Business historian Mansel Blackford does a fine job in highlighting several key environmental issues concerning U.S. development in the region known as the "Pacific Rim." As Blackford himself points out in his conclusion, there have been many environmental studies done on particular issues in the Pacific. Many of these have tended to be highly detailed and technical, and therefore not acessible to the general public. One of the positive aspects of this book is that it is highly readable, quite a feat when considering the complex issues Blackford tackles in his book.

I found Blackford's chapter on the island of Guam particularly fascinating. Here, Blackford focuses on three important issues: the controversy over the U.S. Navy's decision in the early 1970s to build an ammunition wharf at Sella Bay, efforts written examination of several cases of U.S. development in the Pacific Rim. Blackford does an excellent job in including both the "big picture" issues and the smaller "pictures" of indigeneous peoples, local residents, and individuals. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone familiar or unfamiliar with U.S.-Pacific history.