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Feb 20, 2011
Wallace
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it was ok
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I ADORE Sarah Vowell. I usually gobble up her books, and relish listening to the audio versions. So this, unfortunately, was a disappointment for me. I am not at all interested in Hawaii, but was sure that I would be once I heard Sarah Vowell's version of it. However, the usually incredibly witty (and often snarky) Vowell, was no where to be found. Granted, she made some fun of the missionaries coming from New England, but not much. This read much more as a history of Hawaii with very few of the
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I love Sarah Vowell's examination of historic periods like this one about Hawai'i's annexation. With each successive book, I feel like I understand the American psyche a smidge better.
This book is really chock full of history, names, facts, dates, etc, much more like THE WORDY SHIPMATES than her prior books. This one lacks many of the personal stories and tidbits that I remember of her prior books, though it does contain a few. Or perhaps the fact that I was able to hear her speak about this bo ...more
This book is really chock full of history, names, facts, dates, etc, much more like THE WORDY SHIPMATES than her prior books. This one lacks many of the personal stories and tidbits that I remember of her prior books, though it does contain a few. Or perhaps the fact that I was able to hear her speak about this bo ...more
Super in-depth treatment of the history of Hawaiian annexation and statehood. The author provides a balanced view of this difficult culture-clash, and I even teared up a bit during the closing.
I didn't realize how much I didn't know about Hawaiian history and the history of how the monarchy was overthrown and the islands annexed to the United States until I read this book.
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Not my favorite Vowell book, but still enjoyable. The constrained historical period is a useful device, and the topic itself is pretty fascinating, but there were parts of this that read like the summaries one writes when finishing up at an archive ("In letter X, person A said to person B..." etc.) and you don't want to forget any details. But when we break out of the monotonous recitation of the "...and then"-type recaps of what is in the archives, and finally get into a story, it all picks up
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This is the first Sarah Vowell book I have read. I really enjoyed her blunt yet rambling style. Her sarcastic interjections into her own story along with random side stories that eventually somehow relate made for a fun read.
I realized how little I know about Hawaii, and perhaps American history in the 1800s (apart from the Civil War) so it was incredibly interesting. I would like to read more by Vowell.
I realized how little I know about Hawaii, and perhaps American history in the 1800s (apart from the Civil War) so it was incredibly interesting. I would like to read more by Vowell.
Mar 06, 2011
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Mar 23, 2011
Vis
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Mar 26, 2011
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Eric
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Jun 14, 2011
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Oct 23, 2012
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Feb 16, 2018
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