Hawaii Books

This is an excellent, beautifully written critical study of this important novelist, one that dares to take literature and those who write it seriously. Angela Yiu well avoids the tired and tiresome routine of character assassinating the author in the name of leftist politics or deconstructing the work which the author labored so hard to construct. Instead, this study clearly recognizes the spiritual and ethical importance of great literature (which is why I read lit, anyway; I don't know about anyone else). Yiu explores the wide range of genres in which Soseki wrote, and even among his novels she addresses their stylistic multiplicity, but her consistent focus on the theme of chaos and order keeps this study itself from spinning out of control. Great scholarly work.

The Hawaii known for its swaying palms and crashing seas is not the one depicted here. "Chicken Skin", the Hawaiian term for Goosebumps, makes us realize that paradise is not exempt from the supernatural. It is a wonderfully scary collection of true ghost stories retold by the affected locals. Best read under flickering candlelight.

Its an amazing book which travel with me for the last few years.
I am an acupuncturist who practice, search and teaching Chinese Medicine for the last 20 years, As such I belive that the familarities with Chinese Thinking is the most important to my personal development as man and practitioner.
The book is written in clear, intresting and vivid way, so , it easy to follow despite the complexity of the material it comes to explore.

A good book, in my view, is one that provides new information about a worthy theme. A fine book is one that provides a new perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. A superb book is one that provides both new information about a worthy theme and a new, thought-provoking perspective from which to understand a significant body of information. This is a superb book. Mark Mullins, professor of sociology of religion and Christian studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, has devoted years of research to pursuing an answer to the question of "what happens to a world religion when it is transplanted from one culture to another." More specifically, he focuses on "made in Japan" forms of Protestant Christianity-not its mainline forms but its indigenous movements. "My primary concern," he says, "has been to understand what Japanese Christians have done with Christianity, independent of the authority and control of the mission churches." ... And let it be said at once: he has done a magnificent job. -- David Reid, Former editor of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

Whether a history buff, someone interested in Pacific and/or church and state history, or simply out for a good read - this book is definitely for you. Church and State, takes the reader through the fascinating developments leading to the establishment of the current monarchy in Tonga and the role that tradition, politics, the missionary movement and other factors played in its history. At the same time the book (based on Rev Dr Latukefu's thesis) is an important document in analysing the different historical dynamics that were played out between church and state outside of European history. The late Rev Dr Sione Latukefu was not only a reknowned scholar and teacher, but a great story teller as well. The history leading up to the rise of Tupou I makes Macbeth seem like childs play...

During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an (present day Xi'an, home of the terracotta warriors) was the largest city in the world. It was also laid out on a vast scale that dwarfed any other city at the time, with extremely broad avenues that divided the citiy into wards. The book explains the physical forms of the city as well as some of the social aspects of living in the city at the time and how they changed over the course of the dynasty. Comparisons are made between other cities nearby. This book is an engaging opportunity to understand urban planning history of a non-western city, something that is lacking in western planning education. I also have a deeper understanding of China's present-day urban layout after having read the book.

If you are interested in Chinese urban history and issues through the ages, I would suggest this book to start you of and then 'Remaking Chinese Urban Form' by Duanfang Lu for a look at the communist era and 'China's Urban Transition' by John Friedmann for a quick look at what is happening now. If you live in China, Professor Heng also has a book with enclosed dvd entitled 'A Digital Reconstruction of Tang Chang'an'--well worth it, in English and Chinese. Steinhardt's 'Chinese Imperial City Planning' is also good, covering more cities and throughout many more time periods, but the cities start to blur together and there is less of a three dimensional and social feel of what the cities were like.

The 1940s saw the outbreak of the Yili rebellion, which led to the collapse of Chinese state authority over a wide area of Xinjiang in the chaotic years of the later 1940s. In Clouds Over Tianshan: Essays On Social Disturbance In Xinjiang in the 1940s, David Wang looks not just at the ethnic and religious dimensions, both of which had many international ramifications. Politically, there were three external actors in the affair: the Chinese Nationalist government, the Chinese communists, and the Soviets. As World War II came to an end and the Chinese civil war gathered pace, the dynamics between these three actors altered and those alterations had a major impact on the course of events in Xinjiang between 1944 and 1949. Clouds Over Tianshan is an important and much appreciated contribution for students of Chinese history and help to explain the similarity of the events of the 1940s with those of today in the region.

Finally an activity book specific to the area we are traveling.
Creative and authentic, we loved it!
Brenda Valnicek

my husband and I are planning our first trip to Honolulu, so I purchased 8 books to read and compare notes. I found this book to be the most helpful. It mentions places to visit none of the others did. A place called the Toilet bowl, is a local swimming hole hangout, that most people don't know about. This book is the only one that mentioned it of the 8. I know I will be taking only two books with me, this one and Oahu revealed. Don't waste your money on any others

This is a great guide, packed with info in a very usable format, that just opens up the island. The sections on beaches and hiking trails are especially useful, and that alone more than pays for the book. Also remarkable is the organization of the points of interest, that makes them easy to locate.