Author: Stephen Kinzer
Plot:
All is quiet. Well, not all. A few men have covertly gathered - what is their discussion about? You strain to hear through a crack in the door...My word! Nothing less than the overthrow of Hawaii's rightful government, to be replaced with one more pliable to their virtual sugar monopoly. Backed by a contingent of Marines and the tacit approval of an faraway foreign government, the plot is successful, the queen overthrown, and business wins. In her private diary the queen writes of a "day in infamy," decades before another infamous day in Hawaii. Scandalous! A great fiction thriller!
Yet this actually happened. In 1893, American sugar growers, unhappy with the Queen's proposed constitution which would have stripped their (the handful of non-citizen Hawaiians) voting rights and enfranchised the native Hawaiians, decided that they were above such things and began a plot to overthrow the Queen. How did they succeed? With the direct support of American Marines and implied approval from the American government. This overthrow of a foreign government was no isolated incident, Kinzer documents. From the democratic nations of Chile and Iran to the American's own puppet ruler Diem (who started to get his own ideas, poor man) of South Vietnam, cumulating in the overthrow of the Taliban and the Iraqi government in the 2000's, Kinzer tells the not-oft-told story of direct U.S.A. contribution to the overthrow of governments abroad.
Brian's Opinion:
Well. This book made me feel less proud of America's legacy. Regardless, excellently written and sourced. Overthrow has the feel of a fast-paced fiction book but without the fiction part. That's the interesting part. It's a true story. Overthrow has helped me begin to understand why things are the way they are now - history explains a lot. A very good and enlightening read.
Who would like it:
If you are totally 'America-can-do-no-wrong," you should probably read this book for a reality check. If you want an overview of some important elements of America's foreign policy over the last 100+ years, then Overthrow would be an excellent introduction. Also, it's just plain fun to read.
Read it!
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