twopuffins's review against another edition

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5.0

I was so captivated by Haunani-Kay Trask's famous speech where she states "we are not American," referencing Hawaiian sovereignty and occupation and became interested in the Hawaiian movement for sovereignty ever since (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDsx1mUpiI4&ab_channel=No%CA%BBeauWoo-O%27Brien). Her short history of the United States occupation and overthrow of the Hawaiian government, her analysis of Hawaiian sovereignty (in the context of international sovereignty for all indigenous peoples), analysis of the racism underlying the fields of anthropology and archaeology, and analysis of the university as a site of colonialism and racism, were clear-eyed and unflinching. I am so glad I read this book and it has forever shaped how I see Hawai'i as well as indigenous sovereignty.

saidtheraina's review against another edition

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4.0

Didn't make it all the way through this, as I was borrowing it from a friend and didn't get through it before other reading demanded my attention.

Very academic, illuminating read about the unjust history of the state of Hawaii.
Very convicting to me as a white amerikan who has visited Hawaii on vacation.

Prepare to have your eyes opened.

mnboyer's review against another edition

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5.0

F***ing fantastic in all the ways that matter. Trask tells it exactly like it is, and if you do not agree with her, well, then at least you know where you stand. I was actually most fascinated with all of the university BS they put her through (trying to fire her) because she had the nerve to *checks notes* tell a white male student the truth. Gasp.

popthebutterfly's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Disclaimer: I received this book from my library. Support your local libraries! All opinions are my own.

Book: From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai’i

Author: Haunani-Kay Trask

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Hawaiin MC and characters

Recommended For...: non-fiction readers, history readers, social justice readers, memoir readers

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Genre: Non-Fiction Historical Memoir

Age Relevance: 15+ (racism, colonization, disease)

Explanation of Above: Racism and the colonization history of Hawaii is discussed and talked about in detail throughout the book. There are a couple of mentions of disease.

Publisher: Latitude 20

Pages: 272

Synopsis: Since its publication in 1993, From a Native Daughter, a provocative, well-reasoned attack against the rampant abuse of Native Hawaiian rights, institutional racism, and gender discrimination, has generated heated debates in Hawai'i and throughout the world. This 1999 revised work includes material that builds on issues and concerns raised in the first edition: Native Hawaiian student organizing at the University of Hawai'i; the master plan of the Native Hawaiian self-governing organization Ka Lahui Hawai'i and its platform on the four political arenas of sovereignty; the 1989 Hawai'i declaration of the Hawai'i ecumenical coalition on tourism; and a typology on racism and imperialism. Brief introductions to each of the previously published essays brings them up to date and situates them in the current Native Hawaiian rights discussion.

Review: I really liked this book overall. I loved that it read like a textbook, but it did so well with the personal history that it kept me entertained throughout the book. The book did really good to discuss the hurt colonization brings and there are multiple examples throughout the history of Hawaii that have been rewritten to paint colonizers in a good light, so I liked that this book was so brutally honest with the history and it didn’t sugarcoat anything. The book also mentioned the use of Christian schools to further keep native children away from their heritage, which I didn’t know happened. I knew that it happened to Canandian and mainland America indigenous persons, but I didn’t know that the practice was continued to the islands as well and that breaks my heart. The book was so informative and it did good to show how the continued colonization continues to hurt Hawaiian persons.

The only issue I had was that it felt a bit rushed in places. I’d love a longer text about the history of Hawaii by this author.

Verdict: I loved it so much! Definitely recommend it for your non-fiction reads.

jsykes828's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

princesstempura's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

5.0

emma_1359's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

m_anabel's review against another edition

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informative

4.0

Read a couple of chapters for class. Really informative and straight-to-the-point.

zoefranka's review

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5.0

if you’ve ever been to hawaii or wanted to visit that island you should read this book

etak_c's review against another edition

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challenging reflective

5.0