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sharonsueg's review
2.0
I enjoyed the history provided in the book. I read it prior to a trip to Hawaii. The author's opinions come across strongly which may put off some readers.
elexa's review against another edition
3.0
Things I liked: Reading about the history of Hawaii is really fascinating. It's incredible that shortly after the development of written Hawaiian, the literacy rate of Hawaii was one of the highest in the world. It's also frustrating to read about how "Manifest Destiny" and pursuit of naval power robbed Hawaii of its right to self-govern. The material in here is constantly fascinating and it's clear that Hawaii is a really complex place. 4.5 stars
Things I didn't like: Sarah Vowell's writing makes me feel like I just learned how to read. To be clear, I know how to read. I read a lot. I read all kinds of stuff with different types of written dialogue and levels of difficulty. Something about Vowell's sentence structure has me reading and re-reading the same sentence over and over. She tries to cram so much information into each sentence that I felt like diagramming each sentence just to figure out what was going on. I get it - a lot of things relate to one another. But is making a super complicated sentence to express that really the best way to get that across? I thought that maybe if I got the audiobook, this would alleviate my sentiment, but it was really clear from the sample on Audible that this wouldn't be true. Sarah Vowell reads really really slowly and intensifies my feeling that I am not fluent in English. (English is my only native language.) 2 stars
Average: 3 stars
Things I didn't like: Sarah Vowell's writing makes me feel like I just learned how to read. To be clear, I know how to read. I read a lot. I read all kinds of stuff with different types of written dialogue and levels of difficulty. Something about Vowell's sentence structure has me reading and re-reading the same sentence over and over. She tries to cram so much information into each sentence that I felt like diagramming each sentence just to figure out what was going on. I get it - a lot of things relate to one another. But is making a super complicated sentence to express that really the best way to get that across? I thought that maybe if I got the audiobook, this would alleviate my sentiment, but it was really clear from the sample on Audible that this wouldn't be true. Sarah Vowell reads really really slowly and intensifies my feeling that I am not fluent in English. (English is my only native language.) 2 stars
Average: 3 stars
stacykozisek's review against another edition
3.0
Based on other reviews, it sounds like I picked the wrong Sarah Vowell book to start with. I did enjoy learning about Hawaiian history that I had very little prior knowledge of but I had a hard time with this book. I listened to the Audible version of the book and often times had a hard time following along, often getting lost on what the time period was and who exactly was being talked about. Featuring different actors to read a sentence or two here or there felt contrived and I almost always focused on trying to figure out who was talking and completely missed what they actually said.
Overall, just an okay book, learned a few things but probably not as much as I should have in the 7.5 hours dedicated to it.
Overall, just an okay book, learned a few things but probably not as much as I should have in the 7.5 hours dedicated to it.
readra's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Clever and funny, I liked her style and the way she was able to breezily fly through the history of Hawaii. Occasionally she dove a bit deep into a side story that I had a hard time following, but I still finished with a new knowledge and appreciation of how modern day Hawaii came to be.
hidingincorners's review
4.0
I learned a ton. I'm impressed with how in-depth her research is and how she can make historical figures seem so close.
alboyer6's review
4.0
I never knew much about the history Hawaii other than the basics such as once called the Sandwich Islands, had a monarchy until it "joined" the US and such. This book delves into the ups and downs of Hawaii history specifically from the first American Missionary effort to its acquisition by the US in the late 1800s including some modern commentary. As always, Vowell is fun and funny, she freely admits her own biases from the beginning and does compare and contrast her Cherokee ancestry's experiences to those of the Hawaiians. Good book.
kudragrace's review against another edition
3.0
Historical look at how Hawaii came to be an American state. I’m not sure I was focused enough for non fiction. I also remember Vowell being more humorous.