Hawaii Books

Like the title says, this is my favorite Hawai'i collection of stories. It manages to give many perspectives on the beauty and mystery of this chain of islands. If you're traveling to the islands, this is a great way to start to imagine the place you're going.

This is more of a suggestion for reading rather than a review: read the book from beginning to end because the editors have done a splendid job of organizing the essays to present a coherent and colorful view of Hawaii. I don't know of a better contemporary look into what has attracted tourists to the islands since the first Polynesians arrived. While not exactly a travel guide, it is a map for how one might travel. As a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed hearing the many voices telling the stories of this Pacific crossroads. The book belongs to the best tradition of the Hawaiian impulse to talk story.

This book is terrific! It is based and is by a native Hawaiian. Great step by step instructional.

I loved this book! I was having a luau birthday party and I wanted all the guests to have real lei's, but the price I found were crazy ($40-$80 a per lei!). So when a friend of mine bought this book for me I was VERY happy. After I got into it and discovered how easy it was, I couldn't imagine my luck! If you are into Hawaiian stuff or having a party, this is the book for you!

Anyone who is interested in "kahuna wisdom" or "huna" should read this book.

Written by a Native Hawaiian, this book explains in detail a world-view of the ancient Hawaiians, the thought framework from which they approached the world. What is presented here is material collected from ancient chants and stories, beginning with the Kumulipo.

Much of the book is a nontechnical re-writing of the writer's doctoral dissertation. As such, it relies on accepted references and has been read and approved by numerous authorities on Hawaiian traditions.

However, it is a short (124 pages of text) and easy-to-read overview, with useful drawings and delightful stories given as examples.

As the author says, this is only one world-view of the Hawaiians, but it is powerful and authentic.

This book is a must for any person interested in an academic book on traditional Hawaiian philosophy and cosmology. It is a very readable and unique book. However, the occasional extrapolation of ideas from other polynesian cultures was done, instead of saying "We don't know". Overall a keeper. I plan to read it again and I strongly recommend it to friends.

Now in an updated and expanded third edition, The Hawaiians Of Old by Betty Dunford is a 234-page fact-filled history book about the native Hawaiian people. The Hawaiians Of Old is written for children, but will appeal to readers of all ages who want a general overview of Hawaiian history. An informed and informative text goes into depth about the intricate culture of the islands, including native stonework, net making, worship, government, and much, much more. Full-color illustrations intersperse and enhance this fascinating, well-researched, superbly written, and very highly recommended introduction and survey of Hawaiian history.

how they harvestede the taro. how they grew the taro.what is its parts called.about the water and the wate ditches.all about thetaro patches.preparing the taro. when did they eat it and the rest of the things about taro

I agree Hawaii is very healing as well as this book (very helpful to healing) also check out "World Ventures with Wayne Nugent and Mike Azcue."

*****
This book, Healing Vacations in Hawaii, is excellent for planning an transformational vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii. Note that this book is the "Big Island Edition" and does NOT cover Oahu (where Honolulu is), Maui, or any of the other islands. Hopefully future books from the author will, though, as it is an incredible resource.

Part of the book is general history and interesting facts about the various areas of the Big Island. The rest (about 90% of the book) is descriptions of different retreats, alternative healers, and spas that are available on the big island. About 45 different healing experiences are profiled in depth, and more are listed in the back of the book. It is amazing to see the variety of healing experiences and healers that are available in this area of the world. The stories are well-written and illustrated with portraits and other photographs.

Although the book is paperback, it is larger size and contains almost 300 pages of text, black and white photography, and maps.

The book also covers general considerations when planning a healing retreat in Hawaii, and interesting tidbits you'd not encounter elsewhere, like how to behave when you're swimming with dolphins.

You couldn't find a better book, or find a better place to start with your travel preparations for a healing retreat. Highly recommended.
*****

A real page turner. As an instructor in criminal justice at a community college I find this a great reference for students interested in the forensic side of police work. Since there is no established CSI type of technical course avaiable this is a great primer to keep them attracted to the field to focus on their primary interest as they develop their science curriculum. For those who worked for Honolulu Police in the 1980s this book will bring back memories. Kudos to the authors for a job well done.

Gary A. Dias spent twenty-seven years with the Honolulu Police Department, and his wife Robbie Dingeman has covered major stories in a Hawaiian newspaper since 1982. They have both changed positions, but Dias remains involved in security, and Dingeman covers health for THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER. Dias' first book was entitled HONOLULU COP.

