Description
The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach by Sarah Stodola examines the cultural allure and environmental consequences of global beach tourism. The beach promises escape from everyday life and remains one of humanity’s most powerful symbols of paradise. In this deeply reported work, Stodola explores what drives people to seek out sand and surf while confronting the economic and ecological realities behind resort culture.
Blending firsthand travel notes with investigative journalism, the book traces the evolution of coastal tourism from Monte Carlo, where pleasure first became central to the resort experience, to Fiji villages transformed by a single development project. It examines overdevelopment in places like Acapulco and modern climate adaptation efforts in Miami Beach, where rising sea levels threaten the barrier island’s future.
As sea levels are projected to rise between 1.5 and 3 feet this century, preserving beaches will become increasingly difficult. The Last Resort explores the past, present, and uncertain future of coastal travel, asking what our “last resort” may be in a warming world. Paperback and 315 pages.
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