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Cover of Hawaii by James A. Michener

Hawaii

  • 937 pages · about 16 hours
  • First published 1959
  • 47 editions

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1 About this book

Michener gives us a broad scope of Hawaii, from the formation of the islands to modern day. I read this as a teen and am looking forward to reading it again, now many years later. Each chapter gives us a history of a different ethnic group, the Hawaiians, then the Chinese, Japanese ect, and how they contributed to the formation of something profoundly beautiful and profoundly sad, as the native Hawaiians don't stand a chance of hanging on to their paradise.

The book has wonderful people, many based on real persons. The Calvanist missionaries who devote their lives to bringing the white man's God. Over the years the people I met in Hawaii have had a very real influence on me. But it also colored my understanding of big buisness, politicsand religion.

  • Immigrants
  • Missionaries
  • Hawaii

2 About James A. Michener

1907–1997

James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history. Many of his works were bestsellers and were chosen by the Book of the Month Club. He was also known for the meticulous research that went into his books.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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