It shouldn’t have to be said that Hawaii is not your paradise, but I’m saying it anyway. Please understand: This is not an attempt to erect a hostile barrier, but an entreaty to take the responsibility seriously. To read Hawaii is to understand that much of Hawaii will never, should never, be accessible to the masses.
My reasoning draws from history, threading through delicate time markers: 1893, the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom; 1898, the islands’ annexation by the United States; 1976, Protect Kahoʻolawe Ohana’s occupation of the island of Kahoolawe while the U.S. Navy assaulted the land, using it as a bombing range; and 2019, the arrest of 38 kūpuna, our elders, who were blocking a road in protest of yet another new construction atop our sacred mountain Mauna Kea.
Of course, this timeline is incomplete, a crude rough draft. It does not begin to touch upon so many of the small moments lost to history: the warble of the kauaʻi ʻōʻō issuing its final song, a tūtū (grandparent) opening a window to welcome the trade winds.
The writers I admire most are putting pen to these moments, both intimate and cosmic in scope. They are writing into a Hawaii that refuses to bow down to the inherently violent campaigns of American imperialism, militarism and tourism that intersect at our archipelago. They capture the spirit of mythology and oral storytelling that suffuses the warm air and mingles with the brine of the Pacific. Spend time with their words, and get comfortable with the nuance. You’ll see that Hawaii is not your paradise, but so much more.
What should I read to learn about Hawaii’s history?
When it comes to our islands’ past, one of the most influential works of the last century is “From a Native Daughter,” by the late Haunani-Kay Trask. Trask was Hawaii’s essential native daughter: A lifelong activist, educator and author, she was a founding leader of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement as well as a widely admired poet. “From a Native Daughter” is her seminal work of scholarship, in which she evinces the vitality — the mana — of the Native Hawaiian community in language at once empowered and infuriated. Read Trask because her words will change you, and because it’s vital to put in the work to understand our story before you can conceive of our home as a vacation destination.
What books explore Hawaii’s cultural complexity?
“This Is Paradise,” by Kristiana Kahakauwila, is the book that gave me permission to write my own. In six outstanding stories, Kahakauwila vividly portrays a Hawaii at once instantly familiar to locals and distinct from pop culture depictions, á la “The White Lotus,” that approach our home with a tourist’s gaze. Within the book’s pages, you’ll encounter the paniolo cowboy community alongside the cock fighters of Upcountry Maui. And in the unforgettable title story, a chorus of workers in Waikiki escorts you through the tourist trap’s unseen underbelly.
Next, read Chris McKinney’s “The Tattoo,” a novel first published in 2000 that just entered its ninth printing. In the preface, McKinney describes his desire to capture his personal Hawaii: the “country local” atmosphere that seemed to evade contemporary literature. The result is a stunning family saga narrated from within the walls of Halawa Prison.
Matthew Kaopio gives voice to the unhoused and displaced in his novel “Written in the Sky,” which follows a teenager, Ikauikalani, who sets off on a journey beyond his homeless encampment at Ala Moana Park, following instructions he received from his dead grandmother in a dream. The novel, at times violent and painfully precise, is not for the faint at heart. But it rewards readers who embrace its compassionate core.
Who are the Hawaiian poets I can’t miss?
Hawaii’s current poet laureate, Brandy Nālani McDougall, deftly explores connection to place and belonging in “Āina Hānau / Birth Land,” which asks critical questions about American imperialism and settler colonialism, environmental and social injustices, and the pains and prides of motherhood and miscarriage. One does not leave McDougall’s poetry unchanged.
McDougall also penned the introduction to “Ulu,” by Kai Gaspar, a poetic memoir published by one of our newest local presses, Hoʻolana Publishing. With captivating, sensual imagery, Gaspar immerses readers in his native village of Hōnaunau, weaving together themes of queerness, desire, protection and possession with the abiding spirit of aloha ʻāina (love of the land). His poems will shatter your misconceptions of Hawaii as a tourist destination and introduce you to the realities of a powerful and proud people.
