Hawaii Books

"In Light of Shadows" collects three more Gothic tales from Japanese master Izumi Kyoka. He is not an easy writer to get into, as is style is deep and complex, and filled with allusion to classic Japanese literature that you probably haven't read. However, the skillful translation of Charles Inouye has provided a bridge into Kyoka's world, allowing Westerners to experience the sad beauty of his stories for the first time.

Kyoka's work is of extraordinary depth, and are the kind of tales that muddle around in your head long after you have turned the final page, trying to figure out if you actually understood them. Then, you are drawn back for a second, and a third reading, with each time a little more of the mystery being made clear.

"A Song by Lantern Light" weaves together two storylines, both of which are influenced by two separate Japanese classics, the travelogue "Shank's Mare" are the Noh play "The Diver." Two gentlemen, Yajirobei and Nejibei travel the same route as "Shank's Mare," constantly dropping quotes from the famous novel and trying their best to re-create the circumstances of the trip. Intermixed with this is the melancholy tale of a nameless, wandering singer and a beautiful woman, Omie. A haunting tale of redemption.

"A Quiet Obsession" is Kyoka's attempt at an old-fashioned Japanese ghost story. A traveler visits an ancient inn, where the bath is haunted by the ghost of a beautiful woman. Slowly, her sad story unfolds in an unexpected way.

"The Heartvine" is a story with its own story. Kyoka was dying of lung cancer, and he knew full well that this would be his final tale. A young man considers suicide, but is saved by the intervention of a young woman who killed herself that same night. It is a story of life and death, the kind only a dying man could write.

At the end of the book, there are also individual essays of the three stories, putting them into historical and cultural perspective. Inouye's passion for Kyoka's writing is infectious, and it is wonderful the way he lays bare the secrets of the stories. I can only hope that this is just the next volume in a continuing series of Kyoka stories translated by Inouye.

This collection of stories by Izumi Kyoka is every bit as excellent as "Japanese Gothic Tales"--possibly better. The haunting moods that Izumi crafts are unlike most anything else I've come across in literature, resembling Poe but more subdued, less horrific. Less dramatic yet more moving. Unlike so many Japanese writers of the early 20th century, Izumi does not throw out the fine literary tradition of Japan in favor of the latest ill-digested trends from Europe, but draws on the best of both traditions to create something altogether more than the sum of its parts. This is probably why he's misunderstood by both his detratctors and his supporters as "quintessentially Japanese" or whatnot. Nope, he's just quintessentially himself, like all the authors we keep reading and re-reading generation after generation,

All three of the fine stories here are distinct in a number of ways too, giving the reader some sense of the scope of Izumi's talent. "A Song by Lantern Light" is one of the more structurally complex of his works, a moving tale of salvation and reconciliation. "A Quiet Obsession" is the closest thing here to a good old ghost story, but the convoluted layers of narration and the sort of time warp effect of the story make for a real mental bender. And "The Heartvine" is easily the most intense; the guy knew he was dying as he wrote it, and you can really feel that he put his whole heart and soul into this partially autobiographical final testament to his readers.

The virtuousi translation work by Charles Inouye should truly be commended, and his essays afterwards are thought-provoking and insightful; he should be thanked too for putting these at the end so that there are no spoilers.

If culture, as I tend to see it, is simply a way of doing and thinking, with Kasulis we have two orientations as cultures, namely, `intimacy' and `integrity' that have characterised over time, respectively, the west and east. The issue here is not to establish which of the two cultures is more important or better, let alone account for a state of conflict in the political sense (as an explanation that stems from adopting the "culture paradigm" of international relations, notably after Huntington).

Kasulis is more concerned with sharing with us the result of his observations. Namely, the existence of two fundamental and often antagonistic ways of doing and thinking in terms of how they (help) construct knowledge, analyse and explain events and experience. Simply put, as modes of describing experience.

Although such an approach resembles previous attempts to theorise and model cultures (by Geertz, Douglas, Lévi-Straus or Malinowski to name but the few that come to my mind), what is original and compelling with Kasulis is the explicitness of the argument and exposition. This is to the point of being extremely convincing that these orientations go beyond the typical cultural or civilisational divides: they are ways of organising action and patterns of thought regardless of our cultural context.

After an insightful introduction that maps antagonism as a source for (conflictual) misunderstandings, Kasulis attempts to approach culture as a habitual and recursive way of doing and thinking in broad terms (that does not exclude exceptions). If culture is any (broad) way of doing and thinking "cultural difference" with Kasulis results from a differential emphasis on one way of doing and thinking (rather than another), and hence a philosophical tradition comes into being in a `symbiotic relation to its culture's values' (p. 20). How this takes place is not clear though - note that with Deleuze it arises from habit itself.

