Dr. Philip Culbertson (shown with co-authors Dr. Margaret Agee, left, and Cabrini ‘Ofa Makasiale, right) spoke with Mike Havoc of the University of Auckland’s 95bFM this month. Listen to the radio interview here.
Penina Uliuli: Contemporary Challenges in Mental Health for Pacific Peoples, written by Culbertson, Agee, and Makasiale, was published in September 2007 by University of Hawai‘i Press.
In Hawai‘i and elsewhere in the tropics, the change in seasons often goes unnoticed. Sun and Rain: Exploring Seasons in Hawai‘i, by Stephanie Feeney, will help children recognize and appreciate the seasons in Hawai‘i by calling attention to subtle details in the world around them. Color photographs vividly illustrating plants, animals, and weather patterns make the book suitable for young children, while older ones will find the clear, simple text engaging and instructive. A section for parents and teachers includes ideas on sharing the book with children of different ages.
Photography by Jeff Reese, David Boynton, Ron Dahlquist, Moku Kaaloa, Melissa Kim Mosher, and others.
December 2007 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3088-5 / $13.95 (CLOTH)
Stephanie Feeney is the author of several other books for children published by University of Hawai‘i Press: A Is for Aloha, Hawaii Is a Rainbow, and Sand to Sea: Marine Life of Hawaii.
Toyoko Yamasaki’s novel Two Homelands (Futatsu no sokoku) tells the powerful story of three brothers during the years surrounding World War II. From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Pacific War, relocation to Manzanar, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and the Tokyo war crimes trials, we follow the lives of Kenji, Tadashi, and Isamu Amo, the California-born sons of Japanese immigrants. The eldest, Kenji, must grapple with what it means to belong to two nations at war with one another and to face betrayal by both. Tadashi, in school in Japan when war breaks out, is drafted into the Japanese army and renounces his U.S. citizenship. Later Kenji and Tadashi find themselves on opposite sides of a battlefield in the Philippines; although they both survive the conflict, their relationship is destroyed by the war. Isamu, the youngest and the most thoroughly American of the brothers, loves John Wayne movies and gives his life to rescue the lost Texas battalion fighting in France.
Popular Japanese novelist Toyoko Yamasaki spent five years interviewing Japanese-Americans and researching documentary sources to assemble the raw material for her book. Through the story of the Amo family, she forces readers to confront the meaning of “love of country” as her characters encounter prejudice and suspicion on both sides of the Pacific. Almost a quarter century after its Japanese publication, this English-language translation affords a valuable opportunity to understand the postwar reassessment of what it means to be Japanese in the modern world.
Translated by V. Dixon Morris
November 2007 / ISBN 978-0-8248-2944-5 / $36.00 (PAPER)
Order here and receive a 20% discount for November 2007!
A reader sends the following reaction to Combat Chaplain by Israel Yost:
Dear neighbors on the other side of the globe,
I want to personally thank the University of Hawai‘i Press for publishing Combat Chaplain by Israel Yost, and to thank Monica Yost and Michael Markrich for compiling and editing such a wonderfully well-told account of very tough times.
I work as a spiritual director near Naples, Italy, where I travel many of the paths that Chaplain Yost once did as I live near Avellino. I was surprised to find that I currently conduct spiritual retreats just a few miles from where he did his hardest work in Montecalvo Irpino, Italy.
Having been in combat myself, I am humbled at the harshness of the task facing the 100th Battalion, which lacked our modern protections and tactics. This book will greatly enrich the retreats I conduct here and I will encourage others to read it. I plan to drive the path he did while recollecting some of his thoughts while treading the same, now peaceful ground. We truly stand on the spiritual shoulders of such men as Israel Yost and those who tell his story. I now reap the benefits of the peace that he sought.
My prayers of thanks to the Lord for your book. May such stories be told over and over.
Ciao, most sincerely,
Bruce Mentzer
Mark Panek, author of Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography of Chad Rowan, will read from his biography of the Hawai‘i-born sumotori on Tuesday, October 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in UCB 100 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Gaijin Yokozuna explores the changes in cultural identity that Waimanalo’s Chad Rowan made on his way to becoming sumotori Akebono, the first foreigner (gaijin) to reach the top rank, yokozuna (grand champion), in a sport that dates back to Japanese creation myths.
This special event is free and open to the public, but registration is required to fulfill grant conditions. Call 808-974-7664 for registration information.
John Clark, author of many popular books on Hawai‘i’s beaches, will discuss his work on Guardian of the Sea: Jizo in Hawai‘i, published this August by University of Hawai‘i Press, on Thursday, November 15, noon-1:15 pm, at the Center for Biographical Research, University of Hawai‘i-Manoa, Henke Hall 325, 1800 East-West Road. The event is part of “Brown Bag Biography: Discussions of Life Writing By and For Town and Gown,” sponsored by the Center.