What should I read to honor Maui and Lahaina voices?
Much of the world rallied around Lahaina after a historic fire devastated the West Maui community last August. In the wake of such tragedy, embracing Maui stories and storytellers has been a comforting solace in an impossible time.
Begin with poetry: specifically, “Ask the Brindled,” by Noʻu Revilla. Hailing from Waihee-Waiehu, Revilla spins magic with her deft lyricism and commanding poetic voice, orbiting issues of Hawaiian sovereignty, queer joy and grief, moʻolelo (Hawaiian stories and mythology) and the reclamation of ancestral narratives.
Dana Naone Hall, another Maui author, brings over 30 years of political and cultural activism to “Life of the Land,” an affecting compilation of poems, public talks, interview excerpts, legal testimonies and scholarly essays, all of which illustrate Hall’s inextinguishable commitment to her community. I find the essays especially compelling. They throw into stark relief the resilience of the Hawaiian people in fighting for the most basic human rights, such as burial protection laws.
What are some contemporary books I can pick up at local bookstores?
“Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls” is a riveting memoir by T Kira Madden, a Kanaka writer I deeply admire. The book begins in Florida, inside a canary-yellow apartment in Coconut Grove, but finds its ending on Oahu, where Madden contemplates her kuleana — the responsibility she bears — to tell her story of queerness, resilience and compassion, navigating families forged by blood and affection and unpacking her own Hawaiian identity. On Oahu, find your copy at the Native Hawaiian-owned bookstore Native Books, or visit da Shop in Kaimuki, a neighborhood renowned for its community of artists (and exceptional coffee).
Joseph Han’s debut novel, “Nuclear Family,” commences in the months preceding Hawaii’s infamous false nuclear missile alert of 2018 and centers on the unforgettable Cho family and their once-thriving Korean plate lunch restaurant. It’s an astonishing novel, ushering readers from the Korean DMZ to the familiar Oahu settings of Kamehameha Shopping Center and the winding roads of Tantalus, all while articulating a vital story about the Korean diaspora in Hawaii. Buy your copy at the family-run Kona Bay Books on the Big Island, and say hello to Tobi, the indie’s resident cat.
What about Hawaii’s literary scene might surprise me?
Hawaii boasts a thunderously mighty small press scene. Founded in 1978, Bamboo Ridge Press is a foundational local institution committed to publishing Hawaiian literature. Its titles include a series of Honolulu noir mysteries by Scott Kikkawa, as well as over 100 issues of Bamboo Ridge, the press’s eponymous journal of Hawaiian literature and arts. Bess Press is another venerated local literary institution, specializing in bilingual works in English and Hawaiian. Other notable island presses include Mutual Publishing, Native Books, University of Hawaii Press and Kamehameha Publishing.
Today, Hawaii’s literary landscape continues to evolve, with publishers seeking new ways to recognize local and Indigenous talent. Earlier this year, Don Wallace, an author and champion of local voices, inaugurated the HONOLULU Book Awards to celebrate fiction, nonfiction and poetry by both Native Hawaiian authors and authors who call Hawaii home. It’s the first awards program of its kind in Hawaii, and the organizers hope it will help bring more literary attention to local stories.
Megan Kamalei Kakimoto’s Hawaii Reading List
From a Native Daughter, Haunani-Kay Trask
This Is Paradise, Kristiana Kahakauwila
The Tattoo, Chris McKinney
Written in the Sky, Matthew Kaopio
Āina Hānau / Birth Land, Brandy Nālani McDougall
Ulu, Kai Gaspar
Ask the Brindled, Noʻu Revilla
Life of the Land, Dana Naone Hall
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, T Kira Madden
Nuclear Family, Joseph Han
Kona Winds, Scott Kikkawa
Bamboo Ridge literary journal
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