About Saipan

Many of the people looking for information on Saipan are planning on moving there.  Others are former residents trying to reconnect with their home.  Whatever your reason for visiting, I hope this blog can serve as a resource for whatever your interest in Saipan is.  Are you trying to get a Saipan driver's license?  Are you thinking of buying a car?  Maybe my blog can provide some insight.

I constantly get contacted by people looking for information on Saipan.  I've decided to stop answering those unsolicited questions because I no longer live on the island and there are more appropriate people to contact.  However, the question I get the most is, "Can you recommend a book about Saipan?"

Here are my recommendations for Saipan books in no particular order with links to the cheapest places to find them on Amazon.com:

Nonfiction:

Jamaican on Saipan by Walt Goodridge
Walt spent about five years on Saipan from 2006-2010 and reflects on some of his experiences in this book.  Full of interesting photos and anecdotes, and also discusses dating and life on Saipan in general.

Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin by Chun Yu Wang
This is a first person account of a Chinese factory girl.  Gives great insight into Saipan's dark underbelly.

Nobodies by John Bowe
Bowe writes about modern day slavery.  About 1/3 of the book is dedicated to the garment factories on Saipan.  Many of the characters in the book make regular appearances in the pages of the local papers each week.  I think Bowe gives a very fair look at what goes on in Saipan.

Our Northern Islands by Dennis Chan
Photos and stories about the first expedition to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

World Peace, a Blind Wife, and Gecko Tails by David Khorram
Reflections on life in Saipan by a local eye doctor.

The Wrecking Crew by Thomas Frank
Rips into how Republicans are destroying America.  Has an entire chapter dedicated to Saipan, more specifically to super lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Governor Ben Fitial.

Fiction:

Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy
Japan wages economic and militaristic war against the United States and Saipan gets caught in the middle.

Warriors in the Crossfire by Nancy Bo Flood
Two kids grow up on Saipan during World War II.