these obstacles was the US government itself. Only weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, Donald Trump made clear how his administration views the territories, saying that the US government could not keep FEMA, the military, and other first responders in Puerto Rico "forever." His message to post-Harvey Texas, on the other hand: "We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD." Part travelogue, part history, Doug Mack's The Not-Quite States of America offers a lively, thoughtful introduction to this complicated relationship between the United States and its territories.

There are currently five populated territories. Four of these, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands, are unincorporated organized territories, meaning that they have been given some degree of self-rule by an organic act (which acts as a territorial constitution) but are not considered part of the United States. American Samoa is neither organized nor incorporated. As a result of a set of Supreme Court decisions referred to as the Insular Cases, the US Constitution applies only in a limited manner in the unincorporated territories. As Mack notes, this results in an odd situation, where a person on the uninhabited but incorporated territory of Palmyra Atoll has more constitutional rights than someone in Puerto Rico. Each of the five main chapters to one of these inhabited territory, beginning with the US Virgin Islands and ending with Puerto Rico. In these chapters, he mixes descriptions of his own experience with the perspectives of those who live on the territory, while also providing brief sketches of each territory's social, political, and cultural history.

Mack is an engaging travel writer, ably describing island sunsets, lush jungle scenery, and indigenous traditions. At the same time, he is also capable of sharp historical insight. This is most clearly demonstrated when he attempts to answer the question of why the US took possession of these outlying territories in the first place. He touches on the history of the United States' Imperial Moment, when it became clear that the US really was an empire, (a term that appears to have been much less shocking to mainstream commentators in the late-19th and early-20th centuries than to their late-20th and early-21st century counterparts). And to answer the question of why these territories remain "not-quite states," he introduces the Insular Cases.

Of these, Downes vs. Bidwell offers the clearest, if most uncomfortable, answer. Essentially, unlike earlier territories which were inhabited "only by people of the same race" (and oh, yeah, maybe some Indians), the "distant and outlying possessions" were populated "alien races, differing from us in religion, customs, laws, methods of taxation, and modes of thought" which would make impossible "the administration of government and justice, according to Anglo-Saxon principles." In other words, while some of the territories, particularly Puerto Rico, have appeared to be on the path to statehood with the passage of an Organic Act, they were not inhabited by white Europeans, so they were not fit to be states. On the other hand, as Mack notes, residents of the territories have often rejected changes in status, both statehood and independence. So the status quo, while built on a foundation of a racialized, colonial view of the territories, is not upheld by such a perspective alone.

So what does the future hold for the territories? Mack calls for the organization of American Samoa and the incorporation of all current territories so that they are "truly part of the country" and fully entitled to Constitutional protections, as well as for Congressional representation and a presidential vote. He also argues passionately for those of us who live in the States to begin thinking about the residents of the territories not as "foreign aliens" but as Americans. Unfortunately, as much of the media shifts its focus away from the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, such a change in perspective seems as elusive as ever.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with this book. Really, really struggled. I hate to review it poorly--Doug Mack seems like a nice, if exceedingly boring guy. He took a concept I was wildly excited about (learn more about the territories! discuss issues of justice pertaining to their tenuous role in the United States' government. Learn more about far away places and cultures and food!) and just made it completely un-captivating. I read this on and off over 6 months or so. I kept forcing myself to go back to it because i cared about the subject matter. and yet I find I barely remember what I read about any of the territories. By now the information about Puerto Rico and the USVI is sadly dated, in the wake of the hurricanes of 2017. and in an era of trump, there are so many additional questions about how these territories will be affected by an administration that disdains brown people and poor people, which the territories are chock full of.
So I suppose I learning some things, about the political structuring of the various US territories, and the feelings of the citizens of those territories about their status. I did retain the information about the shady dealings with garment factories in the Northern Marianas Islands, and their eventual exit, leaving a poorer territory behind them, with abandoned buildings.
But overall, I think watching John Oliver's segment on the US territories would be a quicker, more memorable, and more engaging way to get a brief overview of this information. But maybe that's just me. Like, I said, Doug Mack seems like a nice enough guy, who loves his wife and cares about people other than himself. So hopefully others enjoyed his book more than I did. (just don't listen to this on audio. the narrator does not have a pleasing voice, IMO.)

