A Hawaiian Discovery

I recently returned from my first trip to Hawaii, the islands of Aloha. The islands are rich in history, diverse in culture, and overwhelmingly beautiful. The islands named Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Hawaii Big Island were born of earth, wind and fire, millions of years ago and then left alone to cultivate their natural splendor. The earliest settlers followed the stars that guided their canoes to these islands of impressive natural beauty. Over time, each chapter of Hawaii's history -- the arrival of Captain Cook, the reign of the Hawaiian Monarchs, the influx of the missionaries, the development of a plantation economy, the impact of World War II and statehood, multi-cultural contributions from later waves of immigrants -- added much to the islands' cultural heritage.

This trip sparked a keen interest in all things Hawaiian, especially Hawaiian historical fiction writing. I discovered James A. Michener's most ambitious book, Hawaii. Here is the story of Hawaii, told in terms of the peoples who made it -- and the forces of nature that held it together. It chronicles Hawaii's prehistory and history through the eyes of its natives, and then the missionaries a thousand years later, and the Asians after that who came to influence it. This is an enormously interesting story of human beings at many levels of struggle.

Kiana Davenport, herself Hawaiian, brings Michener's 1959 Hawaii up-to-date with Shark Dialogues (1995). This novel explores the past and present of Hawaii through the family of a Yankee sailor and the Tahitian princess he marries in Hawaii in 1834. Davenport's descriptions are more poetic and her stories are filled with more folklore and myth than Michener, but yet she includes factual history and digressions about politics, disease and race into her Hawaiian saga. She writes in a vivid prose style and clearly depicts Hawaii's past and present. Shark Dialogues is a favorite with book discussion groups and a solid read for Michener fans. Her Song of the Exile, also set in Hawaii, traces the saga of a Hawaiian jazz musician and a Korean-Hawaiian beauty who narrowly survive the punishments of World War II. She writes profoundly of human relationships and insightfully of racial issues.

New in 2009 is Alan Brennert's Honolulu: a Novel. In this sweeping epic novel, Brennert chronicles the lives of Asian immigrants in and around Hawaii's early 20th-century glamour days. He creates an encyclopedic portrait of Hawaii. As the tale begins, Korean-born Jin journeys to 1914 Hawaii as a mail-order bride only to find her hopes devastated by the realities of a rushed marriage to a callous plantation worker with drinking and gambling problems. Throughout this situation, Jin and her fellow picture brides discover their own ways to prosper in America and find that camaraderie and faith in themselves goes a long way.

Another carefully developed historical fiction novel is Bird of Another Heaven by James D. Houston which engages the theme of knowing our personal heritage and understanding our ancestors as individuals. The main character, Sheridan Brody, sets out to rediscover his family through the journals of his great-grandmother, Nani Keala, a half-Indian, half-Hawaiian woman who became a consort and confidant to the last king of Hawaii. Houston alternates his narrative between a past and present period of time which enables his readers to draw meaningful parallels between historical and present-day events and to appreciate the past's influence on our present-day choices.

Possibly the most memorable and unexpected thing I discovered on my trip was a new reading genre.