Thus, `cultural difference' helps distinguish between `intimacy' and `integrity'. In simple terms, the former, explained in chapter 2, considers the world to be composed of interrelated units connected to each other through relations that are found inside such units. In contrast, the latter, explained in chapter 3, considers the world to be composed of independent units connected to each other through relations that are found outside such units.

Having developed these notions, Kasulis pursues with laying out the differences in terms of the manner each orientation delimits the construction of knowledge-production systems, rational argumentation as a tool of persuasion and investigation, and the way to construct reality itself - chapter 4. Furthermore, the difference in terms of aesthetic creation and interpretation, ethics relative to how the other is treated, and finally, the political construction of society as a collectivity - chapter 5.

In the final chapter, which in my view is the most important, Kasulis makes the general claim that either orientation, overall, is bound to predominate. He thus uses the notion of `dominance' to explain the consequences of foregrounding either orientation, and warns us against attempts to impose an orientation where its opposite (historically) prevails. This is because `such struggles for authority and for control of discourse' (p. 151) are conflictual (and not simply antagonistic). Thus, if we are to privilege trust and co-operation among different cultures, the solution seems to lie in `tolerance'.

Yet, if tolerance (for differing orientations) is the starting point, how do we go about deciding that this is to be the case? Which orientation are we to use? A first solution to this difficulty is to consider that we are capable of using both orientations. However, Kasulis notes, we cannot know which situation or event calls for which orientation. A second solution lies in changing from orientation to another. This is not a better solution, since such an `oscillation' tends to privilege one orientation rather than the other - `intimacy' over `integrity'. The solution for Kasulis seems to be an `oscillation' between the two orientations with a dimension of `reflectivity'. That is, being aware and using the two orientations as languages in that when one speaks the `intimacy' language, one cannot at the same time be speaking the `integrity' language.

And here lies the strength of this text: as languages, `intimacy' and `integrity' are two different modes for describing the same experience. They are two different forms to capture the same concern. This, in itself, is certainly not new. What is original is the realisation that Kasulis is right: that we tend to actually describe experience by means of two general languages, regardless of how these are called!

Overall, it seems to me that the approach to model culture and to explain differential and even conflictual behaviours through culture are not novel. Despite this, this text is an extremely valuable, brief and easy-to-read exposition of two useful descriptive means for a better understanding of the relationship between description and experience from within a philosophy of difference.

Thomas Kasulis is an exceptionally articulate scholar who has discovered the right balance between meaningful analysis and pragmatic implication. This text is relevant to any persons interested in comparative studies and the necessity of embracing both cultural difference, and those factors which unify us. In an increasingly globalized world, "Intimacy or Integrity" should be read by all of us who seek to better understand how to approach and appreciate one another, no matter who or where we are.

We ordered this book for our grandson to give as a gift on our return trip from Hawaii. We had vacationed on two of the islands for 2 weeks.
The book was such a delight. It was fun for us to review the things that we saw and be able to share it with our boys through the book. The book was very factual, colorful and our grandsons loved it.

What a great book! This one, written by U'Ilani Goldsberry and illustrated by Tammy Yee, is a nice addition to the Discover America State By State series. The alphabet is focused on Hawaiiana, of course. There are details of the alphabetized words ("A is for aloha") that make it appropriate for all ages, and I found them quite interesting.

There were a few things that irritated me. "Leis" is a weird word, since there is no "s" in the Hawaiian alphabet to mix with the Hawaiian word "lei". And "Zoning" for "z"... what's this about? Nevertheless, Goldsberry's text, and of course Tammy Yee's exquisite watercolors, make this a wonderful gift for that special person who is a kid at heart.

Island Grinds is a traveler's guide to the best local dining at the most economical prices on the Hawaiian islands of O'ahu, Hawai'i (a.k.a. "The Big Island"), Kaua'i, and Maui. Arranged by geographical location of the restaurants they describe, each one-page entry includes address information, hours when open, whether a restaurant is "BYOB" or accepts credit cards, average cost of a meal per person, and an in-depth description of each location's specialties, quirks, and charms. A "bottom line" sums up each eatery in a single sentence. Island Grinds is a "must-have" especially for vacationers seeking to sample the finest points of local Hawaiian cuisine. A highly recommended traveling supplement!

