Review: Unfamiliar Fishes

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting read, but not as good as The Wordy Shipmates. Vowell describes the disintegration of traditional Hawaiian culture over a period of just under 125 years, from the first European contact in 1778, hastened by American missionaries, and aided by the Hawaiians themselves, and ending with annexation at the end of the Spanish-American war. It's a pretty sad story. Her personal biases come through loud and clear, often with her trademark humor. I was surprised to learn that much of Maui was desert-like, and that finding fresh water was often difficult.

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