Rather than writing another crime mystery, Dias and Dingeman have chosen to write a fascinating police procedural which covers many of the murders they were involved in O'ahu as that community transitioned from being a relatively small, tightly-knit town to a large city. Some of the higher profile crimes included the murders of Representative Roland Kotani, Diane Suzuki, and seven employees of the Xerox Corporation. Dias and Dingeman give the reader an inside peek at the actual investigations of each case presented:

"Police and prosecutors pieced together the events this way: Uyesugi walked into work that morning with a Glock 9-mm semiautomatic pistol with a seventeen- round magazine hidden in a holster under his aloha shirt. He saw one coworker, but kept walking down the hall. Then he pulled out the gun and shot Ronald Kawamae in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Jason Balatico responded by running toward the gunman, who turned on him, shooting him the wrist, chest, shoulder, neck, and back. He did not shoot another man who was in the room..."

Not only does the Dias team cover many of the murder cases of the period, they also include a comprehensive review of the police work involved. Some cases remain unsolved, and their frankness about what brought investigations up short is insightful and gives the reader an inside view on the tremendous stress of police work. The sometimes adversarial relationship between the police and press is examined, with an optimistic commentary on the strides that have been made in that area. Their book is unique and riveting to anyone with an interest in the subject of murder and provides a rare inside look at the police department in Honolulu.

Honolulu Homicide is a history of the past twenty-five years of the police department. Dias and Dingeman are careful to protect facts and are sensitive to the victim's families. A great read.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Everything you need to know about making Hawaiian musical intstruments.
Easy to follow pictures and informative text.

This book has made it possible for us to save hundreds of dollars because we can now make our own instruments for our dance classes and recitals. I believe that this is a MUST-HAVE for schools that do not have immediate access to ready made instruments or those that do not have the money to purchase ready made instruments. A great resource book!

This wonderful book gives a complete historical perspective of the Hawaiian dance form known as the hula. The Hawaiians had no writing - their history was entirely oral. So for the history of the Hula prior to the arrival of Europeans in Hawai`i, we are entirely reliant on descriptions of the first European visitors to Hawai`i and on some early accounts written by Hawaiians who learned to write. Source material is scarce. When the missionaries arrived, they were, of course, shocked by the lascivious hula movements, and quickly made it illegal (in public). Fortunately for the hula and for all of us, King Kalakaua (1874-1891) loved the hula and was responsible for a revival that continues today. The annual hula festival on the Big Island - THE MERRY MONARCH FESTIVAL - honors his devotion to this art form. This book covers all of that, plus lots of information on the Hula Heiau (temple) on Kaua`i that is still heavily used today. You have to have this book if you are interested in hula at all.

This book obviously has humble orgins. Much of it is in a typeface resembling typewritten pages, and it is a compilation of papers written by various authors. However its historical perspective on the initial explorers description of hula, the rites of the halau hula (hula school) and in particular the historical activities of hula on the island of Kaua`i is invaluable to the student of Hawaiian culture and hula. I read it and immediately started buying the other books referenced in it.

A great book for kids. The littlest opihi stuck to it through thick and thin just like opihi always do. A nice lesson from nature.

You should read this book because it has good description, it has great pictures and a outstanding setting. My favorite character is the crab because he had little coral plants with smiles on his back. The crab and coral were very nice. My favorite part was when Opihi was on the crabs back while crab brought him home to the sea rocks. It was my favorite part because it was funny. It was cute and playful to.
by Jillian P

This is a definitive and well written book on Balinese paintings from the village of Batuan. This book serves as the exhibition catalog for the Batuan Painting exhibition from the collection of Bateson and Mead. Prof. Geertz illusively decribed the relationship between the Balinese culture, tradition and myth, the western influence and the development of Balinese Paintings. Highly recommended for the patrons and the students of Balinese Painting

I am Balinese and enjoyed this book. It is a catalogue of Margaret Mead's and her husband Gregory Bateson's collection of paintings. They were in Bali off and on throughout the Thirties.

Batuan is a village in Central Bali, which is not far from my own village of Ubud. They are both artists' villages, but the painting styles are very different. Ubud has attracted a lot of foreigners, who have influenced the local artists. This was not the case with the painters in Batuan, who developed their own style.

Professor Hildred Geertz is a renowned anthropologist, who writes well, and explains the stories behind these paintings, which would otherwise be rather hard to follow. I think that some of the points she mentions are original and interesting.

Most of the painters are profiled with a short biography. Margaret Mead and Gregory Bates interviewed the painters and made notes. Some are charming and very personal, like the fact that Ida Bagus Made had been to a movie once.

Recommended.