Hawaii Books

One of the best horticultural books I've seen (and I own too many!).
Lots of information, not only on the plants but also on propagation and diseases.
Superbly organized and well indexed.
If you live on Hawaii and have a yard this book is a must.

Great book. It gives the common name, the latin name and the Hawaiian name of plants we find here in Hawai'i. 416 pages chock full of easy to read and apply methods of growing Hawaiian plants. Lavishly illustrated, generous size of 9 by 11 inches, this is a must have for growers, artists and students of Hawaiian plants. This is the best $45 I have spent on books in a long time. Thanks to the author and publisher.

for anyone that is a real freak about native hawaiian plant
growing,this book is going to be your bible.along with easy to
understand descriptions on the growing of native hawaiian plants
the photos make this book a book for everybodies coffee tables.
i know kerin personally and have been in on her growth as the
foremost authority on the supject of hawaiian plants.she comes
by her knowledge through being friends with and close to the
masters in the field.no college degree for this girl,just,
love for hawaiian plants.great book for all.

Hawai'i One Summer is a slim collection of luminous essays reflecting diversal topics ranging from surfing to house chores. Indeed, this is the least read book by Hong-Kingston. Her prose is clear and evocative. It is very different from the radical Woman Warrior. It evokes a zen quality, like sipping a soulful cup of ginseng tea.

HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER is probably Kingston's least-read work, but I think it's the piece which captures this writer's clear and graceful prose style the best. Her essays range from surfing to dishwashing. Who'd ever guess that someone could write a substantial essay on a mundane activity like dishwashing? Well, Maxine Hong Kingston achieved this task. HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER would probably be good to use in an expository writing course.

A memoir of Maxine Hong Kingston's memorable years in Hawai'i, when she went from Viet Nam protests and virtual street existence to pedagogies and mythologies of empowerment that took on national and global impact. This, I find, an insightful, wry, even caustic book on the local literature movements in Hawai'i, always fresh and insightful even when New Yorkerish.

this book is mostly directed at teenages who have a fetish for surfing and all things girlie. it portrays a feeing that who ever is readding the book is there and can understand the charaters feelings. the five girls in this novel have problimes not only with boys but with family as well. this way the reader can relate to the story.

i really liked this book. i read it under 3 days and becaue im not a huge fan of reading, i found this book easy to read. not only does it share realationships between boys, but familys as well, which most girls can relate to.

if your a fan of surfing and love a hawaiian getaway then this book is great. its about a girl who goes to hawaii with her mates to have a photo shoot for a surf magasine, plus a bit of a surf. so if you wanna relax with a book, this 1 is great for you.

This book is awesome... I was totally stoked to get this book. I read it in one day. I so want to go to hawaii right now and surf... that would be so awesome! This is a great book and you should definitly read it.

I have always been an avid reader and credit that as the source of my strength in communicating ideas and concepts when I teach. "A Hawaiian Life" proved to be a most enjoyable reading experience for me - and not because of the inclusion of pidgin english which I am so familiar with - but more so because of the stories told. George Kahumoku Jr. has lived, as is living, an incredibly full life and Paul Konwiser has been able to capture, through first person narrative, some of the exceptional and wonderful experiences of George. The stories are a window into a lifestyle and are sprinkled with insights into the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic diversity that is unique to Hawaii. That alone, though, is not the allure or appeal of this biography. George has had EXTRAORDINARY experiences few, if any, of us will have. Each chapter is subtitled and "Almost Dead at Six Weeks Old" and "A Shark Attacks" may give you an idea of what I mean. Often humurous, at times touching and wonderfully illustrated by George, this book did what I want books to do - entertain and captivate me. Buy it today and ENJOY! I'll be waiting for more stories from Paul and George!!

"A Hawaiian Life" is a collection of stories from the daily experiences of a contemporary Hawaiian man, George Kahumoku Jr., a master slack key guitar player who has entertained all over the world. The stories are funny and unpretentious, such as an ahi (tuna) fishing disaster; teaching his son to be an entertainer; and adjusting (or not) to life in an elegant resort hotel. The book gives a generous view of a Hawai'i most people never get to see. Illustrated by the author, these allegorical tales are layered with meanings, often spiritual, and they resonate for a long time after being read.

The only bad thing about "A Hawaiian Life" is that it's over so quick. I could have read another 1000 pages of Mr. Hakumoku's story. For any Hawaiian at heart who longs for sitting down with a true Hawaiian and talking story, this is as good as it gets. A picture window into a lifestyle so far from what some of us are living today. Sit back with inu, kick off da kine slippas and escape brah. Feel Hawaiian for a while. Mahalo nui loa George!!

I used this guide along with "Oahu Revealed" and was thoroughly happy with both purchases. This particular guide, while missing color photos, had awesome walking tours and many useful maps. Each area was divided into easy to follow categories such as eating, sleeping and activities. And the reviews are short, but accurate!

I just get back from Oahu for my engagement trip. I can say, all my 7-day trip is on this book, from attractives to restaurants. The informations are accurate and comprehensive. Highly recommended guide book.

