People and Places: The Islands of the Pacific Rim and Their People (People and Places) - Hardcover

Gr 4-8-MacDonald attempts to present an overview of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, using the geological Rim of Fire to define the areas under consideration. Chapters focus on several topics-forests, ocean, colonialism, Pacific war, economic miracles, problems of prosperity, destruction of the rain forest, and future issues. Full-color photographs, maps, and reproductions illustrate the text. Sometimes the same topic, e.g., rain forests, is touched on in more than one chapter. As a whole, the book lacks coherent organization, although the issues discussed are significant and interesting. Occasionally, unanswered questions are raised, such as why Japan imports and consumes so much wood from other nations when it is described as having a great deal of wood resources itself. Terms such as Pidgin English are sometimes introduced but not defined; other terms are not explained well. In general, this title tries to cover too broad a topic in too few pages, resulting in an often confusing presentation.-Nancy E. Zuwiyya, Binghamton High School, NY

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