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plucked this off the new book shelf at the library, hoping to learn more about the US territories. Interesting information, some of which I'd heard before, but also new commentary, such as on page 40: "...the Affordable Care Act essentially forgot about the territories." Why does this not surprise me?
Not sure why Mack only visited St Thomas and St Croix, when IMAO St John is the most pristine of the VI? So I'll throw in my two cents, for what it's worth. Having owned property and spent an inordinate amount of time with the local St Johneans, they are some of the warmest people I have met in my extensive travels. My impression is that they feel status quo is the way to go vs independence or statehood. Why rock the boat when, for the most part, they enjoy a comfortable lifestyle? Since St John is the smallest of the VI and about 60% is National Park, thanks to Laurance Rockefeller who donated the land in 1956, it has a totally different aura. Yes, there are expats and tourists, but they are mostly repeat visitors who stay for long periods of time and blend in with the locals. Since there is no airport or cruise port, it's a bit off the beaten path. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I'm in love with "Love City," which Cruz Bay, the main town, is affectionately called.
Sections about Samoa, Guam and the Pacific territories, combine military history, some statistics and silly anecdotes.
Puerto Rico becomes more complicated with very diverse views as to its' future.
If nothing else, the book makes one think about what it means to be American, especially in this day and age.

[Ken Feucht · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the history of our American holding a overseas in the Carribbean and the South Pacific. People who are by all rights American but compete on their own Olympic teams. People whose existential quandary is "Do we join the US, it do we leave it?" and come to the conclusion that they are happy just being sort of forgotten and left alone.

part travelogue, part history lesson, Doug Mack takes you to those places you've sort of heard of, and also the Northern Marianas Islands to show how life is in the "not-quite states," and discusses what the chances are that any of them will become the next state, or the next state to break ties with the US.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting theme: Travel to the US possessions that are not states. Lots of stories, interesting characters, history, culture, place descriptions and musings by the author. The final chapter was weak (the author's opinion about what the future status of there territories "ought" to be), but overall I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the places covered.

[Lindsey Greto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow - I knew nothing about the US territories. This is a super important read, even more so with all the post hurricane awfulness in Puerto Rico. Helps put it into context for sure. Highly recommended.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The U.S. territories are far-flung, fascinating, and perplexing. They are also, in the words of Doug Mack, "the most important domestic-policy issue Americans aren't talking about, precisely because we don't think of them as a domestic-policy issue at all" (253).

I learned so much from this book. Part travelogue, part history, part deep dive into the territories' legal/political status, The Not-Quite States of America is a great introduction to parts of America that most Americans know very little about. But the territories are a part of America, and for that reason alone, as Mack concludes, "We need to talk about the territories again. We need to start listening to them, too. The people of these far-off islands are not 'foreign aliens.' They are us" (280).

This book is a great starting place to get the conversation going.

2020 Reading Challenge Category: A book with more than 20 letters in its title.

[Kyle Ann]

This was an interesting read. I learned a lot of new facts about the U.S. territories.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about the inhabited US territories.

There are 5 US territories: US Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Persons born in these areas are US citizens by birth except for those born on American Samoa who are US Nationals but are not citizens until they go through the naturalization process. This is because they are Unorganized as opposed to Organized territory.

Does the US Constitution include activities and persons in the territories? Yes and no. It depends on the mood of the day. Originally the US wanted expansion for military and economic reasons. They believed that territory residents were "alien races". Even the Supreme Court upheld this view. These cases are called the insular cases. Teddy Roosevelt selected Oliver Wendell Holmes as a Supreme Court Justice because he would uphold the insular cases. However, slowly in our modern times, these cases are slowly being eroded.

Do these territories want independence or statehood or organized (for American Samoa)? There is much debate about this. However, from the reading, it appears that most residents are willing to remain with the status quo.

The author travels to each of these 5 territories to learn more about their culture, history and political tendencies. Do I now want to travel to these territories? Not really but some do seem interesting. I would like to visit US Virgin Islands one day.

Interesting facts:
-- The worlds largest K-Mart is in Guam.
-- The disappearance of Amelia Earhart occurred on her flight to Howland Island, part of the US Minor Outlying Islands, and near America Samoa.
-- The only part of the US south of the equator is America Samoa.
-- The easternmost point of the US is Point Udall, St Croix, US Virgin Islands (named for Stewart Udall, Arizona congressman and Secretary of Interior for Kennedy and Johnson)
-- The westernmost point of the US is Point Udall, Guam (named for brother Arizona congressman Morris "Mo" Udall)

I learned about US Government that I´m sure I did not learn in school.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARV via NetGalley

