Unfamiliar Fishes

Sarah Vowell

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English

Riverhead Books
06 March 2012

Biography: historical, political & military; Biography: literary; History

"From the author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United Statescomes an examinationof Hawaii, the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn.

Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898,

Sarah Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be

the most intriguing. From the arrival of the New England missionaries

in 1820, who came to Christianize the local heathens, to the coup

d'etat led by the missionaries' sons in 1893, overthrowing the Hawaiian

queen, the events leading up to American annexation feature a cast of

beguiling, if often appalling or tragic, characters. Whalers who fire

cannons at the Bible-thumpers denying them their god-given right to

whores; an incestuous princess pulled between her new god and her

brother-husband; sugar barons, con men, Theodore Roosevelt, and the

last Hawaiian queen, a songwriter whose sentimental ode ""Aloha 'Oe""

serenaded the first Hawaiian-born president of the United States during

his 2009 inaugural parade.

With her trademark wry insights and reporting, Vowell sets out to

discover the odd, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth

state. In examining the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn, she

finds America again, warts and all.

From the author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United Statescomes an examinationof Hawaii, the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn.

Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898,

Sarah Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be

the most intriguing. From the arrival of the New England missionaries

in 1820, who came to Christianize the local heathens, to the coup

d'etat led by the missionaries' sons in 1893, overthrowing the Hawaiian

queen, the events leading up to American annexation feature a cast of

beguiling, if often appalling or tragic, characters. Whalers who fire

cannons at the Bible-thumpers denying them their god-given right to

whores; an incestuous princess pulled between her new god and her

brother-husband; sugar barons, con men, Theodore Roosevelt, and the

last Hawaiian queen, a songwriter whose sentimental ode ""Aloha 'Oe""

serenaded the first Hawaiian-born president of the United States during

his 2009 inaugural parade.

With her trademark wry insights and reporting, Vowell sets out to

discover the odd, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth

state. In examining the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn, she

finds America again, warts and all."

By: Sarah Vowell
Imprint: Riverhead Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 208mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 244g
ISBN: 9781594485640
ISBN 10: 159448564X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 06 March 2012
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Sarah Vowell is the bestselling author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United States,Unfamiliar Fishes,The Wordy Shipmates,Assassination Vacation, andThe Partly Cloudy Patriot.

Reviews for Unfamiliar Fishes

-Sarah Vowell is an intellectual melting pot. Her cleverness is gorgeously American...- - Los Angeles Times -Its scintillating cast includes dour missionaries, genital-worshiping heathens, Teddy Roosevelt, incestuous royalty, a nutty Mormon, a much-too--merry monarch, President Obama, sugar barons, an imprisoned queen and Vowell herself, in a kind of 50th-state variety show. It's a fun book...[a] playful, provocative, stand-up approach to history.---The New York Times Book Review -As entertaining and personable as it is informative.---Washington Post -Sarah Vowell is for my money, the best essayist/radio commentator/sit-down comic and pointy headed history geek in the business.---Seattle Times