A review by hollyd19
The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach by Sarah Stodola

informative medium-paced

5.0

Modern-day beach resorts are a relatively recent phenomenon, started as a follow-on to health spas and honed by English vacationers, the Jersey Shore, and Hawaiian entrepreneurs. In a truly global review, The Last Resort discusses this history as well as the implications around economic development, cultural erasure, and climate change. Visiting a variety of resorts — from Indonesia to Nicaragua to the NYC Rockaways — Stodola examines what makes each place unique but also how it fits the mold of what we envision when we think of paradise.

Stodola has not delivered a diatribe against resorts: she acknowledges the undeniable allure of a lovely beach and the power of industry to bring jobs and healthcare. She is not advocating for the universal demise of a beloved getaway. What she does offer is a way to approach these escapes with a critical, thoughtful lens. By offering advice for fledgling resorts (ie: St. Kitts) based in the successes and failures of other places, outlining the steps existing establishments need to take to move towards a more ethical existence, and providing considerations for individual travelers, the book ultimately left me feeling both more knowledgeable and even hopeful for possibilities. 

I really recommend this read, especially if you like learning about social anthropology and cultural mainstays. If you’ve taken my recommendations for The Address Book (Mask) and How The Post Office Created America (Gallagher), you’re going to want to add this to your TBR.