Captive Paradise

A History of Hawaii

By: James L. Haley

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In the tradition of Nathaniel Philbrick and David McCullough comes the first full-scale narrative history of Hawaii, an epic tale of empire, industry, war, and culture.

The most recent state to join the union, Hawaii is the only one to have once been a royal kingdom. After its discovery by Captain Cook in the late 18th century, Hawaii was fought over by European powers determined to take advantage of its position as the crossroads of the Pacific. The arrival of the first missionaries marked the beginning of the struggle between a native culture with its ancient gods, sexual libertinism, and rites of human sacrifice and the rigid values of the Calvinists. While Hawaii's royal rulers adopted Christianity, they also fought to preserve their ancient ways. But the success of the ruthless American sugar barons sealed their fate, and in1893 the American Marines overthrew Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii.

Captive Paradise is the story of King Kamehameha I, the Conqueror, who unified the islands through terror and bloodshed but whose dynasty succumbed to inbreeding; of Gilded Age tycoons like Claus Spreckels, who brilliantly outmaneuvered his competitors; of firebrand Lorrin Thurston, who was determined that Hawaii be ruled by whites; of President McKinley, who presided over the eventual annexation of the islands. Not since James Michener's classic novel Hawaii has there been such a vibrant and compelling portrait of an extraordinary place and its people.

©2014 James L. Haley (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Must read prior to visiting Hawaii

Would you consider the audio edition of Captive Paradise to be better than the print version?

Yes, if only for the pronunciation of Hawaiian words

What did you like best about this story?

The way it was detailed and composed.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Good pronunciation of Hawaiian words, interesting voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I knew of the basic history which is not necessarily a happy story, but the writer did moderate some of the worst parts by telling the context of the actions.

Any additional comments?

This should enhance any visit to the islands. It is very light on events after about 1900 and has nothing since statehood.

Onipa’a

A much more detailed history of the Hawaiian monarchy and the imperialist colonization of the islands than I was ever taught growing up in Hawai’i during the late 1960s and 70s or through indoctrination by James Michener. What shame burned my soul upon hearing the stories of the detailed actions of Thurston and Dole, white men after whom a chapel and a cafeteria are named at my school, yes Punahou. While my heart has always ached for tribulations of Queen Liliuokalani, I learned for the first time about the kuhina nui and found new respect for the important roles played in politics and culture by royal women like Ka’ahumanu, Princess Ruth, and Queen Emma that are relayed by the author in memorable detailed anecdotes. I also was completely unaware of the valiant efforts of the women who gathered signatures throughout the islands to petition against annexation or the world events (like the Spanish in Cuba) that ultimately pushed annexation through. I had always blamed the missionaries, sailors, and sugar industry for so much of the blight and injustice done to the islands and now I understand how our tragic history is about so much more.

Fascinating and balanced perspective.

I was uninformed regarding much of Hawaiian history. This work gives a brief but comprehensive summary of the history from Cook to date. Aloha.

A balanced perspective

An in depth look at Hawaiian history from all sides.

Most histories either vilify the white man or explain how the natives got what they deserved. The author does a good job of portraying the major characters as real human beings warts and all. Still, one comes away with tremendous sympathy for the native Hawaiians.

He clearly demonstrates that the native monarchs were just as complicit in commercializing the islands as the sugar barons or sea captains. And they did it with full understanding of the consequences of their actions.

He dispels the myth of the "good old days" by pointing out that in pre-contact Hawaii 9,999 out of 10,000 natives were essentially serfs subject to human sacrifice or capital punishment at the whim of the rulers.

He makes no apologies for the annexation movement condemning it in the harshest terms. But he is also quick to quell historical "what ifs" by pointing out that the next most likely fate for the islands was to become a Japanese protectorate--a bullet dodged.

I enjoyed the performance but I dislike the current trend to perform audiobooks as opposed to reading them. A Scottish character--break out the Highland brogue, a Spaniard--rev up the RRRRRs. I wish they would offer a straight reading along with the performance version of these books.

I would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in Hawaiian history, but it is detailed so don't expect to get through in on a plane ride to your island vacation.

A beautiful history.

You will learn about a people, their culture, and their confrontation with the wider world and the march of "civilization".

An Excellent Summary of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

I particularly enjoyed Haley's honest assessment of Hawaiian culture, as opposed to a whitewashed nostalgia of native life. I wasn't expecting his treatment of the American era to be so brief, but I suppose that goes beyond the subject of this book which focuses on the creation of an American territory in place of a Hawaiian kingdom.

A Complete History

Very interesting book. The author gives a complete overview of the history of Hawaii. Giving the motivations and historical facts from both the European colonizers and native population. Great information to understand where we've come from and what problems we need to deal with.

Good info, but annoying performance

Good information/history presented, but crippled by over-emphasis of 'okina witth paired vowels, under-use of kahako¬ and employing accents when acting out foreign voices made for annoying listening sessions.

Pronunciation was cringeworthy, but otherwise great

As a Native Hawaiian scholar who appreciates research that does not sugar-coat the past, I very much enjoyed this piece of scholarship. Some of my favorite parts included the personal stories of the ali’i, which really brought them to life as passionate, complicated people. The narrator, tried so hard and I want to acknowledge that, but auwē! The pronunciation was really bad, especially “Kalākaua.” As long as you ignore the pronunciation of the narrator (who otherwise did a great job), this is a really interesting book.

Great production with awesome narration

The reading was superb. The content was the right length. I just moved here and really appreciated the historical context of what I see day to day.
Highly recommend for any history buff or someone who wants to hear a good story.