Publisher Description
How did Hawaii become part of America? This story, inspired by true events suppressed for nearly one hundred years, is the one James Michener never wrote. In 1886, Laura Jennings travels to Hawaii to live with missionary relatives. She imagines she’ll live in a grass hut, ministering to uncivilized natives. When she arrives in Honolulu, she’s surprised to find her relatives are among the wealthy elite plotting to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. And the Hawaiians have developed a charming and prosperous Victorian kingdom. To avoid her conniving uncle’s control, Laura leaves to work for the royal family and learns her family’s prejudices against them are false. The last queen, Lili’ uokalani, wages a tragic struggle to save the kingdom. Through choices she makes when every avenue is blocked, Laura sees the power that can restore the spirit of a people caught in a turbulent world and discovers how long-hidden secrets of her own family lead the way to reunion.
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“Beautifully and insightfully written, The Last Aloha shines a light on a dark part of Hawaii’s history.”
—
Q’orianka Kilcher, star of The New World and Princess Ka`iulani
About Gaellen Quinn
Gaellen Quinn has a master’s degree in International and Community Development and was the executive director and senior program officer for Mona Foundation (www.MonaFoundation.org) which supports grassroots educational initiatives and raising the status of women and girls around the world. The Last Aloha has won various awards including the BAIPA award for Best Historical Fiction, the Hawaii Publishers Association Award of Excellence, and was a finalist for Foreword Review’s award for Book of the Year. Her writing reflects her passion for diverse peoples, as well as major world themes that affect our personal, social, and spiritual lives.
She lives on the rural island of Molokai in Hawaii which has a primarily indigenous native Hawaiian population and volunteers in various capacities including educational programs for children and youth, activities to preserve and promote native culture, and to raise awareness of community issues.