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March 16, 2012
Lost Kingdom: An Evening with Julia Flynn Siler
"Hawaii may have looked like a gentle paradise, but the ancient Hawaiians knew its terrors. A volcanic eruption, the fury of the goddess Pele, might destroy villages of grass houses and bury carefully tended fields of sugar cane and sweet potatoes beneath ash. Jagged deserts of sharp, black lava could appear overnight, creating new land where there had once been sea."
Literary Affairs Presents an Exclusive Cocktail Party in Honor of Juila Fynn Siler's latest book about the History of Hawaii. Please join us for an evening of stories of adventure, danger, tragedy and gorgeous tropical paradises with critically acclaimed author Julia Flynn Siler, as she discusses her new book Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure with moderator Julie Robinson. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and island-inspired cocktails in the festive decor of Ivy at the Shore. It will be an intimate evening of fascinating conversation about the little known events of the annexation of Hawaii. Space Limited: To order tickets online with credit card: Click Here Books will be available at the event for purchase Listen to the Story on NPR's All Things Considered ABOUT THE BOOK Julia Flynn Siler, in her first book since the New York Times bestselling The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, takes readers on a tour through the fascinating history of Hawaii in LOST KINGDOM: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure, in a tale of one of the most breathtaking land grabs of the Gilded Age. The story begins around 200 A.D., when intrepid Polynesians paddled thousands of miles across the Pacific and arrived at an undisturbed archipelago. For centuries, their descendants lived with almost no contact from the Western world. In 1778, their profound isolation was shattered with the arrival of Captain Cook. Deftly weaving together a memorable cast of characters, Lost Kingdom brings to life the ensuing clash between a vulnerable Polynesian people and relentlessly expanding capitalist powers. Portraits of royalty, rogues, sugar barons, and missionaries combine into a sweeping tale of the Hawaiian kingdom’s rise and fall. At the center of the story is Lili‘uokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. Born in 1838, she lived through the nearly complete economic transformation of the islands. Lucrative sugar plantations owned almost exclusively by white planters, dubbed the “Sugar Kings,” gradually subsumed the majority of the land. Hawaii became a prize in the contest between America, Britain, and France, each of whom were seeking to expand their military and commercial influence in the Pacific. Lost Kingdom is the tragic story of Lili‘uokalani’s family and their fortunes. The monarchy had become a figurehead, victim to manipulation from the wealthy sugar-plantation owners. Upon ascending to the throne, Lili‘uokalani was determined to enact a constitution reinstating the monarchy’s power but she was outmaneuvered and, in January 1893, U.S. Marines from the USS Boston marched through the streets of Honolulu to the palace. The annexation of Hawaii had begun. In the wake of its annexation by the United States, Hawaii became a stronghold in the Pacific, a position it maintains to this day. A provisional government, comprised of many of the descendants of the original missionaries, took control of the islands, toppling the monarchy and forever ending the island kingdom’s independence. For the United States, striving to fulfill its manifest destiny, the addition of Hawaii ushered in a new century of American imperialism. Native Hawaiians mourned the loss of their tropical paradise and even former President Grover Cleveland, by then living in retirement, spoke for those who had opposed annexation, declaring “Hawaii is ours…as I contemplate the means used to complete the outrage, I am ashamed of the whole affair.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Julia Flynn Siler is the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Mondavi. Her most recent book, Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure, became a bestseller soon after being published by Atlantic Monthly Press in January of 2012. As a veteran correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek magazine, Ms. Flynn Siler spent more than two decades in the Europe and the United States, reporting from a dozen countries. She has covered fields as varied as biotechnology, cult wines, and a princess’s quest to restore a Hawaiian palace’s lost treasures. BEYOND THE BOOK Author Website  Event Info
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