I spent most of my childhood and college years in Honolulu, and learned Hawaiian history in middle and high school there. So I found this to be a very interesting first hand account about people, events, and places that I had only read about previously in history books. And some things I had never heard about before (e.g. the French and Belgium efforts to take the islands by force, that Hawaii almost became a state in the 1850s, and much more intrigue and international involvement). I recommend to anyone wanting to know more about Hawaii in the 19th century before annexation