The Last Aloha by Gaellen Quinn

The Last Aloha by Gaellen Quinn

How did Hawaii become part of America? This story, inspired by true events suppressed for nearly 100 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 savages. When she arrives in Honolulu, she's surprised to find her relatives are among the wealthy elite plotting to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. And, far from being savages, 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

Gaellen Quinn has a master's degree in international and community development and a bachelor's degree in linguistics and Chinese. She was development director of the Association for the Cohesive Development of the Amazon (ADCAM), vice president of both Network Action Company and Central Technologies, Inc., and operations and marketing director for the California Wellness Plan. Her writing reflects her passion for diverse peoples, as well as for global themes that affect our personal, social, and spiritual lives. Gaellen Quinn has two daughters and lives in Moloka`i.