Concise indeed. In less than 100 pages, the author provides a broad but essential coverage of Hawaii’s key history. Tourists and new residents genuinely interested in learning about this unique state will find this a readable and informative tome to begin their knowledge. ( )

As we began two weeks in Hawaii, I wanted to know something about the place I was visiting, and prepared to download Michener's massive opus. My husband had read and enjoyed that, and found it helpful in understanding Hawaii's history, but I'd been putting it off because it was so big. Then, in an ABC store in Honolulu, I found a book that looked like exactly what I needed -- and it was. Phil Barnes short work is well organized, well informed, and (as far as I can tell) very well balanced. It is also splendidly organized, leading one along in a story in which the U.S. does NOT play a positive role. Indeed, I had no idea that the US takeover of Hawaii was so crass and so totally opposed to the wishes of the great majority of the population. Moving forward, the author describes recent political history, the economy, and the emergence of pro-sovreignity sentiment. Definitely added a dimension to my trip to Hawaii. ( )