My sister-in-law and I used this book daily on our trip to Oahu. We started referring to it as "the Bible"! Lots of info but not overwhelming. Fun tips on how to navigate popular tourist attractions. All information was accurate and up to date for our January 2007 trip. Highly recommended.

I have not found a better estate planning book on the market as informative or as easy to read than this one. It is humorous, full of information and a lot of fun to read. Highly recommended.

This book has very simple descriptions about every aspect of estate planning. It is very easy to read and understand. And it provides a comprehensive outline of all the ways you can eliminate death taxes. I liked the simple graphics and pictures that made the descriptions easier to understand. A must for anyone interested in avoiding death taxes and probate.

As an attorney, I recommend that all clients read and consider the information in Mr. Lilly's book before they finalize an Estate Plan. The book is well written in everyday language so all can easily understand.

Island Boyz is a collection of short stories that is sure to delight readers young and old alike. More then just stories told with a Hawaii flare, these stories could take place in any young person's life, and I believe some of them have.

Some make you chuckle, such as the story 'Mrs. Noonan', some make you wonder(Forty Bucks) and yes there is at least one that left this reader a tad sad (The Doi Store Monkey). Isn't that what a good read is all about?

A good mix for the mind and soul. A recommended read, one I feel you will truly enjoy!

Shirley Johnson/Reviewer

These short stories reflect the author's love of Hawaii and its culture and atmosphere, providing very different viewpoints and experiences of Hawaiian culture and dreams. From a dead boy and a ravine's hidden beauties to images of the shark as a family protector, this captures perfectly the diverse cultures and concerns of Hawaii's youth.

These stories are fantastic, varied, vivid, subtle, captivating, engrossing -- I'm running out of breath to describe them. Nearly every narrator (and certaingly every speaking boy)in these stories uses the pidgin dialect of the Hawaiian Islands, and as you grow accustomed to reading it, the rhythm of the language begins to feel like music in your ear. Few writers have created as detailed and heartfelt a portrait of a place as Salisbury does here for his beloved Hawaii. The stories are full of fishing, diving, flips flops, green mountains and soaring birds. The stories, and the island boyz, will stay with you long after the book is closed. Waiting for the War is the standout story among a whole collection of fine pieces.

Oliver Statler's Japanese Pilgrimage is a delight. Retracing the steps of generations of past pilgrims, he brings their stories to life and evokes a gentle reflective mood for the reader. As well, modern Japan is brought into focus through his appreciation of the links between tradition, Buddhism and Shinto and contemporary culture. A really delightful read, and a good "travellers tale" that will be enjoyed by those who have or are planning to visit Japan.

This book tells the story of an American man who makes a famous pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku with his Japanese friend.
Having lived/studied in Zentsuji Shikoku for a year, (the home of Kobo Daishi the monk who created the pilgrims trail) I can vouch for the books authenticity.

It is a tale about the 88 temples along the way, the political intrigues, secret love affairs between villgers and pilgrims and the stories of despair and pain. Oliver weaves a beautiful web between the past history which he quotes and the present conditions of the modern pilgrims and village people he meets along the way. It is not only a book about Japanese culture accurately and sensitively crafted but the spiritual journey of the author also and his struggle with his inner darkness. Its a great read.

Each temple along the way has a personality and a shadow and the pilgrim connects the stories of the past with his present journey as he interviews the local people and describes their various characteristics. The journey traverses various provinces from Kagawa to Kochi where the various people display unique attitudes towards the pilgrims varying between open hostility to hospitality.

It is a good book to realize the complexity of Japanese culture and to appreciate the beauty of this amazing island of sea, temples and mountains. Oliver is truly an amazing oriental observer with the spirit of zen in each page. He writes honestly, openly and without pretention.

They just don't make books like this anymore! This is a wonderfully rambling, lyrical, impressionistic portrait of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, anecdotal and episodic and yet gradually unfolding according to an underlying narrative plan. It's accessible and simply written and yet well-researched, informative, and highly evocative of Japanese religiosity as it functions in real life. At times it's intensely personal, based as it is on the author's own pilgrimage experiences (mainly a complete walking circuit of the eighty-eight temples accomplished with a friend in 1971), and yet at other times it's intriguingly biographical concerning monks and pilgrims prominent in the pilgrimage's long history. The author's fervent enthusiasm and deep esteem for this religious phenomenon and its underlying spirituality overflows on every page, and yet he's quite realistic and straightforward about some of the shadier and unsavory aspects of the pilgrimage. Finally, the icing on the cake, the book is profusely illustrated with fine woodcuts and paintings both premodern and modern, once again proving the principle that a picture's worth a thousand words.