This book is about the United States Territories/Commonwealths and is a combination of travelogue, history, cultural information, and the difference in their legal rights from mainland U.S. The territories are Virgin Islands of the United States (4 Islands), American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. It is not really a travel guide, but he does mention where he visits and eats. He doesn’t say who has the best local cuisine in each location, but does tell you where to go in the US Virgin Islands to watch a pig drink a beer. He talked and explored with those that live in the Territories so that he can get information and sights that not many people know about. He combines some strange facts with serious information and research on history and the rights of the territory residents. He does explain some terminology so that the layperson can understand what he is discussing. He had asterisks next to information and then there was additional information at the end of that section. I am assuming that they are doing numbered footnotes for the finished book. He also has done research on why the US added non-connected land as our territories in the 1800s and early 1900s. He has talked to people who are experts and tries to explain it to the reader in a simple and straightforward way. He does include maps of each location, but on my tablet, it was hard to see detail. I would wish for a little more zoomed in map to be able to see the cities he mentions in the book. A unique look at the territories that don’t get much attention from the 50 states.

[Biblio Files (takingadayoff) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already looking forward to Doug Mack's new book since I had enjoyed his first, Europe on Five Wrong Turns A Day, about his travels in Europe using the fifty year old guidebook his mother used on her youthful trip abroad in the 1960s. The Not-Quite States of America was not-quite what I expected -- it was a bit more serious than the first book although it had its humorous moments. This one reminded me of Sarah Vowell and her American history treks.

Mack checks out the American Territories in the Caribbean and the South Pacific, remnants of our Empire building days around the turn of the 20th century. Each territory has a unique status in which residents (who are all United States citizens) may or may not have voting rights or representation in Washington, D.C. He traces the history of the U.S./Territorial relationships, chats with many longtime residents, discusses the politics and legal aspects of the not-quite states, and sometimes just has a look around and enjoys the tropical atmosphere.

This was a new topic for me and I found it fascinating from a historical perspective as well as from a tourist vantage.

(Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for a digital review copy.)

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The average American likely never gives any thought to the lands or peoples that comprise the U.S. territories. Many Americans were shocked (and some in denial) after the 2017 Hurricane Maria disaster to learn that Puerto Ricans are in fact American citizens. Local author Doug Mack, realizing that he knew next to nothing about places like American Samoa, Guam or The Northern Mariana Islands, despite them being American soil, set out on a mission to visit and find out more about these territories, their cultures and their unique and disparate political and legal statuses.

I learned so much from this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they already know everything of importance about American culture and geography. It's really quite eye-opening, and Mack is pretty witty, too.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not quite what I wanted, but I'm glad I read it. While I wasn't looking for an academic treatment, this history/travelogue mash-up is just a little too slight to give me all the information I want about the U.S. territories and possessions. It's great that the writer actually visited the places to see how they are faring today, but I think he gives too much weight to his time spent with a few colorful individuals in each place. I'm not a fan of travel writing, but the little bit of history and analysis Mack does manage to throw in makes his tourist profundity tolerable, and the off-beat but fascinating topic earns him some overall bonus points.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look at the non states that make up the US. This started when the author's wife found a territory quarter and ended with him traveling to the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marinaras, Puerto Rico and beyond. He explored the different cultures, governments, histories and treaties that brought these parcels of land into America, yet how they weren't really American in the same way as those of us who live in the States. The varying histories and court cases were really fascinating, as were the Americans he met along the way.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed this book! The author visited all of those U.S. territories that most of us know nothing about including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and really gets a feel for the culture, the problems, the history, and everything else you could ever want to know about these places that are part of America, and yet not quite. I highly recommend if you're looking for a good book about travel.

[Brent Burch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts with the author asking a basic question, "What's the deal with all the territories the United States still has under it's possession?" Trust me, it's a fascinating look at life on some the most remote outposts left under United States jurisdiction. The author visits each territory to get a sense of what it's like to live so far removed from the US, yet still be tied to it. Definite recommend!

[Kevin Keating · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because of the subject matter but there were a lot of times it kinda dragged on. It was a travelogue of trips Doug Mack took to explore the territories and I think he did an OK job, but it just wasn't too exciting. A lot about drinks and bars and he met some cool people I guess. He did have some good analysis of whether these areas should remain status quo or reach for more representation.

[Alvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a breezy, fun(ish) travelogue mixed with an easily digestible history of America's colonial empire (minus the Philippines, which are no longer ours) from their annexation to the present day. Mack's details how America's treatment has evolved from imperial exploitation to (mostly) benign neglect. The book, alas, was written before hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and thus doesn't cover that horrifying example of benign neglect turning into criminal negligence.