HISTORY

Elsewhere: A Journey into Our Age of Islands

by Alastair Bonnett
Univ. of Chicago. Sept. 2020. 272p. ISBN 9780226670355. $25. HIST
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Bonnett (What Is Geography??) explores the subject of islands in all forms, including natural, disappearing, artificial, and even trash isles. Using specific examples of past artificial islands in Scotland, Bonnett then compares modern artificial islands, noting how countries with surging populations are looking to the sea in both reclaimed and artificially created islands as a way of expanding their borders. Additional topics Bonnett explores span the vanishing or gradual inundation of existing islands, and the resulting effect on island cultures and their population, as well as the creation of new islands through volcanic and plate tectonic processes.
VERDICT Overall, this is a great primer on the concept of islands in the modern age, and though engagingly written, it retains a textbook feel that will appeal to professionals or students of geography, ecology, and city planning.
Reviewed by Stacy Shaw, Denver , Jul 24, 2020

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