The Last Atoll: Exploring Hawai'i's Endangered Ecosystems

Far from the beach-towel–covered sands of Waikiki there is a hidden Hawai‘i: remote islands and atolls that are some of the wildest—and at the same time most vulnerable—places on earth.

In The Last Atoll, Pamela Frierson chronicles a decade of travels to this wildlife-teeming outback of the Hawaiian archipelago. Spanning 1200 miles, the Northwestern Islands are home to some of the world’s rarest species, including the Hawaiian monk seal, the Laysan duck, and the Nihoa millerbird. The vast su...