
Captive Paradise
A History of Hawaii
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $29.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Joe Barrett
-
By:
-
James L. Haley
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Unfamiliar Fishes
- By: Sarah Vowell
- Narrated by: Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, John Hodgman, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as crucial to our nation's identity, a year when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and invaded Cuba and then the Philippines, becoming a meddling, self-serving, militaristic international superpower practically overnight. Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898, Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be the most intriguing.
-
-
Sarah Vowell does it again!
- By Kat on 03-23-11
By: Sarah Vowell
-
Hawaii
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener, Steve Berry - introduction
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever, Fred Sanders - introduction
- Length: 51 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of a land from the time when the volcanic islands rose out of the sea to the decade in which they become the 50th state. Michener uses individuals' experiences to symbolize the struggle of the various races to establish themselves in the islands.
-
-
Much to My Surprise, I Really Liked It
- By Donna L. Leary on 05-16-18
By: James A. Michener, and others
-
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
- By: Lili‘uokalani
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1893, Liliuokalani, the Queen of Hawaii, was deposed and five years later her nation became an incorporated territory of the United States. Published shortly after these momentous events, her book Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is an incredibly personal history of the islands that she was born to rule. Liliuokalani covers from her birth in 1838 through the reigns of her forebears to her own turbulent time as Queen of the Hawaiian Islands.
-
-
Learn to pronounce Hawaiian words before narrating
- By ArchJoanne on 11-15-19
By: Lili‘uokalani
-
Shoal of Time
- A History of the Hawaiian Islands
- By: Gavan Daws
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Truly wonderful history and storytelling.
- By Sharman on 06-12-22
By: Gavan Daws
-
Lost Kingdom
- Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure
- By: Julia Flynn Siler
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Lili‘uokalani, or Lili‘u, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century.
-
-
Fascinating story, sparsely told
- By Great Tutu Kona on 01-17-12
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
Unfamiliar Fishes
- By: Sarah Vowell
- Narrated by: Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, John Hodgman, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as crucial to our nation's identity, a year when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and invaded Cuba and then the Philippines, becoming a meddling, self-serving, militaristic international superpower practically overnight. Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898, Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be the most intriguing.
-
-
Sarah Vowell does it again!
- By Kat on 03-23-11
By: Sarah Vowell
-
Hawaii
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener, Steve Berry - introduction
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever, Fred Sanders - introduction
- Length: 51 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of a land from the time when the volcanic islands rose out of the sea to the decade in which they become the 50th state. Michener uses individuals' experiences to symbolize the struggle of the various races to establish themselves in the islands.
-
-
Much to My Surprise, I Really Liked It
- By Donna L. Leary on 05-16-18
By: James A. Michener, and others
-
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
- By: Lili‘uokalani
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1893, Liliuokalani, the Queen of Hawaii, was deposed and five years later her nation became an incorporated territory of the United States. Published shortly after these momentous events, her book Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is an incredibly personal history of the islands that she was born to rule. Liliuokalani covers from her birth in 1838 through the reigns of her forebears to her own turbulent time as Queen of the Hawaiian Islands.
-
-
Learn to pronounce Hawaiian words before narrating
- By ArchJoanne on 11-15-19
By: Lili‘uokalani
-
Shoal of Time
- A History of the Hawaiian Islands
- By: Gavan Daws
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Truly wonderful history and storytelling.
- By Sharman on 06-12-22
By: Gavan Daws
-
Lost Kingdom
- Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure
- By: Julia Flynn Siler
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Lili‘uokalani, or Lili‘u, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century.
-
-
Fascinating story, sparsely told
- By Great Tutu Kona on 01-17-12
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
Local
- A Memoir
- By: Jessica Machado
- Narrated by: Mapuana Makia
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born and raised in Hawai‘i by a father whose ancestors are indigenous to the land and a mother from the American South, Jessica Machado wrestles with what it means to be “local.” Feeling separate from the history and tenets of Hawaiian culture that have been buried under the continental imports of malls and MTV, Jessica often sees her homeland reflected back to her from the tourist perspective—as an uncomplicated paradise. Her existence, however, feels far from that ideal. Balancing her parents’ divorce, an ailing mother, and growing anxiety, Jessica rebels.
