Only Covers up to Annexation
History books aren’t typically something I enjoy. They tend to be slanted in one direction or another, usually in a way that aggrandizes those being written about. Not so with Haley’s latest history. He presents a history that treats both the native Hawaiians and those from other countries with equal scrutiny, but with a pinch of sympathy for the natives. This audiobook isn’t exactly a full history of Hawaii. Instead, it covers up to the annexation of Hawaii into the United States of America. Much of it focuses on the political aspects of the island nation, particularly on the royalty’s constant weighing of who to align themselves with on the international scene – Britain, France, the United States of America, Japan? This audiobook also explores the complexities of being Hawaiian and the great strides they made to present themselves to the world as a bright and promising nation. At one time, for example, Hawaii boasted the highest literacy rate in the world. Not too shabby for a nation that had a strictly oral tradition up to that point. I would have preferred a narrator with a more laid-back, Pacific sounding voice instead of Joe Barrett’s distinctly East Coast sounding one, but other than that, the narration was top notch.