Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators and Fading Empires

Winchester 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.

Pacific 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.