-
-
Authentic Aloha for all Things Local
- By Janice Hill on 01-27-23
By: Jessica Machado
-
A Short History of Ireland, 1500-2000
- By: John Gibney
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. John Gibney proceeds from the beginning of Ireland’s modern period and continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation’s cultural, political, and socioeconomic history. This succinct, scholarly study covers important historical events, including the Cromwellian conquest and settlement, the Great Famine, and the struggle for Irish independence.
-
-
Accurate, concise, but lacks spark
- By lightbringer34 on 01-22-24
By: John Gibney
-
History of Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just how did the ancient Hawaiians sail thousands of miles of open ocean without modern methods, without getting lost, and somehow finding new islands? How did such a rich culture even come to exist on perhaps the most isolated archipelago in the world? And is the nickname of a “beach island paradise” an accurate description of the various kinds of beautiful, intriguing, and sometimes even dangerous topographies and natural phenomena that make up Hawai'i? Learn the true answers to all these questions and much more in this audiobook of the history of Hawai'i.
-
-
Informative
- By R. Darryl Burke on 05-17-24
-
A People's History of the United States
- By: Howard Zinn
- Narrated by: Jeff Zinn
- Length: 34 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of his life, historian Howard Zinn chronicled American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version taught in schools - with its emphasis on great men in high places - to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of - and in the words of - America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers.
-
-
Amateur hour in the production booth
- By Thomas on 11-09-10
By: Howard Zinn
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
-
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville
- By: Shelby Foote
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.
-
-
OUTSTANDING! I'M PROUD TO BE A BLACK AMERICAN!!
- By The Louligan on 08-22-13
By: Shelby Foote
-
SPQR
- A History of Ancient Rome
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In SPQR, world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even 2,000 years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty.
-
-
Shallow and unsatisfying
- By Joe on 02-19-17
By: Mary Beard
-
Blood and Thunder
- An Epic of the American West
- By: Hampton Sides
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 20 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route to invade and occupy the Western territories claimed by Mexico. Fueled by the new ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” this land grab would lead to a decades-long battle between the United States and the Navajos, the fiercely resistant rulers of a huge swath of mountainous desert wilderness.
-
-
Publisher's summary does not do it justice
- By Eric on 02-07-11
By: Hampton Sides
-
The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
-
-
An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
By: Susan Wise Bauer
-
The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- By: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
-
-
Comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 10-04-16
By: Thomas Asbridge
-
Our Oriental Heritage
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 1
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 50 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
-
-
Wonderful
- By Michael on 11-30-13
By: Will Durant
-
Caesar
- Life of a Colossus
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Julius Caesar's life, Adrian Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor's accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar's character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some 2,000 years later.
-
-
Caesar and his times
- By Mike From Mesa on 08-31-15
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
- By: Lili‘uokalani
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1893, Liliuokalani, the Queen of Hawaii, was deposed and five years later her nation became an incorporated territory of the United States. Published shortly after these momentous events, her book Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is an incredibly personal history of the islands that she was born to rule. Liliuokalani covers from her birth in 1838 through the reigns of her forebears to her own turbulent time as Queen of the Hawaiian Islands.
-
-
Learn to pronounce Hawaiian words before narrating
- By ArchJoanne on 11-15-19
By: Lili‘uokalani
-
Shoal of Time
- A History of the Hawaiian Islands
- By: Gavan Daws
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Truly wonderful history and storytelling.
- By Sharman on 06-12-22
By: Gavan Daws
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
Hawaii
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener, Steve Berry - introduction
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever, Fred Sanders - introduction
- Length: 51 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of a land from the time when the volcanic islands rose out of the sea to the decade in which they become the 50th state. Michener uses individuals' experiences to symbolize the struggle of the various races to establish themselves in the islands.
