Hawaii Books

Steve Heller's collection, which includes O'Henry award-winning stories, portrays the compelling lives of ordinary and extraordinary Hawaiians, including transplant residents from the states and Japan. This collection of short stories is so well detailed that each story has the ring of truth to it, as the saying goes. In the title story, a local, a surfer, agrees on a bet to drink 1000 beers in a few days. He succeeds, and, in a way, he gains not only the fame associated with this episode--(he is not in it for the money)--but he also reclaims his family through his ordeal. These are often gritty, but endearing, stories. They are written carefully and craftfully. Not only are the stories good, but the writing is something we all might learn something from. To some, this is a hidden classic. Find out why.

A marvelous story tracing the life and times of the founder of the Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Maui. The author provides the reader a well rounded and interesting description of George Freeland's adventurous life he carved out for himself beginning in England, then to Australia and Canada and, finally, Hawaii. All this occurred during the late 19th and early 20th century when colonialism was coming to a close but it's presence strongly felt throughout the world. Written in a vingette or short narrative style, the book makes for easy reading of fascinating historical world events and insights using an individual as the catalyst to tell the story.

We bought this book on recommendation from a funky dude in Hanapepe, Kauai. My wife and I have hiked both the Na Pali coast and the Akalai Swamp numerous times. The visual imagery is amazing and inspiring. You can feel all the senses the author is describing. As cheesy as it sounds, the story is about self discovery and finding true paradise in a modern messed up world. There are excellent parallels between todays societal problems and times-past when the "alii" (kings) determined what was acceptable and what was "kapuu" (of limits).

If you liked the "Life of Pi" and "Lord of the Flies" you will love this book!!! Peke and Kini Marie

Rich in detail, both written and illustrated. A great book for anyone looking to experience the magic that was a natural part of life for the ancient Hawaiians. As a born and raised Big Island girl, growing up in the Islands and educated in it's colorful history, I can attest to this book's accuracy with regards to the culture and terminology. It is very well researched and written with a bold, imaginative creativity which makes for a very enjoyable read. The author brought to life the characters and places in vivid imagery. Get ready to be taken on a Journey to the ancient Hawaiians supernatural reality. Her poetic style was hypnotic in it's lure to draw you away form our hectic, modern, mundane, everyday life into an ancient civilization where spirits, ghosts and ancestors reborn into animals were not fantasies, but a part of THEIR everyday life. "Reading omens, predicting the future, following the advice of a vision or dream was as commonplace as the afternoon rain." I can tell you that most days, in the afternoon, it does rain! Get one for yourself, read when you are there and you'll see the magic all about you. Also a great gift to give to a friend or family member who is a reader and lover of Hawaii, it's people and it's culture.

[I've had Mango Hill since I was about 7 years old, and I've gone back to it time and time again since I first read it.] It was a great book when I first read it, and its a great book when I read it now. You never tire of it. The pictures are phenominal and while the story line is about talking cats, a bunny, a mouse and giant centipedes, the message that you get out of the book is still the same. Go for your dreams, and stand up for what you believe in and love. If you do, the rewards can be great.

Mango Hill is a great book for children and adults alike, and the story and the pictures are incredible. If you want your child to read something with a little substance, give them this book.

MANGO LADY AND OTHER STORIES FROM HAWAII by Ted Gugelyk

Review by Wanda A. Adams Advertiser Features Editor

This slim collection reads like a pau hana talk-story hour with the guys gathered around the back of the pick up truck, slurping Buds and munching poke. Or what you'd hear around a campfire on a North Shore beach after a long day of surfing. Ted Gugelyk is one of a vanishing breed of Mainland surf bums who moved here in the '50's and '60's, took what ever job they could get in order to stay, and watched the Hawaii they loved go away.

This particular surfer, now retired from the University of Hawaii where he taught sociology, has an eye for detail, an ear for the telling quote and a sensitive heart. In "Mango Lady," for example, his juxtaposition of an aging Hawaiian woman with his immigrant Ukrainian grandmother is insightful and right on. Both, he writes, sufffered from "the drawn-out fatigue that comes from bridging the old country to the new." This labor of love ranges from Waikiki to Russia to Vietnam and back, tracking gugelyk's life experiences. But like the best storytellers, he knows how to extract a little more than mere narrative from these tales - lessons learned, perspective gained. I can't help feeling, though, that what Gugelyk has here is a start: "Mango Lady," especially, begs to be reworked into fiction: it's a powerful subject, but a journalistic treatment necessarily dulls the effect. Worth a look, anyway.

This book, Manoa, the Story of a Valley, probably doesn't mean a whole lot to the reader unless 1) you live or have lived in Manoa Valley, or 2) you know a place or a person featured in the book.

Manoa, the Story of a Valley, is a non-fictional account of the physical and cultural evolution of a valley mauka (inland) of Waikiki on the island of Oahu. Even one hundred years ago, it was very rural, full of taro fields and rock walls. Today, it is full of houses, but in a quiet, modest way. This book descibes the past and present of the place and its residents. Aunty Bea was one of those characters, and she was an island treasure. The book is subtitled "The Multicultural Heritage of a Honolulu Neighborhood." The stories come from a variety of perspectives. If you love Manoa, you will want to read this book.

You won't need any other map of Oahu, unless you plan on some serious hiking or backpacking on the Waianae or Koolau trails. This map, with Stuart Ball's Hiking Guide will get you to and from most trails. This map also includes many interesting tourist spots not usually found in more popular guides.

The plot's a little thin, but the illustrations are gorgeous! There are tiny details that tell you Pablo Torrecilla deeply loved every person and object he painted for this book.

This book covers Twain's stay in Hawaii, a period of five months including the voyages, in just over 500 pages. The book is a delight, with an extraordinary amount of material. Beyond Twain's writings, there are anecdotes, photographs, and commentary. This book is clearly worthy of being reprinted.

Only a thousand copies were printed, with only about 400 making it into circulation. Apparently each copy is signed by the author, Walter Frear. Frear was the third territorial governor of Hawaii.