Review: Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers

Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers by Simon Winchester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pacific is really a set of essays by the author about historical events and people centered around the Pacific Ocean. Winchester takes us on a chronological journey starting with the testing of a-bombs at the Bikini Atoll in the 40s and 50s and ending with the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, leaving the area defenseless at a time when China was wielding its strong arm of power. Along the way we learn about such things as the rise of Sony Corporation, the influence of surfing on island culture, the bleaching of coral reefs and how the Earth's weather patterns begin and end in Polynesian paradise. Pacific is primarily historical, but covers environmental concerns, and military/politcal events.

I enjoyed this book and the individual stories. Some peaked my interest more than others, but overall I found it to be an intriguing book.

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