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This is a 5 star book, but the length is a bit much. I thought my Kindle was broken when I turned it on and it said it would take 49 hours to finish. I really had to invest time in this book and read an alternate book after I finished each chapter just so I could let it all soak in and appreciate the history.
Chapter 1 is a boring geography and evolution lesson that could have been accomplished in a couple of pages. But if you can force yourself to make it through Chapter 1 (or skip it all together) you will not be disappointed. Chapter 2 starts out a little slow with how the people of Bora Bora came to the decision to find the islands. You will easily pick up on where the hula and some of the uniqueness of Hawaii began. But then we get to Chapter 3 (the missionaries) you will be disgusted and appalled and amazed at the same time. You will want to kick and shake that little Abner Hale. But you will have a great appreciation for what they gave up and what they accomplished. Chapter 4 (the Chinese) is my favorite chapter. It starts slow, but is wonderful as soon as it gets to Nyuk Tsin. The Chinese truly saved the Hawaiian people and made them stronger simply by breeding with them. Chapter 5 (the Japanese) tells the narrative of how the Japanese came to be the leaders of the island. And Chapter 6 is about the Golden Man -- when east meets west meets Hawaiian culture. The entire time I read this book, I had to remind myself that this was historical fiction. The book is extremely accurate and the main characters were based on real people of history, although perhaps embellished.
This book will take you on a journey of exploration and discovery, inbreeding, leprosy, the plague, the crazy method how Chinese name their children and support families, immigrant workers, the mistreatment of Japanese post Pearl Harbor bombing, labor unions, the rise of democracy, and annexation to the US. It paints a very colored history of a place most of us view as simply a vacation destination.
Chapter 1 is a boring geography and evolution lesson that could have been accomplished in a couple of pages. But if you can force yourself to make it through Chapter 1 (or skip it all together) you will not be disappointed. Chapter 2 starts out a little slow with how the people of Bora Bora came to the decision to find the islands. You will easily pick up on where the hula and some of the uniqueness of Hawaii began. But then we get to Chapter 3 (the missionaries) you will be disgusted and appalled and amazed at the same time. You will want to kick and shake that little Abner Hale. But you will have a great appreciation for what they gave up and what they accomplished. Chapter 4 (the Chinese) is my favorite chapter. It starts slow, but is wonderful as soon as it gets to Nyuk Tsin. The Chinese truly saved the Hawaiian people and made them stronger simply by breeding with them. Chapter 5 (the Japanese) tells the narrative of how the Japanese came to be the leaders of the island. And Chapter 6 is about the Golden Man -- when east meets west meets Hawaiian culture. The entire time I read this book, I had to remind myself that this was historical fiction. The book is extremely accurate and the main characters were based on real people of history, although perhaps embellished.
This book will take you on a journey of exploration and discovery, inbreeding, leprosy, the plague, the crazy method how Chinese name their children and support families, immigrant workers, the mistreatment of Japanese post Pearl Harbor bombing, labor unions, the rise of democracy, and annexation to the US. It paints a very colored history of a place most of us view as simply a vacation destination.