Rape of the American Virgins

O'Neill, Edward A., Rape of the American Virgins, New York: Praeger, 1972.

From the inner flap of the book cover:

This book's title tells its story: what skyrocketing tourism, reckless and untrammeled growth, myopic money-making and feckless government have done to the US Virgin Islands, self proclaimed "American Paradise." Twenty years ago, the Virgins were a pocket of poverty with tropical charm. Today, they are enjoying an extraordinary economic boom fueled by the dollars of a million visitors a year. The charm is fast disappearing. Poverty lingers for some, while the politicians and smart money boys - Virgin Islanders and statesiders alike - pocket extraordinary profits.

From the back cover of the book:

Edward A. O'Neill is a former newspaperman and Foreign Service Officer who has worked in Louisville, Kentucky; New Delhi, India; and Washington D.C. Since 1968, he has been a free-lance writer, editor, and political consultant. Several months spent in the Virgin Islands in 1970, working for the Independent Citizens Movement during the first campaign for an elected governor, persuaded him to write this book.