Book Log 2019 #13: How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr

We never really think or talk about the US as a physical empire. We know that we have overseas territories, but not really about how we gained them, or what we've done there (with maybe the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, which we think about mainly in the context of World War II and statehood). This book examines how the US came to collect the various possessions that extended American presence from the Caribbean almost into Asia.

It's not always easy reading, as the history of how a country acquires territory (and then what it does with that territory) comes with a body count. Mostly of the locals. But regardless of how you feel about the imperial nature of our expansion, this book at least brings the topic into conversation. It helps that the book is well-written and engaging.