What if the United States was never just the fifty states on the map? In How to Hide an Empire, Daniel Immerwahr reveals the overlooked history of America’s territories, colonies, military bases, and strategic outposts—and shows how they shaped the nation’s rise to global power. From guano islands and Puerto Rico to the Philippines, Guam, Hawai‘i, and beyond, this book uncovers a version of U.S. history often left out of textbooks. Immerwahr explores war, race, citizenship, medical experimentation, colonial resistance, and the strange legal loopholes that allowed millions of people to live under American rule without full American rights. He also shows how the U.S. shifted from traditional empire to a “pointillist empire” of bases, technology, trade, and cultural influence. This summary will change the way you see America’s map—and its power.
