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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Another Sarah Vowell history woven with travelogue, this time telling the fascinating and weird history of Hawaii. In the space of 100 years, Hawaii was transformed--by foreign soldiers, missionaries, and the whaling indsutry--from a self-governing, self-sustaining agrarian kingdom to a bustling, overdeveloped, environmentally destroyed port/fort/U.S. state. It's overall a sad story, a story of environmental and cultural losses. Sarah Vowell tells it with her usual eye for detail, characterization, and wryness.
Exploring American imperialism and the events leading up to the annexation of Hawaii are definitely interesting as subjects, but I found Unfamiliar Fishes lacking in the trademark Sarah Vowell witticisms that made Assassination Vacation and Partly Cloudy Patriot so great. Vowell's ability to connect her personal experiences and insights to the subject matter at hand is what makes history come alive for me, and this one kind of missed the mark in that regard, but an important and informative work nonetheless.
informative
medium-paced
Firstly, I read this book as a follow up to Hawaii: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction. You can see my review also on Storygraph. I was looking for more about Hawaii's history and especially the influence of Christian missionaries on Hawaii's history.
Secondly, I was not looking for Sarah Vowell's trademark humour. I almost did not finish the book and gave a poor rating because I found the humour in the first few chapters just didn't sit well with me.
However, I kept reading and I am glad that I did. As the book proceeds and along with it, Hawaii's complicated interactions with non-Hawaiian groups such as missionaries and whalers, the attempts at finding the situations humorous decrease and a well researched chronology of Hawaii's modern history evolves. Yes, it gets rather text book, but for that I give the author credit as the slow and purposeful annexation of a place and its people just isn't funny.
I didn't find it a particularly easy read. There are few if now chapter divisions. I would have preferred it just as a well researched historical overview without the parts about Sarah's time in Hawaii. In the end I learned a lot that supplemented my knowledge of Hawaiian history, politics, culture and about the main characters within the narrative.
This book begins as a two star and finishes like a five star, so four stars.
Secondly, I was not looking for Sarah Vowell's trademark humour. I almost did not finish the book and gave a poor rating because I found the humour in the first few chapters just didn't sit well with me.
However, I kept reading and I am glad that I did. As the book proceeds and along with it, Hawaii's complicated interactions with non-Hawaiian groups such as missionaries and whalers, the attempts at finding the situations humorous decrease and a well researched chronology of Hawaii's modern history evolves. Yes, it gets rather text book, but for that I give the author credit as the slow and purposeful annexation of a place and its people just isn't funny.
I didn't find it a particularly easy read. There are few if now chapter divisions. I would have preferred it just as a well researched historical overview without the parts about Sarah's time in Hawaii. In the end I learned a lot that supplemented my knowledge of Hawaiian history, politics, culture and about the main characters within the narrative.
This book begins as a two star and finishes like a five star, so four stars.
This is a two star book that gets an extra star for being written by Sarah Vowell.
It lacks her trademark humor and without chapter breaks it feels overlong and meandery.
It's a very interesting subject, and there is some great information. But it feels safe and textbookish.
It lacks her trademark humor and without chapter breaks it feels overlong and meandery.
It's a very interesting subject, and there is some great information. But it feels safe and textbookish.
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
I love Sarah Vowell and appreciate her particular brand of snarky, tirelessly-researched nerdery... but this was a bit of a draggy downer. I learned a lot but mostly came away furious with the mindblowing arrogance of jerky missionaries and bulldozing American politicians. In the end I was left with a simultaneous interest in visiting Hawaii and deep sadness about how the last two centuries or so have impacted these islands.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Vowell may want to consider taking a longer break between writing her next book. This one seemed a bit rushed and in some ways, like a "b-side" of The Wordy Shipmates since it seems to cover some of the same ground. This isn't a bad book, it's just not up to her usual level of insight and fun.