Bob Dye, author of Merchant Prince of the Sandalwood Mountains: Afong and the Chinese in Hawai‘i and editor of Hawai‘i Chronicles II and III, all published by University of Hawai‘i Press, will lead a non-fiction writing workshop at this year’s Honolulu Writers Conference. Twelve workshops will be offered by experienced authors, editors, and teachers at the conference on Saturday, October 20, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, at the Neil Blaisdell Center. Registration and fee ($70.00) are required. For more information, call 808-395-1161, or email [email protected].
Marion Coste will autograph The Hawaiian Bat: ‘Ope‘ape‘a, her most recent book for children on Hawaiian native animal species at the below times and locations. Children are invited to make their own bat bookmarks, and everyone can learn more about this rare animal from the author.
Wednesday, October 24
2-3:00 pm, Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange
Saturday, October 27
12-1:00 pm, Borders-Windward Mall
2-3:00 pm, Borders-Waikele
Sunday, October 28
12-1:00, Borders-Ward Centre
2-3:00, Borders-Pearlridge
The author will also be giving talks on the Hawaiian bat at various O‘ahu elementary schools from now into November:
October 11, Maunawili
October 12, Benjamin Parker
October 18, Pearl Kai
October 19, ASSETS School
October 22, Pearlridge
October 26, Kaneohe
November 15, Hale Kula
November 16, Waiau
Marion Coste is the author of Nene, Honu, and Kolea: The Story of the Pacific Golden Plover, all published by University of Hawai‘i Press.
Yasutaro Soga’s Life behind Barbed Wire (Tessaku seikatsu) is an exceptional firsthand account of the incarceration of a Hawai‘i Japanese during World War II. On the evening of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Soga, the editor of a Japanese-language newspaper, was arrested along with several hundred other prominent Issei (Japanese immigrants) in Hawai‘i. After being held for six months on Sand Island, Soga was transferred to an Army camp in Lordsburg, New Mexico, and later to a Justice Department camp in Santa Fe. He would spend just under four years in custody before returning to Hawai‘i in the months following the end of the war.
Most of what has been written about the detention of Japanese Americans focuses on the Nisei experience of mass internment on the West Coast—largely because of the language barrier immigrant writers faced. This translation, therefore, presents us with a rare Issei voice on internment, and Soga’s opinions challenge many commonly held assumptions about Japanese Americans during the war regarding race relations, patriotism, and loyalty.
October 2007 / ISBN 978-0-8248-2033-6 / $24.00 (PAPER)
Penina Uliuli: Contemporary Challenges in Mental Health for Pacific Peoples, edited by Philip Culbertson, Margaret Nelson Agee, and Cabrini ‘Ofa Makasiale, is a diverse collection of essays examining important issues related to mental health among Pacific Islanders through the topics of identity, spirituality, the unconscious, mental trauma, and healing.
September 2007 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3224-7 / $28.00 (PAPER)
“Finally, a volume on mental health and well being of Pacific Island people written from the point of view of their own world view. A rich and substantive contribution for understanding mental health issues, concepts, and interventions within the cultural context of Pacific Islander history, culture, and the emerging challenges posed by rapid social change. This is essential reading for professionals, scholars, and lay audiences seeking to understand better the complex cultural tapestry and way of life of the many different people who inhabit the vast area of the Pacific Ocean and its countless islands.” —Anthony J. Marsella, Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawai‘i
Jizo, one of the most beloved Buddhist deities in Japan, is known primarily as the guardian of children and travelers. In coastal areas, fishermen and swimmers also look to him for protection. Soon after their arrival in the late 1800s, issei (first-generation Japanese) shoreline fishermen began casting for ulua on Hawai‘i’s treacherous sea cliffs, where they risked being swept off the rocky ledges. In response to numerous drownings, Jizo statues were erected near dangerous fishing and swimming sites. Guardian of the Sea: Jizo in Hawai‘i, by John R. K. Clark, tells the story of a compassionate group of men who raised these statues as a service to their communities.
August 2007 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3158-5 / $19.95 (PAPER)
“John Clark has written a remarkable book about shoreline statues of Jizo, a Buddhist figure dedicated to our protection and enlightenment. . . . John draws on interviews with more than three hundred individuals to document the location of these statues and in the process offers us a glimpse of the daily lives and spirituality of early Japanese Americans. We are indebted to him for making us aware of these Jizo monuments and their role in shaping Hawai‘i’s multicultural heritage.” —Dennis Ogawa, chair, American Studies Department, University of Hawai‘i
John R. K. Clark is the author of numerous best-selling books on Hawai‘i’s beaches— most recently Beaches of Oahu (revised edition); Hawai‘i Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites; and Hawai‘i’s Best Beaches—all published by University of Hawai‘i Press.
Samuel P. King and Randall W. Roth will take part in “Bad Times for Nonprofits,” a course offered in the the American Bar Association (ABA) Connection TeleConference Series and scheduled for August 15, 2007. The course is available to ABA members only and is sponsored by the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education. Visit the ABA website here for registration, course information, and teleconference times.
King and Roth are the authors of Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement, and Political Manipulation at America’s Largest Charitable Trust, published in 2006 by University of Hawai‘i Press. Broken Trust is the latest recipient of the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association’s Samuel M. Kamakau Award for Hawai‘i Book of the Year.
