Book Summary and Reviews of Hawaii by James A. Michener

Hawaii by James A. Michener

Hawaii

by James A. Michener

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  • Published:
  • Nov 1959, 937 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Pulitzer Prize–winning author James A. Michener brings Hawaii's epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959.

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. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. 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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Wonderful ... [a] 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

"Memorable ... a superb biography of a people." —Houston Chronicle

This information about Hawaii was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

James A. Michener

James A. Michener was one of the world's most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tales of the South Pacific, the bestselling novels The Source, Hawaii, Alaska, Chesapeake, Centennial, Texas, Caribbean, and Caravans, and the memoir The World Is My Home. Michener served on the advisory council to NASA and the International Broadcast Board, which oversees the Voice of America. Among dozens of awards and honors, he received America's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977, and an award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1983 for his commitment to art in America. Michener died in 1997 at the age of ninety.

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