From the Back of the Book:

Working Title:

Lā Kūʻokoʻa - Aloha Republic  

Story Synopsis:

The winds of change are blowing in Hawaii. After over a century of cultural oppression at the hands of the US government, the Hawaiian people have finally had enough. In a historic referendum, 98% of Hawaiian citizens vote to secede from the United States and re-establish their sovereignty as an independent nation. However, their cries for freedom do not fall on sympathetic ears in Washington. Angered by what they see as defiance, Congress rejects Hawaii’s vote and declares its secession illegal.

Within days, US troops are mobilized and sent to Honolulu to crush the burgeoning independence movement by force. As news of the military crackdown spreads, protests erupt across Hawaii and other states. Peaceful demonstrators are met with brute force as US soldiers ruthlessly round up protest organizers and raid homes in midnight operations. Shocking scenes of violence and repression are broadcast on television screens across America and the world.

Watching in horror as the atrocities unfold, the states of California, Oregon, and Washington declare their solidarity with Hawaii. Citing the illegal overthrow of the sovereign Hawaiian kingdom in 1893, they too begin proceedings to secede. New England follows suit, with ten states on the East Coast announcing plans for their own independence referendums, leading to a Constitutional crisis unlike any seen in two hundred years.

Sensing its grip on power slipping, the US government brands the secessionists as traitors and mobilizes for all-out war against its own citizens. Armored divisions roll out across the mainland, while fighter jets scream through the skies toward the rebelling states.

Caught in the cross-hairs are the people of Hawaii. Young student Makaio Kamalani leads angry crowds in challenging the occupying troops on the streets of Honolulu, while doctor Leimomi Hōkūlani rushes to treat the wounded protesters, despite threats from hostile soldiers.

Meanwhile, in California, idealistic Governor Santiago meets with other governors from across the US to find a way to defend his state from the looming invasion while protecting the rights and freedoms of his people. He faces opposition from hardline secessionist groups ready to immediately take up arms against US forces.

With tensions rising and all-out civil war looming, can cooler heads prevail, or will the dream of freedom give way to a nightmare of destruction across America? The fate of the nation hangs in the balance.

Questions:

  1. Would you purchase and read this novel if you saw it in a bookstore?
  2. Would you read this novel if it were given to you as a gift?
  3. How do you feel after having read the synopsis?
  4. What is your overall opinion of the genre?
  5. Have you ever read a political drama/wartime drama before?

Drop me a comment down below! I would love to hear your opinion.