Few would consider travel to Europe without getting to know the history. But every year, millions go to Hawaii and never see past the sun, surf and natural beauty. Yet, the traveler who seeks a richer experience, through knowledge of the history of the first Polynesian discoverers of Hawaii and the charming kingdom they created, will not be disappointed.
Click the link to check out a recent article for www.TheSavvyExplorer.com about the rich history of Hawaii.
The Last Aloha gives us insight into a dark period in Hawaii’s history – one that travelers to the islands often know little about. By weaving a story around these historical events, Gaellen Quinn draws you in and makes you feel for the deposed royal family and its supporters. The book is by turns heartbreaking and uplifting, allowing us to admire the true Hawaiian spirit that survives even in the worst of circumstances.
The Last Aloha gives us insight into a dark period in Hawaii’s history – one that travelers to the islands often know little about. By weaving a story around these historical events, Gaellen Quinn draws you in and makes you feel for the deposed royal family and its supporters. The book is by turns heartbreaking and uplifting, allowing us to admire the true Hawaiian spirit that survives even in the worst of circumstances.
I just finished your book The Last Aloha which I got at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers conference. It was so beautifully written and inspiring. I loved every page of it– and the ending was so powerful. Truly masterful story telling thank you so much for getting it out into the world.
I worked at ‘Iolani Palace for 5 yrs and was a docent for 7 yrs before moving to the mainland, so was very familiar with the story of the monarchy and overthrow, and your rendering of the events brought it fresh to mind. Descriptions of the land, the buildings, the people - Everything - brought it alive. Plus I learned some interesting things I never knew before. It’s good to remember where we came from and what the true meaning of Aloha is.
The Last Aloha: A Perfect Beach Read An Intriguing Look into Hawaii’s history
By Kira Taniguchi
The Last Aloha Cover
While you are soaking up the rays and sipping tropical beverages, why not catch up on a little bit of reading about Hawaii? Written by former Austin resident Gaellen Quinn, The Last Aloha explores the deep recesses of Hawaii’s history.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood, and for the first time, you can relish in its full history from monarchy to annexation.
Inspired by true events, The Last Aloha is a historical novel that takes place in the 19th century. It details the final days of the monarchy and the Queen’s struggle to save her throne.
The novel follows Laura Jennings as she makes her way to Hawaii in 1886 in an attempt to minister to the savages. Instead, she finds a prosperous society on the brink of turmoil. Follow Jennings as a scheme by the missionary party to overthrow the Queen Lili`uokalani unfolds.
Quinn’s extensive research through original 19th and 20th century documents, conversations with the natives and visits to the original sites make her book more thorough than any other.
Quinn’s work with the Mona Foundation, which supports educational initiatives that raise the status of women and girls globally, has allowed her to work with such countries such as Brazil, Cambodia, India, Tanzania, Honduras, Panama and Haiti. She recently moved to Molokai, Hawaii from Austin.
In 2008, The Last Aloha was a Texas manuscript winner in historical fiction in the Texas Writers’ League contest. It was also a semifinalist in the Amazon.com/Penguin Books Novel Contest.
For more information about Quinn, where to purchase the book and upcoming events, please visit the website www.gaellenquinn.com.
(Above)
The cover of The Last Aloha written by author Gaellen Quinn.
Photo courtesy PR by the Book
NOTE: Austin Woman Magazine featured this review within a great article about traveling to wonderful Hawaii! Read the article here. You can scroll to the bottom of the article to see their review of The Last Aloha there too.
I was proud to release the last known footage of this well-known writer into the public domain. Michener was magnanimous in his writing style and against prejudice of any form. He is truly one of the greats. Sadly, he passed away before discovering the true history of Hawaii simply because he may not have had access to this suppressed history.
Listen to the KUT piece here, produced by Julie Moody. She and I posed for a photo just after the interview in the KUT studios.
AuthorJames Michener wrote a very famous book called Hawaii in 1959. Below is the story of how I acquired the last known footage of him before he died.
A few months before his death in October 1997, at 90 years old and on weekly dialysis, he generously agreed to be interviewed at his home in Austin, Texas, by a member of the newly established community theater company of Fredericksburg, in order to help them promote their first performance: South Pacific.
My daughter, a filmmaker, filmed the interview and I finagled the opportunity to meet him by offering to help carry the equipment. We spent more than an hour there filming, but due to my daughters subsequent move to china, to my knowledge, these precious clips are all that remain of that final interview. They include the following topics:
Receiving a letter from his agent who terminated their contract, saying he had no future as a writer; the same day, it was announced Michener had won the Pulitzer Prize.
His relationship with Rodgers and Hammerstein
His response when he, and Rodgers and Hammerstein, were told by all their advisors that the song, “You’ve Got to Be Taught,” (about prejudice) created a bad note and didn’t belong in the play
About Fredericksburg (where the new theater company would do South Pacific as their first performance) and the Nimitz Museum
Comparing South Pacific to My Fair Lady
Welcoming people to visit Fredericksburg and the Nimitz Museum
I had forgotten all about this film. But awhile back, when I was visiting Fredericksburg, walking along the sidewalk with a couple of writer friends, I stopped in my tracks.
My novel, The Last Aloha, is set in the late 19th century when descendents of American Missionaries plotted to topple the Hawaiian rules. James Michener’s classic book, Hawaii, skips completely over the period of the Hawaiian monarchy and its overthrow. From my research, I believe that’s because he didn’t know about it.
After meeting Mr. Michener and hearing other stories he told that don’t appear on this video, I know that he was totally against the kind of prejudice that suppressed the history of the royal Hawaiians. (Records and documents of the period were seized by missionary families and kept in private collections until well into the 1960’s, and these same families were the source for all “official” Hawaiian history until about the same time. Michener’s book came out in 1959, when Hawaii first became a state, so he likely didn’t have access to that material.)
The moment I stopped on the sidewalk, all that came rushing back to me and I felt like Mr. Michener himself had reached out to remind me: “Use the film clip.” It was like he wanted to be a part of remedying that prejudice that kept the truth from being known.
I visited his grave in Austin and felt the same again. That he would be pleased that something I had from him could bring this little-known period of Hawaii to light and possibly give people an appreciation for Hawaii that they’d never had before.
Take a look at the clip. The footage was taken on 3/4 inch tape so the quality may not be the best, but we hope to upload a finer version soon.