I picked this book up in Waikiki and was able to try 3 of the places listed while there. One of them twice. All three were delicious. This book contains more than just raves so you'll know what to expect in each restaurant. (There's also an index of local dish names to help when reading the reviews.) Although I was on O'ahu I read one review for a Maui restaurant that rated the food as average but noted the location made up for everything. Goldman's reviews contain critical advice on whether one, a few, or all dishes are especially good. There is even advice on how some dishes should be ordered.
My only regret? I lost my copy (including take out menus I had picked up) between the hotel, rental car and airport so I'll need to buy another before I return to The Islands.

This is a well-researched historical novel with a mystery and a romance. A must read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story.

In the 1850s the Hawaiian Islands were the focus of many people's dreams. Missionaries dreamed of bring God--and "civilization"--to the savage, heathen Hawaiians. Whalers, businessmen, and politicians dreamed of wealth and power--provided they could wrest control of the government completely away from King Kamehameha. And the islanders themselves dreamed of peace and independence. The Island Snatchers tells the story of Anne Cartwright, the widow of a missionary who has become a nurse to the islanders, and of Dr. Matthew Cabe, a man who comes to the islands to find answers about his father's downfall. They are brought together through a murder and a search for answers. Romantic Times said Janice Johnson "knows how to combine romance and suspense into good reading," and they are absolutely right. The Island Snatchers is a gripping novel that you will want to read again and again.

I was presented this book as a gift and what a wonderful gift it was. Written in the first-person, the book exemplifies the attitudes of both the Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) and the Nisei (second-generation, American-born Japanese). Each story, written by both well-known individuals and everyday soldiers, tells of a fascinating time in U.S. history. I guarantee that each reader will find at least one individual story that will be forever be ingrained in their minds.

I couldn't put this book down! I bought it as a gift to my daughter's best friend of Japanese Hawaiian descent. I read half before we could giftwrap it! Written in first person, autobiographical chapters, it is easy flowing and deeply personal to each author. The stories portray early 1900s Hawaii history through the nisei WWII experiences. Included, are stories of Hawaiian Japanese family life, pride and shame, commitment and loyalty. Dedicated to Hawaii's unique history, this book is greatly undercirculated in mainland America! Thank you to the Hawaii Nikkei History Editorial Board for sharing these people and their lives! I loved it!

I was review it for my project that Hawaii in late 19th century and early 20th century so I need to know where the immigrant people were from other country to Hawaii..

Like the food they eat, the clothes they wear help express a people's relationship to the rest of the world. But the clothing used by Japanese immigrants to Hawaii is now surprisingly scarce.
Work clothes were used until they wore out. Clothes for special occasions, usually hand-woven and sometimes made from rare fabrics like bashofu (an Okinawan specialty made from plantain fiber), were carefully preserved, but after World War II, AJAs (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) sent much of this back to relatives left destitute by firebombing.
Thus Barbara Kawakami, who grew up in a plantation camp on Oahu, had to search many years to find even a single example of once-common items like the kappa, a raincoat sealed with a mixture of linseed oil, turpentine and a fire-retardant.
But she persisted, interviewing some 250 old-timers, many of whom generously presented her with old clothes that allow one to actually feel part of what it was like to leave home -- usually an impoverished farm -- for a strange new land that was often equally impoverished, at least in the early years.
Many of the garments illustrated in 'Japanese Immigrant Clothing' have a story attached, sad, joyous, tragic or triumphant. Kawakami sometimes unwraps her mother's black montsuki, the garment worn at weddings and other most important events. 'Now, as I look at that faded montsuki,' she writes, 'with the hand-drawn design of pine, bamboo and plum on the hemline, I am grateful for the valuable lessons my mother passed on to me, which are literally "bearing fruit" in my lifetime. Yes, to receive a katami (Buddhist keepsake, personal belongings of a dead person, often clothing), no matter what it is, brings back fond memories of loved ones and how they taught us to live.'
For those who have no such memories, this book is also interesting for the sense of immediacy it gives to the little stories of the pioneers. Thus the bleached rice bags, which provided cloth for bento bags (the covers of the tin lunchbuckets the cane and pineapple workers carried into the fields) and school clothes, tell of poverty. But the elaborate traditional style wedding clothes, to which nisei daughters increasingly turned in the 1930s, tell of the growing success of the AJAs.
'The issei (first generation immigrant) parents, especially mothers, sacrificed much to dress their daughters in traditional bridal clothing,' writes Kawakami. 'Others took in washing -- sometimes after working 10 hours in the fields -- to make extra money . . . . A proper wedding gave issei parents a great deal of satisfaction: It linked their lives in the new land to their lives in the villages they had left behind in their youth.'
It is perhaps unfortunate that this book is called simply 'Japanese Immigrant Clothing,' because that does not tip the potential reader to the treasure trove of trivia about daily life and the simple but powerful human stories that Kawakami has assembled.

