Hawaii Books

This little book is a great read -- the first chapter is an accurate history of Tikis in Hawaiian History. Schweitzer then proceeds to trace the use of this symbol by pop culture, bars, restaurants, singers, on the mainland and in the islands. Excellent writing, superb graphics.

Fascinating and one of the only definative accounts of a wonderful and now bygone experience in ocean travel in the Pacific. A must for anyone with an interest in Matson Navigation or oceanic travel during that period.

Dennis Altman asked whether gays in developing countries are adopting Western gay rights, nomenclature, and culture or do they view it as imperial. Sinnott notes that his focus is upon gay men, rather than women-loving women. She looks at Thailand to investigate these matters. For those that don't understand the essentialism-constructivism debates, this book will help to explain everything. Sinnott discusses "toms" and "dees" and doesn't even bring up the Western term "butch-femme" until the latter half of the book.

According to Sinnott, gay and homophobic Thais both embrace and reject the West. Homophobes will say homosexuality is a sign of Western decadence but then also say, "Let's hide Thai gays so that our Western heroes don't look down upon us." Lesbian Thai activists strive to show others that Thai lesbians have existed for centuries, but gay rights is also seen as modern and glamorous given its Western origins.

Again, both activism and bigotry are different over there. It's considered impolite to be confrontational and "in your face" a la Queen Nation in the 1990s in Thailand, especially for women of any sexuality. Thus, this book includes several examples of Thai lesbians letting comments slide that Western lesbians would not. However, the author continually repeats that Thai parents would rather see their daughters involved romantically with women than "losing face" by being with unmarried men.

As much as the author makes Thailand look greener than the America has been to lesbians, there are instances when Thailand seems dare I say "primitive" for lack of a better word. The author states that Thais only see hyperfeminine gay men and butch lesbians as liking their own sex. They have no knowledge or recognition of manly clones or "lipstick" lesbians. Anybody who has taken a women's studies or gay studies class will find it hard to understand how Thais fail to differentiate between sexual object choice, gender identity, and biological sex. In the US, the division between gays and transsexuals is very clear. One doesn't need the Empire State Building or Disneyland to see that. So it's hard not to look at this blind spot as kind old-school.

Further, Thai tolerance of lesbians doesn't seem to erase self-loathing. Many of the toms here say they are being punished for bad deeds in a past life. Many of these butches see themselves as second-rate men, so different from the proud American butches that Judith Halberstam analyzed. Sinnott stated that heterosexually-active sex workers are more politicized and unapologetic than Thai lesbians are.

I thought of two topics this book fails to bring up. The author repeats that dees have no identity and community outside of their tom lovers. Why aren't they influenced by the bisexual rights movement in the West? Don't they see bi-curious acts and statements by Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Pink, or Janet Jackson? Female bisexuality is BIG in the US, it hasn't floated over to Thailand?! Second, lesbians in the US have said, "If you don't come out or wear things that are coded as lesbians, straight men will hit on you until you're blue in the face!" In this book, though dees are pressured by their parents to marry men, no interviewee states that she is out or acts tom in order to deflect attention from straight males.

Finally, I wish the author had said more about herself. In my high school, there was a Thai-American guy named Joe who was really named Sinat. I wonder if the author's last name is just another spelling of that. Is the author Thai-American? I hear Thai is incredibly difficult for Westerners to learn. When studying gay men in developing countries, writers like Joseph Carrier and Manuel Fernandez-Alemany had to have sex to get into circles where gay men would open up to them. Did this female anthropologist have to do the same thing? Is the author butch- or femme-identified? I think that would sway how toms and dees related to her. Does the author not practice butch-femme? What would Thai lesbians say of Western counterparts that do not "take a role"?

After "The Tourist", by Dean MacCannell and Valene Smith's edited book titled "Hosts and Guests", in the mid-1970s, the field of the Anthropology of Tourism was flung wide open. A large number of writers focussed their attention on this topic which rapidly increased in importance. In this `new wave' of anthropological writing, Picard and Wood's edited volume on tourism, ethnicity and the state in various societies in Asia and the Pacific stands out for its quality. Wood's introduction is followed by seven well-written, informative chapters, each written by different authors. There are a number of maps, charts, and even black and white photographs, all of which enhance the text. The areas covered by the book include Guizhou in southwestern China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bali and Sulawesi Selatan in Indonesia, and Hawai'i /Western Samoa. The authors chose their own directions and followed their own interests, but unlike many other such compilations that I have read, this one really hangs together in excellent fashion.

