The Hawaiians

Author's note: This recent edition has been extensively edited to remove errors found in the previous edition.
Surfing is not a crime, but it was in Old Hawaii when the Calvinist missionaries held power by influencing the royalty. When a group of young Americans jump ship and start the first surf camp in a downtrodden and practically deserted Waikiki, Head Missionary Hiram Bingham becomes apoplectic with rage. A cast of memorable characters fill this novel with many plot twists and ideas that are as relevant today as they were almost two hundred years ago. In 1824 sixteen-year-old, orphaned William Goode was put aboard ship in New Orleans as an apprentice seaman against his will. A young man with unique abilities, he began an adventure that took him to Hawaii, forging friendships and making enemies along the way. Spanning more than a decade, this fast-paced narrative is written in a blend of James Michener and James Patterson, full of accurate history and a rousing ensemble of characters presented in a page turning style. The Calvinist missionaries want to make sure no one is having any fun while William and his friends just want to work their little farm of taro patches and fishponds and go surfing free from religious oppression. From the beaches of early Waikiki to the chilly winters of Boston, this novel moves back and forth, around the Horn and across the vast Pacific, with enterprising surfers, a beautiful Hawaiian princess, runaway slaves, and a renegade priest. You will fall in love with Hawaii, fall in love with the characters, and see Hawaiian history in a whole new way.