Shoal of Time Audiobook By Gavan Daws cover art

Shoal of Time

A History of the Hawaiian Islands

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Shoal of Time

By: Gavan Daws
Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
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The Hawaiian kingdom was tiny, and the big world was huge. The 19th century was the high water mark of Western imperialism, worldwide, and the great powers were planting their flags across the Pacific. Hawai'i was in their sights. By late in the century, two strong American currents were running: one east from the islands, one west from the continent.

Sugar plantations had become Hawai'i's biggest moneymaker. And many of the biggest names in the business were of American blood - the sons of missionaries, devout capitalists.

At the same time, the United States was beginning to envision itself as an imperial naval power in the Pacific. This was the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, and Hawai'i's Pearl Harbor was a strategic key. In 1893, they forced Queen Lili'uokalani to surrender the kingdom to them, and straight away they offered Hawai'i to the United States. The Hawaiians resisted, but they could not hold off the big world.

From warrior culture to constitutional government, to unstable monarchy, to revolution, to provisional government, to republic, to annexation, it had taken barely a hundred years.

Finally, in 1959, Hawaii was admitted to the Union.... Fiftieth star... Aloha State.

©1968, 1974, 2015 Gavan Daws (P)2021 Tantor Americas Politics & Government State & Local United States
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Didn’t really know much of anything about Hawaiian history prior to purchasing this book. Bought it to prep for a move to HI.

New to Hawaii History

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I have read a lot of books on Hawaiian History, I learned more of the detail on events.

The accuracy ,and the narrator was very well spoken.

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Very informative and interesting title about the history of Hawaii. Lots of details and kept me captivated; highly recommend!

Very informative

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My usual habit when traveling is to download an audiobook history of my destination, listen to a few early chapters in stolen hours before I travel, and then abandon the recording once I’m on the ground. With this long, lucid history, beautifully written and narrated, I couldn’t do that. I listened to all the rest of the book after I got back. Couldn’t set it aside and can’t recommend it highly enough.

Truly wonderful history and storytelling.

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I have read dozens of history books of Hawaii. This is by far the most detailed and comprehensive. Gavin Daws can be a bit grumpy and negative and critical and cynical, but he is equally grumpy and negative and critical about all sides of any historic event. Very insightful, but his assessment of the Hawaiian kings and queens is
painful to listen to sometimes. I feel this book is very accurate and much deeper and more insightful and most of what is written about Hawaii, but at times, it is cruel and hard to listen to. while insightful, is unerringly mean spirited in his assessment of every event, and every person involved.

WOW! Best history of Halloween

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Great whirlwind tour of Hawaiian history from Captain Cook to statehood.
I was also happy to hear that the narrator knew how to pronounce Hawaiian

Fascinating treatment of a tropical paradise

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Very interesting listen but wonder how the story would be told from an indigenous perspective in the 21st century

Interesting listen from a 1960s western perspective

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good but real slow. challenging to keep track as it bounced around a bit. very dry.

good but slooooooow

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