Everyone knows that the united states comprises of 50 expresses and, uh . various other stuff. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the united states Virgin Islands tend to be neglected, however they are filled up with American flags and nationwide parks and US post offices plus some 4 million people, a lot of whom are as proudly red-white-and-blue as any Daughter from the American Revolution.

In The Not-Quite Expresses of America, Doug Mack ventures 31,000 mls across the globe and deep into American history to reveal the fascinating and forgotten story of how these areas became part of the USA, what they’re like today, and how they helped create the country as we realize it. Along the way, Mack fits members of millennia-old indigenous groups, far-flung US government workers, ardent separatists, and tropical-paradise dropouts and dreamers in a quixotic and winning quest to discover America where it is least expected.