It is not surprising that the first book published by Michael Pollan, who has built a national reputation for his magazine articles and bestselling books about food and nature, was actually a no-holds-barred travel guide to Martha's Vineyard.

Sovereignty is in the news these days.

It's in Rhode Island, where tempers are running hot in an ongoing skirmish between the Narragansett Indian Tribe and state attorney general over whether the tribe can sell tax-free tobacco.

It's in the Hamptons, where the Shinnecock Indian Nation has begun to clear land for a casino, contravening local zoning and state gaming laws.