The book is divided into three sections, and with each section the reader gets closer and closer to lived religion in Japan. In the first part Statler concentrates on outlining the historical personage of Kukai (later known honorifically as Kobo Daishi), the 8th/9th-century monk and founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan upon whom the pilgrimage is focused. In the second part Statler attempts to portray how layers and layers of legend and belief enlarged and eventually apotheosized Kobo Daishi and of how faith in him as a divine savior was spread among the populace by wandering, itinerant holy men (many pious if unlearned, some inevitably charlatans). Finally, in the third section the pilgrimage itself comes into sharper focus, including discussions with current pilgrims and priests along with accounts of many past pilgrims such as the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danzo VIII, the feminist writer Takamure Itsue, the Chicago anthropologist Frederick Starr, and the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki, to name only a few. And of course all three sections are permeated with legends, folk stories, anecdotes, and miracle tales that are fantastic or even bizarre--and that capture the mood and feel of the pilgrimage perfectly in all its ambiguity.

Just a word of warning, though, this is not a guidebook. Statler does not describe every single one of the eighty-eight temples*, and for those temples he does describe he skips around a lot and backtracks now and then with no attempt at going along in their order on the pilgrimage route. And there is absolutely no concrete information on travel and accommodations or the like, so don't count on this book for such purposes. Instead, allow this book to get you into the spirit of the pilgrimage, whether you really intend on actually performing it or not, in fact. Indeed, you don't need to know a thing about Japan to follow and enjoy this fine account, and yet those who've studied Japan for years will doubtlessly find much to learn and enjoy as well. And if you happen to have fond memories of life in rural Japan, then believe me, this book will definitely take you back there in spirit.

*(In the back there is an appendix with each temple listed by name and number along with the principal deity and sect affiliation of each, though this is more in the nature of an FYI than a guide per se).

The reason this book came to my attention was I first heard of it from Windward Community College. I guess they promote a book each year. So when a friend offered me her book to read I was stoked. The book was the original hardback, that just looked so classic as it had aged gracefully. Its old but classic look kind of set the mood for the story. The first part was really interesting as they talked about traveling up Nu'uanu valley to the Pali (I pass that way several times a week). The whole story has such a nice Hawaiian feel. It describes a time that my mother lived through, so it really hits home. Anyone interested in Hawaii in anyway should read this!

This well-crafted historical novel held me captive until I finished it. Descriptions of Oahu, native Hawaiians, haoles (foreigners), and the events of Hawaii in the 1850s seemed entirely authentic. I enjoyed the technique of two complementary stories, each told by the two primary characters (one Hawaiian, one Haole). I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Hawaii's people and history.

As a native of Hawaii I found this book hard to put down. It's set in Hawaii in the 1850's, during a time when pressure from foreign powers created considerable turmoil within the Hawaiian royal house. What I like best is that the story is told in the person of a Hawaiian priest (and tutor to the Prince Liholiho). He has considerable, intricate, and savy knowledge of what goes on in Hawaii. Yet he too, like the powerful royal house he serves, is subject to political and cutural changes far beyond his control. The descriptions of the influenza and smallpox epidemics, and the manifestations of the rapidly vanishing old culture, are chilling.

I've lived in Korea for 3 years, and recently read this book as part of my exploration of the culture here. I consider this one of the better books I've read for this purpose.

Everyday I see these old people, and my Korean isn't good enough to have a conversation of any substance with them. I can communicate well enough to know that they have fascinating stories of another world, one I can barely imagine. And then, I can't understand any of the details!

Well, this is one of the stories they'd have to tell me.

As another reviewer pointed out, it's a biography, not an exploration of Korean shamanism; Kendall has written a good book on that topic, however.

The subject, called "Youngsu's Mother," was a young girl at the time of the war, so her memories are quite fascinating. Her perspectives of the family dynamics, jealousies among siblings, relationships between first and second wives, and between a new wife and her in-laws are quite revealing.

A Korean friend told me about her mother, whose mother secretly threw her school books to her over a fence so that the grandfather wouldn't know the girl was going to school. Youngsu's Mother tells a similar story.

In other ways as well I sense that Youngu's Mother's story is not too remarkable for women of her generation. But it's not a summary of Korean history or anything, just one woman's story. And it's a good one, thanks to the story-telling talents of Youngsu's Mother and Laurel Kendall.

This is an exhiliarating account of the life of a Korean Shaman, and her interesting life in modern Korea. It is fun to read just for pleasure and it's interesting. Because it is a case study, it does not necessarily purport to be representative of all Korean Shamans, but nevertheless it teaches a lot about Korea in this century.

The story of "Yongsu's Mother" is compelling, informative, and thought-provoking at the same time. Yongsu's Mother clearly enjoys telling her stories, and has developed a flair for the dramatic (at the expense of accuracy from time to time it appears). I read this book for a class on East Asian folklore, and while I realize Yongsu's Mother is not the archetypal shaman, her experiences shed light on not only Korean shamans, but Koreans in general.

The most interesting part of the book, besides the stories, is Kendall's struggle to ascertain the accuracy of Yongsu's Mother's stories. Yongsu's Mother is presumably not deliberately lying to Kendall, but instead exhibiting a fundamental human paradox: the past, presumably done with and set in stone, is made fluid by the human mind and memory. The point is not that Yongsu's Mother's variations destroy her credibility, but rather that the variations give insight into her, and presumably her culture's, psyche.

This was a wonderful book ... don't be scared off by the title: this is not a book specifically about religion, but a biography about a woman who happens to be a shaman. 5 out of 5 stars.