Hawaii Books

Frank Dikötter has put together an excellent collection of articles about the development of racial and national identities in China and Japan. Starting from where Western scholars fear to tread but need to go, he asserts in the introduction that dismissing the development of racial (or racist) attitudes in Asia as the mere extension of Western ethnocentrism is not only short-sighted, but dangerous.

Especially as we enter the 21st century as globalization brings nations and ideologies closer together, it is important to understand the historically specific formations of national and racial identity that determines individual identity formation. Splitting the book into two halves, with articles about China leading off the book, the varied articles and analyses are quite insighful and theoretically rigorous.

This is a good first introduction to the subject, and many of the authors in the book can be found elsewhere, some of them having written their own books based on their lines of research. Kosaku Yoshino, Frank Dikötter, Louise Young, and David Goodman have all written works worthy of buying outright.

Of particular interest are the Japan chapters, which outline the development of ideas of racial particularism as the nation reconstructed itself in its program of modernization, the place of the Ainu "other" in this process, the distancing and stigmatizing of Chinese kanbun throughout this process, as well as the turn Japanese ideology took after the forced annexation of Manchukuo. For a detailed exploration of the Chinese formation of national identity, this is a good book, but it goes without saying (although I clearly am) that one should own a copy of Dikötter's The Discourse of Race in Modern China.

Perfect accompanying works to be read alongside this one are the aforementioned book on China, the edited volume Making Majorities, by Dru Gladney, as well as Cultural Nationalism in East Asia, by Harumi Befu. The big man on campus, as it were, is Kosaku Yoshino, who wrote Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary Japan. If you are a scholar of nationalism in Asia, you cannot be without these books. Also of interest would be Michael Robinson's Cultural Nationalism in Korea, any and all works by John Dower, beginning with War Without Mercy, and the book Colonialism and Nationalism in Asian Cinema.

As a graduate student specializing in this area, and having just passed my qualifying exams in the area of Nationalism in East Asia, I can say that I have scoured bibliographies and booklists far and wide. This book, along with the others mentioned above, will provide a solid start for the interested scholar.

I am always amazed at what quilters can create with their artistic gifts. Design, color, stitches all are equisitly displayed in this beautiful "keepsake" calendar. Will make an excellent calendar for the coming year and a beautiful gift.

I have studied under this profesor for two years and he studied under one of the leaders in the field at Yale. And let me tell you he knows his stuff and this book is proof of that. All the knoweldge and expertise and time in the field pays off in this fasinating study of Chinese technology and how it applies to one of the major forces that has shaped Chinese history. If you are interested in Chinese history, engineering or the history of technology this book is a must have.

i don't believe this document is in print anymore which is unfortunate because it was full of insight and wit. i heard that the author wrestled with some of the pitfalls of fame and has withdrawn to a private life somewhere in arizona.

After searching my library for novels not in the Anglo Saxon fashion, I came across this book, which I found to be a real page turner.

After an introduction/bio on Kido Okamoto, the author, you are given 14 cases or stories centered around Inspector Hanshichi which take place during the Late Tokugawa-Early Meiji Era. And you really feel like you've being transported back to that time as you read these stories. The cases are usually homicide with a hand full with paranormal themes in them.

Inspector Hanshichi remains me of Sherlock Holmes. Not surprisingly the Japanese author was a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. Nonetheless, fans of Sherlock Holmes or of crime novels will find this an interesting read. I now wonder if the rest of the Hanshichi stories will be translated into English (Okamoto wrote a total of 69 stories using the character).

This is not a childrens' book. I purchased it directly from the author and Peggy in Kailua-Kona's King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel lobby. He writes as locals speak, the phrases ring true. If you want real insight to the Hawaiian prospective on past, present and future - buy this book. If you are fortunate enough to meet the author and his Mongoose, you'll see they overflow with humble charm and the true Aloha Spirit. If you are a Hawaiian living on the mainland, buy the book to remind you of home. Aloha Nui Loa

We lived in Hawaii for 6 years, that really helps since most of the humor is ethnic. Also you learn some of the history of the various groups in Hawaii. example: Chinese are called 'Pake' from 'Bakka' or father in Hakka dialect of Chinese. here's two 'Pake' jokes:

Hear about the new brand of tires, 'Pakestone'?
They not only stop on a dime, they pick it up.

Difference between a Pake and a canoe?
Canoes sometimes tip.

'Haole' or white person joke:
Why did God invent Golf?
So Haoles can dress up like Filipinos.

What do you call a Filipino family without a dog?
A family that doesn't know where its next meal is coming from.

Steven Curry's second book of poems is a look into the dreamy reality of island life and the wonderous feelings that living in a surfer's paradise can inspire.

Curry's poetry keeps it soothing tone, vibrant imagery and active language constant throughout this entire collection of unrhymed verse, moving between the heavenly landscapes of Hawaii and its relaxed, underwater world. The short translations of thirteenth century poet/philosopher Rumi and unique seascapes of Wayne Levin make Dancing The Waves And Other Poems a complete product.

Standout excerpts are; "Bodysurfing Makapu'u," comparing the "bone-jarring" power of a shorebreak pounder against the "Soft curl" of the same ride; "Small-Day Wave-Play," with its calm, "Crystalline" images; the respectful, introspective goodby, "Elegy (Sea Burial); "Na Kupuna O Ke Kai," an homage to senior longboarders and their favorite morning ritual; the celebration of volcanic life in "Lava Variations"; and "Still Point In Motion," ending the assembladge with a soulful breakdown of surfing.

Dancing The Waves And Other Poems is an original opus, possibly the only collection of surf-flavored poems in print, with phraseology demanding a second and third reaading.

Published by Anoai Press, Honolulu, Hawaii.

This is a great book, I have read it several times and will read it again anytime. This book is right full of suspense, mystery,and fun. This book also does a great job of teaching that it's not winning that counts but how you play the game.

Livia Kohn has taught Daoism to college students for over 15 years, and she just edited the Daoism Handbook (which you can buy for a whopping $245!). She's one of the world's experts on Daoism, and for the first time she's put together an extraordinarily readable introduction to one of the world's most fascinating and least understood religions.

Unlike many books on Daoism this book covers the whole history from ancient wisdom traditions, through medieval religious communities, to contemporary spiritual practices such as Qigong and Falun gong. Nowhere else are you going to get as comprehensive, and as readable an introduction.

It's not just dry history because the author makes connections to broader issues in Chinese culture and also to issues in comparative religions such as mysticism, modernity, identity and community. It's a great book and great value too.