The Rights of My People: Liliuokalani's Enduring Battle with the United States 1893-1917
An essential read for all Americans to understand the discomfort, historically and into this century, that still tempers Hawaii s relationship with Washington, D.C. Neil Proto captures accurately and with compelling prose the disquieting religious and financial motivation of the missionary-planters and its coalescence with the institutional and strategic needs of the United States Navy to rectify the failures of the Civil War and to project its presence further across the Pacific. Brace yourself: Proto is a sophisticated thinker and writer, able to integrate history and culture and personalities with a unique literary skill.Savor history written this way.--Rear Admiral Stuart Franklin Platt, United States Navy, Ret.Must reading for anyone who has an interest in Native American rights [and] how the United States government by using its political and legal opposition defeated the Native Hawaiian rights to their lands.--Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa, Judge, United States Federal Circuit Court of AppealsNeil Proto has captured, eloquently and with an engaging narrative, Liliuokalani s courage, intellect, and political sophistication in the nation s capital... an enduring model to be studied and emulated in law, culture, and in informed perseverance. --Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Member of Congress (CT)Exhaustively researched, written with grace and empathy... an indelible portrait of a woman consecrated to injustice a Civil Rights heroine if there ever was one. -- --Professor Henry McGee, Seattle University School of LawQueen Liliuokalani was the last monarch of the Native Hawaiians before a group of US annexationists overthrew her in 1893. But before Hawai'i was annexed in 1898 by the US, she waged a heroic effort to publicize the illegality of the coup d'etat and the wrongful seizure of one million acres of crown land by the annexationists. While scholars such as Sally Engle Merry (Colonizing Hawai'i, 2000) and Jonathan Osorio (Dismembering Lahui, CH, Mar'03, 40-4207) have discussed the cultural consequences of Western law for Hawai'i, Proto (Georgetown) uses a different approach. He describes in painstaking detail the complicated maneuvering in Hawai'i and Washington as the queen sought to win public opinion, influence the media, persuade Congress, and prevail in the US courts. As a seasoned lawyer who has represented Hawai'i in its dealings with the US, Proto is able to emphasize the significance of the media campaign and legal strategies employed by Liliuokalani against her opponents to regain control of the crown lands. Sadly for the queen, her tactics were destined to fail before the Congress and the courts, with devastating consequences for Hawaiian sovereignty and her people.Fascinating narrative account, suitable for a general audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.--CHOICE August 2010 Vol. 47 No. 11Exhaustively researched, written with grace and empathy... an indelible portrait of a woman consecrated to injustice a Civil Rights heroine if there ever was one. --Professor Henry McGee, Seattle University School of Law