Not On Any Map: One Virgin Island, Two Catastrophic Hurricanes, and the True Meaning of Paradise

“Don’t Stop the Carnival meets The Perfect Storm meets Cannery Row in this magnificent memoir that is so much more … I guarantee this is a page-turner … Highly recommended.” -Homer Hickam, New York Times bestselling author of Rocket Boys/October Sky

What if you discovered paradise … and then it was all blown away? When Philadelphia journalist Margie Smith Holt first saw the stunning Caribbean blue of St. John’s water, all she wanted was sunshine and a break from deadlines. What she got was a waitressing gig at a burger shack called Skinny Legs, sailing lessons from the characters who hung out there, and a newspaper editor who tricked her into writing it all down. Next thing she knew, she was on a tiny boat, sailing across the Atlantic. She thought she had discovered paradise on this little island that changed her life. Then back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes blew it all away.

For anyone who’s ever dreamed of running away to “paradise,” this memoir answers the question: What happens next? Holt’s reporting on the aftermath of the monster storms is an inspiring story of one community’s struggle to survive and rebuild, all without ever losing its sense of humor. Part love letter, part elegy, Not On Any Map illuminates the fragility of the Earth’s most beautiful places and calls into question the very meaning of paradise in a time of climate crisis.