Books in Brief

Let the Sea Make a Noise: A History of the North Pacific from Magellan to MacArthur, by Walter A. McDougall (Basic, 848 pp., $30)

THIS BOOK about the struggle among Americans, Russians, and Japanese for the North Pacific is packed with wit, wisdom, and good writing. Mr. McDougall makes the reader smell the sea, the redwoods, and filthy Russian furtrappers wintering with Aleut women. He also exposes us to thoughts of insightful protagonists which go far beyond their place and time. The book consists of 63 snapshots of history, interspersed with 14 imagined conversations between the author and deceased diplomats of Japan, Russia, and the U.S., as well as the former queen of Hawaii and California’s Father Junipero Serra. His characters speak with informal frankness, and Mr. McDougall manages this difficult technique with the right mixture of humor and seriousness. The book is important for understanding the changes that are about to take place in what has become the world’s richest zone. America’s Cold War against the Soviet Union allowed Japan (and China to a lesser degree) to enjoy peace and free trade without paying a price for them. Now, as America retreats from military responsibility and the defense of free trade, these Asian powers must decide how to treat one another—and Russia. Mr. McDougall shares the judgment he attributes to William Henry Seward: “It behooves the Yanks and the Japanese not to fall out but to help each other, and Russia as well.” To understand why this is possible as well as desirable, read the book.

AM

About the Author

Angelo M. Codevilla

CS

About the Author

Craig S. Lerner

Craig S. Lerner is a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. He co-authored an amicus brief in support of Douglass Mackey.

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Let the Sea Make a Noise: A History of the North Pacific from Magellan to MacArthur, by Walter A. McDougall (Basic, 848 pp., $30)

THIS BOOK about the struggle among Americans, Russians, and Japanese for the North Pacific is packed with wit, wisdom, and good writing. Mr. McDougall makes the reader smell the sea, the redwoods, and filthy Russian furtrappers wintering with Aleut women. He also exposes us to thoughts of insightful protagonists which go far beyond their place and time. The book consists of 63 snapshots of history, interspersed with 14 imagined conversations between the author and deceased diplomats of Japan, Russia, and the U.S., as well as the former queen of Hawaii and California’s Father Junipero Serra. His characters speak with informal frankness, and Mr. McDougall manages this difficult technique with the right mixture of humor and seriousness. The book is important for understanding the changes that are about to take place in what has become the world’s richest zone. America’s Cold War against the Soviet Union allowed Japan (and China to a lesser degree) to enjoy peace and free trade without paying a price for them. Now, as America retreats from military responsibility and the defense of free trade, these Asian powers must decide how to treat one another—and Russia. Mr. McDougall shares the judgment he attributes to William Henry Seward: “It behooves the Yanks and the Japanese not to fall out but to help each other, and Russia as well.” To understand why this is possible as well as desirable, read the book.