In China, Singapore and Indonesia, "ethnic tourism" both reflects state policy towards national ethnic groups and is used by the state to further policy. Tourist development does not operate outside state controls, so we read about showcase visions of ethnic diversity in which ethnicity itself is commodified according to government guidelines. In Bali, tourism has become so much part of the culture that it can no longer be considered an outside force. The author can write of the "culturalization" of Balinese society in which the arts emphasized by cultural tourism have become crucial to Balinese identity. In Thailand, neglect of national minorities and their culture reflects the state policy of trying to `iron out' differences between small ethnic groups and the large Thai majority (to the detriment of the former). The Malaysian case reflects not so much on ethnic policy in the country as on using tourism and tourist `precincts' to foster a particular view of national history and culture. The study of Hawai'i and Samoa may be the most diffuse of the seven, plus, the capitalist environment of the "50th State" precludes the state interference found in China and parts of Southeast Asia. Thus this final chapter does not mesh so neatly with the others, yet the author also introduces useful points to show how tourism is intimately linked with ethnicity and how the state used a certain image to foster both tourism and domestic harmony (despite the patent untruth of that image). In short, this is a most useful book for those interested in the anthropology of tourism, in politics (state interference in tourism, state manipulation of ethnic images, ethnic rivalries over tourism receipts), and in the constant revision of what "culture" and "history" really mean in any one society. If I were teaching a course that touched on any of these issues, I would definitely use this book. If I were writing a paper on some aspect of tourism, I would have no qualms about turning to this book for its excellent case studies.

This book is rich in content and visuals--loaded with examples of the finest clay works from PNG, along with pictures of their makers at work. These men and women were true artists. We are shown how coiling was done, and how a pot can be fashioned by the paddle and anvil technique--the two basic potmaking traditions of Melanesia. The authors include maps showing all villages with pot making industries at the time the first edition of this book came out in the early eighties, as well as then extinct villages that once were pottery producers. We are also shown the regions where men predominantly make pottery, others where it is the women, or where both collaborate in the process of making and decorating clay objects for utilitarian and ritual use. This is a completely informative and thoroughly enjoyable record of a remarkable tradition, far better than anything you could pull off the Web on the subject in facts and in details and in images.

Good coverage of how to choose, use, and store tropical fruits. Includes tropical fruits which are common and new to the marketplace. Beautiful illustrations, hardcover, and a quality book

If you are going to Hawai'i and have a desire to know about the trees you'll see, this is a wonderful little book to have.

Keep in mind that this is a pocket guide, and not a comprehensive guide of *all* trees found in Hawai'i. As the author states on page 6, "Our purpose in this book is to help you identify the trees that you usually see as you travel around the Hawaiian islands." I just returned from being on O'ahu and Moloka'i, and, with the exception of the one tree I mention below, every tree I saw I found in this book.

This book is very well organized and easy to read. The layout is crisp and clean, and the names of the trees are bolded so they are easy to spot when flipping through the pages. Each tree entry is accompanied by at least one photo (all photos are of superb quality), but there are usually two or more photos which include a close-up of the fruit and/or flower and a photo of the entire tree. The entry itself is always interesting and includes information such as the origins of the tree, how the tree is used, growing habits, and pertinent historical information.

In the back, there is a helpful guide which tells of parks, arboretums, trails and other areas on the various islands where you can best see tree specimens.

Also in the back is a Picture Index. However, in many cases, the pictures are in adequate for effective referencing.

The only other criticisms I have are that I wish that *every* tree had a full-view picture and also that they would have included the paper mulberry tree. Whether that tree is still common or not, I don't know, but it was cultivated by the Hawaiians and still seems to be as evidenced by the multitude of items for sale which included "kapa cloth." This book just doesn't seem complete without this tree.

I still give this book five stars. It's a wonderful little book that includes a surprising amount of trees for it's small size, wonderful pictures, and a wealth of helpful and interesting information.

This book is great! I really liked it and I think anyone else would like it too! I reccomend this book to any girl, any age!

I feel very fortunate to have this book in my possession. If you have seen recent news reports and then pick up your book you will see that Walter Dudley and the and author Anthony D. Frederick were right on the money about tsunamis. The information in this book is invaluable. Walter Dudley suggests in the book that anyone living in a coastal area should educate themselves about tsunamis. He also suggests that tourist who visit areas that are prone to tsunami's should have a tsunami plan in place.

The book may be short in length, but the information is excellent. The book sheds light on which areas of the world are prone to tsunami's, the causes of tsunamis and accounts of past tsunami's. It is written for younger readers but adults will also find this book informative. The book also includes pictures and diagrams. One picture that sticks out in my head is a picture of a poster in Hawaii where they warn about the warning signs of a tsunami. This book is so wonderful, you will really learn everything you want to know about tsunami's in a short easy to read book.

An absolute must for anyone who wants to do an indepth study of Buddhism in China. Clearly explains the different ways of thinking in the various Buddhist schools in China.

It is a shame we don't see more books of this quality from other authors.