ebooks Captive Paradise: A History of Hawaii by James L. Haley in History

Review

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Not Quite Captivating but a Well Presented HistoryBy MJ"That Hawaii would one day end up a possession of an imperial power seems inevitable." Thus concludes James L. Haley in Captive Paradise: A History of Hawaii. Hawaii was a pawn in an era of shifting global power; a central theme of Haley's book. He discloses upfront and unapologetically his intent to present Hawaii's saga with objectivity; no easy feat given the controversial nature of his subject.Haley opines that there was a time when political correctness meant telling the Hawaii story as one of America's greatness; rationalizing the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands in paternalistic terms. More recently; the trend has been to focus on the plight of Hawaiian natives; condemning the exploitative behavior of imperialists.Haley argues convincingly that reality lies somewhere in between these two perspectives. Before the arrival of the imperialistic powers; native chiefs and kings at times inflicted unspeakable horrors on the common people; in the imperialistic era; European powers; and later Americans opportunists; exploited the simple and trusting people of Hawaii in a power struggle that ended with American domination.Haley captures the breadth of this complicated and troubled history in a seemingly balanced manner. His writing is a bit dry; but his facts are well researched and presented. The book is slow to engage the reader; perhaps in part because the names of people and places are so dissonant to most of us. But eventually Captive Paradise does engage. For anyone interested in more than the stunning beauty of Hawaii and its storied beaches; I recommend persevering and reading Haley's book through the final chapter. It will not disappoint.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Not your Mother and Father's History of Hawai'i (which is good)By Reader 2This book is truly a gem. It was very well written (which means readable despite having immense amounts of information). It appears to be well-researched. And it does not seem to have a particular axe to grind. Instead it looks at the talents and flaws in everyone who lived in; ruled; and influenced Hawaii from the pre-contact period onward.It explores all of the internal forces that led to and helped shape change through the period. And it does not portray Hawaiians as victims but rather as quite successful (but not perfect) navigators of a century (the 19th) in which they did a whole lot better at maintaining their sovereignty and culture than did most Pacific; African; or southeast Asian peoples. This is an important book; and it should be read and argued over by everyone who is interested in understanding the dynamics of the period.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Balanced view of Hawaiian HistoryBy Rory Wade-EasleyThe author does an excellent job of relating the chronology of the Hawaiian islands. As with any historical account; an educated analysis is more valuable than the facts. That is where the author succeeds brilliantly. While trying to relate the facts in a neutral voice; allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions; he purposely avoids the whitewash that seems to permeate current historical analysis. This refreshingly lends a perspective that counter-balances current academia's sensitive extremes.The first portion of the book sets up the detailed account of the final portion; the illegal overthrow of the royal government. I honestly couldn't put it down; even knowing the eventual outcomes.