The Last Atoll
Exploring the Far End of the Hawai'ian Archipelago
by Pamela Frierson
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Pub Date May 15 2012 | Archive Date Jun 03 2013
Description
The Last Atoll is a first-person account of journalist Pamela Frierson’s ten-year exploration of the exotic and ecologically significant small lands at the far northwestern end of the Hawaiian island chain. Frierson takes readers on a rare journey to eight of these remote and ancient islands, including the Kure Atoll, the oldest Hawa'i'ian island and the northernmost atoll in the world. In her 1,200-mile travels, Frierson discovers isolated landscapes, undisturbed ecosystems, and a nearly forgotten but well-preserved human history. It is a rich history of discovery by explorers and pirates, plus extensive military use. Frierson finds a vast wilderness, including the remnants of ancient volcanoes, and unique species of wildlife. She also explores the islands' location in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a major current that washes up the world's garbage. A lifelong resident of Hawai'i, Frierson draws broad conclusions relating to islands and their "canary in a coal mine" role.
Also the author of The Burning Island, Pamela Frierson lives in Hawai'i.
Advance Praise
Garrett Hongo, author of Coral Road
"As with her previous book, The Burning Island, Pamela Frierson again takes readers to one of the most remote and ecologically fragile places on the planet. Gracefully written in the tradition of Rachel Carson, The Last Atoll is a personal trek to a chain of tiny, northwest Hawaiian islands, where Frierson brings us nose-to-nose with endangered Hawaiian monk seals, coral polyps, green sea turtles, and golden gooneys—alongside the fossils of long-extinct species, the bones of animals on the edge of vanishing, and the ravages of guano mining, coal dredging, and military bases. The Last Atoll skillfully travels through myth, culture, and history, and arrives at present-day attempts to preserve islands that are as biologically significant as the Galápagos."
Frank Stewart
"The Last Atoll draws a vivid portrait of what might just be my favorite place on Earth (and that’s saying something), the secret islands Northwest of Hawaii. It’s a place that still feels like the original world, like Earth before us. There the nations are of seabirds, the world is almost entirely ocean, and the air roars with the calls of them in their millions. It feels like Life at full burn. But as Pamela Frierson’s work shows, there is much more, even, than first greets the eye." Carl Safina
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781595341303 |
PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 240 |