{"product_id":"pacific-silicon-chips-and-surfboards-coral-reefs-and-atom-bombs-brutal-dictators-and-fading-empires-isbn-9780062315427","title":"Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators and Fading Empires","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e’s 10 Best Books of 2015\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing his acclaimed \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Men Who United the States,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in modern world affairs, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs 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, making the Pacific Rim the new center of global power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, the Pacific is ascendant. Its turbulent 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWinchester’s personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region—from military history to environmental science—is formidable, making \u003ci\u003ePacific\u003c\/i\u003e a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWinchester masterfully connects geology, history, and human experience to tell the definitive story of the ocean that will define our future:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Ring of Fire:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the raw power of the ocean’s tectonic architecture, from massive earthquakes and volcanoes to the devastating tsunamis that have shaped human history for millennia.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGeopolitical History:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness the rise and fall of empires, the dawn of the nuclear age at Bikini Atoll, and the ascent of China as a new world power on the shores of the Pacific.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHuman Exploration:\u003c\/b\u003e Follow Winchester’s own journey from the Bering Strait to Cape Horn as he traces the path of Magellan, the voyages of ancient Polynesian navigators, and the relentless human drive to conquer the world’s largest ocean.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCulture and Technology:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore the forces defining our modern world, from the birth of the transistor radio and the rise of surfing culture to the challenges of environmental change on a vast and fragile sea.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eWinchester recounts the atomic tests on the atoll of Bikini. He takes us to the launch of “Gidget” and her surfboards that would forever change how the world’s youth views a rising wave. He also tells the story of the little transistor radio and how it sparked the digital revolution, from Japan to Silicon Valley, altering the ocean’s destiny. Winchester includes tales of alarming discoveries on the Great Barrier Reef and grand expeditions to mysterious vents on the ocean’s floor. He examines the geopolitical shifts that shaped the ocean’s vast land areas, from the rise of North Korea’s rogue state to the environmental degradation and climate shifts that now threaten this majestic body of water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePacific\u003c\/em\u003e calls upon Winchester’s many journeys throughout the Pacific and its surrounding areas, his formidable historical understanding, and his singular talent for storytelling in a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty and myth.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Fascinating, provocative, and at times, mildly terrifying. ... The hallmarks of Winchester’s best work -- a fertile, curious mind, impeccable research and command of complex material -- are on full display here.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMiami Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester has a smooth and easy prose style, one that is trustable and clear. ... He excels at guiding the reader with a contagious sense of wonder.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester writes books like someone telling a good yarn around the fireplace... by interweaving history, fascinating trivia, and acute observation.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester has prodigious gifts as a popular historian and an explainer of faraway events.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eONE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’S “BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF 2015”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Popular history at its finest.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eONE OF KIRKUS REVIEWS’ “BEST BOOKS OF 2015”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester’s vigorous prose and tireless dragnetting of interesting lore make this an entertaining read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester does a virtuoso job. ... A giant Aladdin’s rug, which he then gamely invites his readers to climb aboard.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Winchester is] a terrific raconteur with a knack for making connections that might have eluded you between events behind the headlines. ... Where \u003ci\u003ePacific\u003c\/i\u003e opts to go, it goes with savvy and verve.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winchester is a terrific helmsman, both confident and smooth.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTelegraph (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Provocative... and lively.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Revealing... delightful... fascinating... highly recommended.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanet Napolitano, San Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A series of high-resolution literary snapshots. ... As we’ve come to expect from Winchester, there are plenty of delights. ... Winchester’s passionate research... undergirds this superb analysis of a world wonder.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888747409637,"sku":"NP9780062315427","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062315427.jpg?v=1730229752","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/pacific-silicon-chips-and-surfboards-coral-reefs-and-atom-bombs-brutal-dictators-and-fading-empires-isbn-9780062315427","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}