Julia Flynn Siler
Around 200 A.D., intrepid Polynesians arrived at an undisturbed archipelago. For centuries, their descendants lived with little contact from the western world. In 1778, their isolation was shattered with the arrival of Captain Cook., Deftly weaving together a memorable cast of characters, ,Lost Hawaii, brings to life the ensuing clash between a vulnerable Polynesian people and relentlessly expanding capitalist powers. Portraits of royalty and rogues, sugar barons, and missionaries combine into a sweeping tale of the Hawaiian Kingdomâ€™s rise and fall., At the center of the story is Liliâ€˜uokalani, the last queen of Hawaiâ€˜i. Born in 1838, she lived through the nearly complete economic transformation of the islands. Lucrative sugar plantations gradually subsumed the majority of the land, owned almost exclusively by white planters, dubbed the â€œSugar Kings.â€ Hawaiâ€˜i became a prize in the contest between America, Britain, and France, each seeking to expand their military and commercial influence in the Pacific., The monarchy had become a figurehead, victim to manipulation from the wealthy sugar plantation owners. Liliâ€˜uokalani was determined to enact a constitution to reinstate the monarchyâ€™s power but was outmaneuvered by the U.S. The annexation of Hawaiâ€˜i had begun, ushering in a new century of American imperialism.
History,Nonfiction,North American Hi...,American History,Politics,Biography,Historical,Adult,Literature,19th Century,Audiobook,Womens
Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings and America's First Imperial Adventure