-
-
Much to My Surprise, I Really Liked It
- By Donna L. Leary on 05-16-18
By: James A. Michener, and others
-
Aloha Betrayed
- Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism
- By: Noenoe K. Silva
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1897, as a White oligarchy made plans to allow the United States to annex Hawai'i, native Hawaiians organized a massive petition drive to protest. Ninety-five percent of the native population signed the petition, causing the annexation treaty to fail in the US Senate. This event was unknown to many contemporary Hawaiians until Noenoe K. Silva rediscovered the petition in the process of researching this book. With few exceptions, histories of Hawai'i have been based exclusively on English-language sources.
-
-
Same story again and again
- By Buretto on 01-28-22
By: Noenoe K. Silva
-
Lost Kingdom
- Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure
- By: Julia Flynn Siler
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Lili‘uokalani, or Lili‘u, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century.
-
-
Fascinating story, sparsely told
- By Great Tutu Kona on 01-17-12
-
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
- By: Lili‘uokalani
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1893, Liliuokalani, the Queen of Hawaii, was deposed and five years later her nation became an incorporated territory of the United States. Published shortly after these momentous events, her book Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is an incredibly personal history of the islands that she was born to rule. Liliuokalani covers from her birth in 1838 through the reigns of her forebears to her own turbulent time as Queen of the Hawaiian Islands.
-
-
Learn to pronounce Hawaiian words before narrating
- By ArchJoanne on 11-15-19
By: Lili‘uokalani
-
Shoal of Time
- A History of the Hawaiian Islands
- By: Gavan Daws
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Truly wonderful history and storytelling.
- By Sharman on 06-12-22
By: Gavan Daws
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
Hawaii
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener, Steve Berry - introduction
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever, Fred Sanders - introduction
- Length: 51 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga of a land from the time when the volcanic islands rose out of the sea to the decade in which they become the 50th state. Michener uses individuals' experiences to symbolize the struggle of the various races to establish themselves in the islands.
-
-
Much to My Surprise, I Really Liked It
- By Donna L. Leary on 05-16-18
By: James A. Michener, and others
-
Aloha Betrayed
- Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism
- By: Noenoe K. Silva
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1897, as a White oligarchy made plans to allow the United States to annex Hawai'i, native Hawaiians organized a massive petition drive to protest. Ninety-five percent of the native population signed the petition, causing the annexation treaty to fail in the US Senate. This event was unknown to many contemporary Hawaiians until Noenoe K. Silva rediscovered the petition in the process of researching this book. With few exceptions, histories of Hawai'i have been based exclusively on English-language sources.
-
-
Same story again and again
- By Buretto on 01-28-22
By: Noenoe K. Silva
-
Lost Kingdom
- Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure
- By: Julia Flynn Siler
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Lili‘uokalani, or Lili‘u, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century.
-
-
Fascinating story, sparsely told
- By Great Tutu Kona on 01-17-12
-
Ancient Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian Human History, Starting from the Polynesian Arrival Through the Growth of a Civilization to Kamehameha the Great
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you interested in the history of one of the most isolated kingdoms on Earth? Then this audiobook is for you! When most people hear the phrase “ancient Hawaii”, it brings up a certain air of mystery and intrigue. Some might think of tattooed tribesmen sailing across the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean under the moonlight, dancing around campfires to connect with their gods, or living on the sides of volcanos. But is this an accurate depiction? Or is there more to the early people of Hawaii?
-
-
Why not a Hawaiian Narrator instead?
