The sand beach that stretches nearly a mile beyond the Kalaupapa wharf was always laid smooth by the tide. Hansen's disease plays havoc with feet, ulcerating them, crippling them. Such feet walk poorly. And in sand they cannot walk at all. Most patients in Henry's time left no footprints in that golden sand.

In 1936 ten-year-old Henry was taken from his family on the Island of Hawai‘i and sent to Kalihi Hospital on O‘ahu. He was later transferred to Kalaupapa on the rugged north coast of Moloka‘i, where he has spent most of the past 65 years in this remote village with a tragic history as a Hansen’s disease colony. During its century as a virtual prison, more than 8,000 people were exiled to Kalaupapa, until the introduction of sulfone drugs in the 1940s. Today fewer than 20 patients remain.

No Footprints in the Sand: A Memoir of Kalaupapa by Henry Nalaielua with Sally-Jo Bowman is one of only a few memoirs ever shared with the public by a Kalaupapa patient. Its intimacy and candor make it, in the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin, “a rare and precious human document.”

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.

Author and educator Frances H. Kakugawa will hold book signings and presentations in Hilo, Lihue and Honolulu during the month of October. Kakugawa, who grew up in Kapoho on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, will be the keynote speaker at the Hawai‘i County Office of Aging Caregiver Conference, and will lead workshops for the Alzheimer Association Aloha Chapter’s Kaua‘i and Honolulu offices. All events are open to the public.

Kakugawa is an advocate of the power of writing to help families and caregivers cope with the burdens of long-term illness. She has been featured on KHON2 newscasts with Kirk Matthews and in The Honolulu Advertiser for her work with children and adults, using journaling and creative writing to come to a better understanding of Alzheimer’s patients and deal with the stresses of having a family member afflicted with the disease.

In 1985 the renowned muralist Martin Charlot was commissioned by the McDonald’s Corporation to paint a wall mural for the company’s restaurant in Kane‘ohe. The result was Hawaiian Folkways , a 5 x 24-foot work depicting a day in the life of Waiahole Valley, the lush rural community a few miles up the coast in the heart of windward O‘ahu.

Local Traffic Only: Proverbs Hawaiian-Style brings the reader up close and personal with this wonderful work of art.

Peopled with farmers and fisherman, keiki and kupuna, cops and robbers and many others, Charlot’s charming mural illustrates more than 100 proverbs—Hawaiian, biblical and others. All the people featured in the mural are real-life friends, family and acquaintances of the artist. From siblings and children to local firefighters and an unsuspecting deliveryman to McDonald’s Hawaii CEO Pat Kahler, to then-actor, now-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlot’s models acted out for him in person the proverbs depicting the good and bad sides of human nature.

A DASH of Aloha: Healthy Hawai‘i Cuisine and Lifestyle by Kapi‘olani Community College (KCC) is a book about eating, not dieting. This unique guide introduces the easy-to-use DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) eating and activity plan, which teaches readers how to lead a healthy lifestyle combining good eating habits and regular physical activity.

Ron Takahashi, chairperson of the Culinary Arts Department at KCC, explains, “A DASH of Aloha is about taking the simplest steps to incorporate healthful rules of thumb into your daily routine, with the long-term goal of achieving a healthier lifestyle. The recipes are based on local tastes, and emphasize eating Island-grown, fresh ingredients, simply prepared to get the greatest benefits.”

Death on Diamond Head is a riveting murder mystery written by long-time Hawai‘i law enforcement officer John Madinger. The fast-paced novel introduces the character of Honolulu police detective Kimo Rigg, a veteran cop whose career has been sidetracked by a whistleblower lawsuit.

In Death on Diamond Head, Madinger’s first novel, Kimo Rigg has been relegated to the Unsolved Crimes department in the bowels of the precinct headquarters. He is trying to stay out of trouble when he finds himself in hot water once again: A murder victim’s body is dumped almost on the doorstep of his new house at Diamond Head.

The Hawaiian Islands are known worldwide for gourmet coffee from the Kona Coast, but real aficionados know that in Hawai‘i, Kona coffee is only the beginning. The only place in the United States growing coffee as a commercial crop, the Aloha State hosts a thriving industry encompassing 11 major regions on five islands—producing more than seven million pounds of coffee in 2007 valued at over $30 million. The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i is the first-ever comprehensive overview of the Islands’ most recognizable and highly coveted product.

Coffee scientist Shawn Steiman’s revealing book is the definitive work on the subject, including a region-by-region guide and flavor profiles of the major varieties cultivated in the Islands. Hawai‘i is unique as a coffee-producing center: Whereas most coffee is consumed far from its origins, Hawaiian coffee is drunk and sold in local cafes and stores. It’s an environment that provides a unique vantage point for bean-and-brew guru Steiman’s overview of Island coffee history, from modest beginnings on O‘ahu—not Kona as many might assume—to current-day production systems, as it makes its way from bean to cup, farm to coffeehouse.

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.

In The Little Lima Bean, a little bean thinks big thoughts and tries with all his might, but he just stays small…until one day, with the help of the rain, he sprouts!

Teaching children that, although it may take some time, dreams can come true, this spiral-bound board book comes with a blister pack of lima bean seeds and directions for growing them at home.

Brent Ching, a Honolulu-based pediatric dentist with a private practice at Kapi‘olani Medical Center, originally wrote The Little Lima Bean as a poem to inspire his father, suffering from kidney disease, to persevere through tough times.

Over 150 voices—young students, venerable alumni, movers and shakers, average folk, novice and seasoned teachers, Native Hawaiians, kama‘aina and fresh faces from abroad—share their experiences of the 1990s Bishop Estate controversy in Wayfinding through the Storm.

This is the human story of a crisis that erupted at Kamehameha Schools in the 1990s and came close to destroying a historic educational community. Wayfinding through the Storm tells the story of ordinary decent people who looked deep inside themselves and found the moral courage to risk everything, to come together and stand up for what they believed in: to speak truth to power.

Author and feng shui expert Clear Englebert will offer a free seminar in the art of feng shui at the Pearlridge Uptown INspiration furniture store on Friday, September 25 at 6PM. The one-hour seminar will be a “walk & talk” format, with Englebert guiding attendees through the showroom to point out examples of good feng shui and how to remedy feng shui challenges that may be encountered in Island homes.

Register online at http://cupolahawaii.com/reservations.htm or call the store at (808) 237-5462.

Englebert's latest book is the bestseller Feng Shui for Hawai‘i from Watermark Publishing, which will be available for purchase at the seminar at the special price of $12.00 (regular retail price, $19.95).

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.”