This July day was insufferably hot in Honolulu. Henry Nalaielua sat perspiring at the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace, even though his chair was in the shade. He and some 500 others had listened all morning to prayers and hymns and speeches.

And then, near the end of the long ceremonies and ecumenical service, it was Nalaielua’s turn. The notes for his speech were under his ginger lei, in the pocket of his aloha shirt—his best blue one. He shuffled the few steps to the lei-draped lectern on hobbly feet that reminded him of his mission of honor. He had come to the palace from his home at Kalaupapa on Moloka‘i, where he was sent as a Hansen’s disease (leprosy) patient before World War II, and where he has lived most of his 70 years.

Read the rest of this entry »

It is in Gavan Daws’ definitive study of soon-to-be Saint Damien that one comes to know this complex man and his time at Kalaupapa.

Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama called his grandma Toots. A name taken from Tutu or Kuku, affectionately uttered by Hawaiians and other islanders – even today – to mean grandma, as Barry intended. Or, grandpa. It’s one of the clues that Barak, Jr. had become part of Hawai`i’s cultural ways from living in H [...]
Read the rest of this entry »

In 2006 and early 2007, legendary Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho shared a lifetime of memories with veteran music writer Jerry Hopkins and others, a project completed just two days before his death from heart failure in April 2007. The result of this timely collaboration is Don Ho: My Music, My Life, a unique mix of his own recollections and the stories of friends and family—what Don called “a modern Hawaiian quilt” of memories.

Born in a hardscrabble Honolulu neighborhood in 1930, Donald Tai Loy Ho combined his musical gift, beachboy demeanor and love of the Islands to become Hawai‘i’s most beloved entertainer—and one of the biggest draws in show business. For nearly half a century, Don Ho was synonymous with the Hawaiian Islands—from his “wild, unpredictable” early shows at Duke Kahanamoku’s to a tour and television career that carried the spirit of aloha to audiences around the world. His laid-back, hang-loose Island charm endeared him to millions. As television and radio personality Jim Lange observed, “A Don Ho fan is his friend. That’s the way Don works.” Sympathy wishes collected online overwhelmingly shared the same characteristic: his fans felt they had a personal relationship with Don, their own stories to tell about the legendary icon.

Read the rest of this entry »

BEN: A Memoir, From Street Kid to Governor is the long-awaited autobiography of Benjamin J. Cayetano—the nation’s first Filipino-American governor—whose political career spanned a seminal period in Hawai‘i’s history. Offered in softcover and limited-edition hardcover, this revealing, 560-page book provides a rare look at the inner workings of Island society and government—from ethnic voting to the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, from the Bishop Estate controversy to the backroom maneuvering of politicians and business leaders.

Released in February 2009, BEN: A Memoir has appeared on the Hawai‘i bestsellers list more than 20 times, charting at #1 more than 15 of those times.

David Shapiro, columnist for The Honolulu Advertiser, calls it “one of the most important books ever written on Hawai‘i politics …. It’ll still be in circulation 30 years from now.”

Read the rest of this entry »