James Albert Michener is best known for his sweeping multi-generation historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. a superb biography of a people.'-Houston Chronicle mammoth epic of the islands.'-The Baltimore Sun 'One novel you must not miss! A tremendous work from every point of view-thrilling, exciting, lusty, vivid, stupendous.'-Chicago Tribune 'From Michener's devotion to the islands, he has written a monumental chronicle of Hawaii, an extraordinary and fascinating novel.'-Saturday Review 'Memorable. Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener's immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life.

As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries-until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions.

Michener brings Hawaii's epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. It is fiction mixed with history, of course, and colored by Michener's perspective and the times he wrote in, but for sheer ability to get a person interested in Hawaiian history I think it's great - just have to remember it's not the gospel.įor a non-fiction coverage of Hawaiian history, take a look at Shoal of Time by Gavin Daws.įor a book that seeks to explain the Native Hawaiian point of view and why there is a sovereignty movement today, this one seems to get more endorsement from Hawaiians:Īn article you might like from Honolulu paper, published when Michener died, discusses a bit of what you ask about.Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. His wife was Asian and they experienced the prejudice here first hand. Well, first, I am not a Hawaiian so I would never speak for anyone, but as a reader of the book I'd say Michener is much more interested in the struggles of the Asian immigrants than the native Hawaiians.

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