Victoria Heckman attended a Reserve Police Academy and served as a patrol office for two years in southern California. She briefly considered joining the Honolulu Police Department, but opted out, although she maintains close ties. She has written the K.O.'d in Hawai'i series, featuring the lovely backdrop of the Hawaiian islands.

Katrina Ogden is known as "K.O.," and in this story she is arriving from the Honolulu Police Department for a combination rest and training activity for the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. She is there because, with recent drug activity, the park employees need additional training to deal with problems in the park. Unbeknownst to K.O., there's been a murder, and it won't be long before she is up to her eyeballs in murder and volcanic activity:

"K.O. trembled, and forced herself upright. He's a copy, she told herself. I have to. Do I really? What is my obligation here? Aid a fellow officer in trouble. Capture a criminal. At the very least, it's attempted murder now, since that woman shot at him. Would I even hesitate if this were a dark alley in Waikiki? Or an abandoned warehouse in Iwilei? Not for a second. She blinked, and found she was halfway down the shield, picking her way between two large rivers. She stepped cautiously, afraid of crashing through a think crust and into boiling lava a hundred feet deep."

There is something about a river of lava that is compelling in and of itself. Heckman does a nice job of combining the most sinister of elements: a drug cartel; an apparently dirty cop; a huge volcanic eruption; and a good cop who badly needs a rest to form an interesting and exciting tale of right and evil. To add even more flavor to the mix, K.O. is constantly haunted by images of sacrifice on the edges of the lava pits, plus ominous warnings from a teenage diabetic who happens to be on hand for all the fun.

All in all, K.O. is an interesting, well rounded character the reader will groan for, cheer for, and finally...get a little exasperated with as she almost blows it with her perfect Hawaiian gentleman. K.O.'D IN THE VOLCANO is part of a compelling series with a romantic backdrop.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Katrina "KO" Ogden is happy to be assigned as a training officer for park rangers at the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park while she recovers from injuries caused by a previous case. A Honolulu Police Department officer who is transferring from Records to Evidence, this new assignment is a welcome break that will also provide her time to explore her growing relationship with a old friend. What she doesn't expect to find are hostilities from the park rangers who don't want an outsider amongst them, an increase of violence resulting from drugs on the park, and murder.

KO's peace is further disturbed by having to bunk down with a gaggle of kids on a Diabetes camp, one of whom seems to have almost prophetic powers into KO's life. While KO attempts to deal with the tensions among the rangers and a possible volcano eruption another set of events concerning an elaborate marijuana ring will intrude and have lasting impact on her life.

This is a wonderful mystery that successfully illustrates the beauty, power, and danger living in Hawaii's volcanoes. KO is a delightful character, confident with her professional skills yet still insecure in her personal life. The plot moves along quickly with events all tying together in a satisfying and explosive conclusion. Heckman's second mystery in the KO series is even better than the first, and I can't wait for the third, KO'D IN HAWAIIAN SOVEREIGNTY.

No wonder this book won an award. The writing is fast-paced, and the art is absolutely gorgeous!

This book is so wonderful! The artwork is gorgeous. And it is interesting because it is a true story. With the beautiful writing and stunning artwork, the effect is magical. It's also exciting for boys, because it has some action scenes. I love when my son requests I read it to him. It is an unusual and beautiful book.

These stories are full of folk wisdom, as well as beautifully lyrical descriptions of the places and people of Kaua'i. They are rich in imagery, content, and expression and show the author's deep love of the island. For those concerned with the authenticity of the material, the author explains his research method: some stories come from 19th-century schoolchildren's essays, some from museums, some from folklorists and some directly from storytellers. In any case, each story is written so naturally and so simply, that each one is a poem, and flowing together they create a sparkling and soothing river of knowledge and enjoyment for the reader. I really cannot praise this author's style enough. (This also applies to "Polihale" and "More Kaua'i Tales" by the same author).

Kauai Tales is a wonderful collection of books detailing the mythos of old Kauai. Wether you're a history buff or just interested in what the original residents of Kauai thought about all those beautiful landmarks like The Sleeping Giant, or my personal favorite, Pohaku O'kane. Now, this review is biased, becuase F.B. Wichman is my grandfather, but I'm sure you'll get a great experience from this book.