When the Shark Bites

Hank Rivera, one-time activist and now full-time construction worker, has just been evicted from his home in Waikiki and is forced to move to the Waianae coast. While in the midst of moving, Hank and his wife, Kanani, are approached by a college student researching the early years of Hawaii's modern civil rights movement, which culminated in the rigorous protests surrounding the bombing of Kahoolawe in 1976. Hesitant at first, Hank and Kanani agree to talk about the past and their role in the movement. Vivid and sometimes painful memories surface, causing both of them to question their feelings of love and loyalty–not only for each other, but for their heritage. Through the voices of Hank, Kanani, and others, Rodney Morales tells a thoroughly contemporary story of Hawaii–one that addresses the realities of asserting one's culture in a multicultural world.

• Rodney Morales, Author

  Rodney Morales is a creative writing professor at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. He is the author of When the Shark Bites and The Speed of Darkness, and also edited Ho`i Ho`i Hou: A Tribute to George Helm and Kimo Mitchell.