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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Some bit of magic brought this book to my hand as I sorted through the depths of our bookshelves days before a pandemic-era trip to Hawaii. This is a quirky history of the American colonization and takeover of Hawaii, punctuated with stories of places and people that Sarah Vowell encountered on her research travels. I love the combination of Vowell's cynical, dry humor with her thoughtful takes on history, and this is a choice example. (Read from a Kindle version from the library while we were traveling; read the last third from our hardcover copy.)
informative
slow-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Intersting as always, and with Hawaii as the topic how can you go wrong. Not my favorite by Vowell but still an interesting, witty accounting of New England missionaries and their effects on Hawaii.
http://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/unfamiliar-fishes-cbr4-35/
http://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/unfamiliar-fishes-cbr4-35/
Better than The Wordy Shipmates, I thought. But maybe that's just because I'm more interested in Polynesia. I learned a lot and laughed a lot. I want to have a love affair with Sarah Vowell. A physical one!
It was fine, though it suffers by comparison to her other books. Felt more like contractual fulfillment than passion.
Ooh, I love how Sarah Vowell researches: primary resources buried in archives. Right to the source. Since this was my first Vowell book, I didn't expect the book to be the blend of humor, travelogue and hard history that it was - I really liked the style.
I got into this one and plan to read more on the subjects raised in the book. Maybe my history teachers glossed over the late 19th and early 20th century expansionism vs. isolationism debate (focusing instead on how all the other superpowers were imperialists, but conveniently omitting these "land grab" years), but I am quite curious to go back and read more about this time now.
...and the book made me want to go to Hawaii all over again... I missed so many things that I would love to see after reading this book.
I got into this one and plan to read more on the subjects raised in the book. Maybe my history teachers glossed over the late 19th and early 20th century expansionism vs. isolationism debate (focusing instead on how all the other superpowers were imperialists, but conveniently omitting these "land grab" years), but I am quite curious to go back and read more about this time now.
...and the book made me want to go to Hawaii all over again... I missed so many things that I would love to see after reading this book.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
I love Sarah Vowell and I really want to go to Hawaii. No surprises there.
Found this really fascinating as someone that knows next-to-nothing about Hawaiian history. Fascinating and tragic. I listened to the audiobook, which was good if you're the sort of person who can appreciate Vowel's nasal voice. There's also a whole cast of actors reading the direct quotes from various historical people, kind of like the audio version of a History Channel reenactment scene. I didn't realize until the end credits that these readers were almost all famous actors, including Keanu Reeves(!) and Edward Norton(!)