- By Anonymous User on 05-23-24
-
Hawaiian Mythology: The Legends and Myths of Hawaii
- The Fables and Folk-Lore of a Strange People
- By: King David Kalakaua
- Narrated by: James Francis Markert
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dive into the captivating realm of The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, where the mystical allure of the Pacific islands comes alive through the mesmerizing fables and folk-lore shared by none other than the esteemed King David Kalakaua. Prepare to be transported to a time when oral traditions were the heart of Hawaiian culture, as the illustrious monarch weaves a tapestry of enchanting stories that have been cherished for generations.
-
-
Isn’t there a Hawaiian narrator that could’ve done this?
- By Apelila Newby on 10-11-23
-
Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All
- A New Zealand Story
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All is the story of the cultural collision between Westerners and the Maoris of New Zealand, told partly as a history of the complex and bloody period of contact between Europeans and the Maoris in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and partly as the story of Christina Thompson's marriage to a Maori man.
-
-
a beautiful story
- By Pumpkin99 on 12-24-22
-
Pacific
- Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature. Winchester's personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.
-
-
Political Asides Have Become Bombastic Didactic
- By Mark Patterson on 12-25-15
By: Simon Winchester
-
History of Hawaii
- A Captivating Guide to Hawaiian History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just how did the ancient Hawaiians sail thousands of miles of open ocean without modern methods, without getting lost, and somehow finding new islands? How did such a rich culture even come to exist on perhaps the most isolated archipelago in the world? And is the nickname of a “beach island paradise” an accurate description of the various kinds of beautiful, intriguing, and sometimes even dangerous topographies and natural phenomena that make up Hawai'i? Learn the true answers to all these questions and much more in this audiobook of the history of Hawai'i.
-
-
Informative
- By R. Darryl Burke on 05-17-24
-
The Colony
- The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles on Molokai
- By: John Tayman
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1866, 12 men and women and one small child were forced aboard a leaky schooner and cast away to a natural prison on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Two weeks later, a dozen others were exiled, and then 40 more, and then 100 more. Tracked by bounty hunters and torn screaming from their families, the luckless were loaded into shipboard cattle stalls and abandoned in a lawless place where brutality held sway. Many did not have leprosy, and most of those who did were not contagious.
-
-
Interesting
- By Matt on 10-31-06
By: John Tayman
What listeners say about Captive Paradise
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sean
- 01-04-15
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Anonymous User
- 11-30-20
A beautiful history.
You will learn about a people, their culture, and their confrontation with the wider world and the march of "civilization".
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Thaddeus Joel Johnson
- 09-19-15
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brad
- 02-22-23
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MindinMotion
- 12-14-17
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- PJL
- 03-18-23
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- margie e herman
- 11-13-23
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve Tone
- 08-09-24
Captive Paradise A History of Hawaii
When I was attending UH at Manoa, I took a class in Hawaiian history and was taught that the haole oligarchy brought in many people with different languages to prevent labor from organizing. Divide and conquer. This book informs on the difficult way statehood was forced on the islanders as their voting rights were systematically taken away and competing nations for control (Japan, in the end) made the alignment with the United States strategically necessary. From the perspective of the U.S., that is.
However, the author of this history does not gloss over Hawaii's history. He depicts the pre-colonial islanders as having as rich, lurid, and occasionally horrifying a history as many other cultures in the world. I particularly noted similarities with the Aztecs in Mexico, but certain historical European horrors also come to mind.
In my opinion, the book is reasonably well-balanced, and I can recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about the history of a beautiful island.
The reader was technically good but had an annoying (to me) way of doing accents (poorly) when reading quotations from people with different languages in english. Pronounce nouns properly by all means, but IMHO dialog in non-fiction should not be accented.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matthew Stuckey
- 02-26-16
Great book though narrator is an acquired taste.
Sorry Joe, I know you tried. Got used to it though... Well done story. Great.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emerald Cavoto
- 01-13-22
People who aren’t Hawaiian probably shouldn’t do. Well. Any of this.
I was thrilled to hear this book initially, but the first chapter alone I found so incredibly , blankety racist that I couldn’t continue. A fantasy of conservative white dudes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful