Michener gives us a broad scope of Hawaii, from the formation of the islands to modern day. I read this as a teen and am looking forward to reading it again, now many years later.Each chapter gives us a history of a different ethnic group, the Hawaiians, then the Chinese, Japanese ect, and how they contributed to the formation of something profoundly beautiful and profoundly sad, as the native Hawaiians don't stand a chance of hanging on to their paradise.The book has wonderful people, many based on real persons. The Calvanist missionaries who devote their lives to bringing the white man's God.
Over the years the people I met in Hawaii have had a very real influence on me. But it also colored my understanding of big buisness, politicsand religion.
**James A. Michener** was born in 1907 and raised by a Quaker woman in Pennsylvania. During World War II he served with the U.S. Navy and traveled across the Pacific. His *Tales of the South Pacific* won the Pulitzer Prize in 1947. He lived with his wife in Austin, Texas. He was director of the Texas Center for Writers at the University of Texas.
