Mr. Budnick's historical review of the United States "takover" of the Hawaiian Islands unearths the all-too-familiar tale of political intrigue and corruption. This book provides an insider's view of the imperialistic fashion in which the missionaries, large ranch/farming interests, military fanatics and their political cronies collaborated against the Hawiian cultural and political system. It also explains the efforts of native Hawaiians to prevent these actions. Essentially, "Stolen Kingdom" is the non-fiction version of James A. Michener's "Hawaii". I learned much from this well-documented book; and most notably, of the various factions in the US and Hawaii involved in usurping power from the indigenous locals. I recommend this informative writing to all Americans as a primer for Hawaiian Political History.

Exquisite art work. I loved this book so much I bought several copies to give to all the children in my life. I kept one for myself. It is a delightful book.

I write stories for children, so I have a keen eye for great work. I think this is a choice book, a real treasure.

Ua ike wau i keia puke ma ka hale kuai i kela mahina aku nei; kupono no kau mau keiki oiai he mau haumana kaiapuni lakou. Ia maua o kau kane e huli ana i loaa na puke waiwai no ka ohana, aole nui na puke hoonauao no na opio ma o ka olelo.

He kokua keia puke me ka ao honua. Maamaama na kii a moakaka ka wehewehe me ka haiki pu. Hoihoi na ike.

Oluolu, e hoopuka hou i keia ano.

mahalo nui, na kekahi makua

This is a great book. It was brought to my attention by the grandmother of one of my fourth grade students. She told me "Take it home over the weekend and relax". How right she was. Reading this book will give you a realistic idea of the life style of Hawaii's sugar plantation camps, particularly on the Hamakua Coast of the island of Hawaii. The author, Yasushi "Scotch" Kurisuwas born, grew up and worked in Hakalau, one of the plantation communities on the Hamakua Coast. He possesses great insight and shares this with many anecdotal accounts of life at this time and place. It is well written and easy reading. I had a difficult time putting it down. I needed to return the book to the owner, so now I am purchasing my own copy. It is one of those books that you can read over many times, and still enjoy and learn from it. If you have an interest in the times of the sugar plantation camps in Hawaii, you should add this to your reading collection.

The author describes the development of mountain sources of water and the tunnels and ditches that brought it to the sugar plantations. Then she weaves in the history of the sugar industry which changed the subsistence economy of the Hawaiians forever and brought Hawaii into the modern world. While doing this skillfully in a clear style she also weaves in much of the history of the islands. If you have any interest in Hawaii the book will fascinate you.

It's hard to find a story set in Hawai'i that is realistic and does not cater to the reader's romanticized view; the difficulty is doubled when the story is historical. But this author has done her cultural and historical homework. By focusing on particulars of speech and everyday life, she creates, within the simple language of a children's chapter-book, full-blooded characters in a believable 19th-century Honolulu Chinatown neighborhood. .A Thief in Chinatown is the story of daily routines disrupted by an emergency which disfigured Ruth and the brother with whom she is constantly bickering finally work together. The timing of the unfolding adventure and the character's realizations is just right. The happy ending seems natural and plausible. In short, a lively and well-crafted story. Some added bonuses at the end of the book: instructions for playing a game mentioned in the story and background notes on pidgin English and on the origins of the Chinese in Hawai'i.

Rating: FIVE Stars

This well-crafted story collection clearly reflects the author's entrepreneurial experiences rebuilding and then operating a productive Hawaiian Island fishpond on Oahu's North Shore.

It presents a rare combination of lyric prose and art that capture the ecological truths Carol Wyban, her family with their Hawaiian friends and neighbors discovered how to adapt to the mid-Pacific Ocean's ebb and flow.

TIDE and CURRENT: Fishponds of Hawaii shares hard-won insights with practical lessons "re-learned" about both natural forces and political land use policies! Its extensive Acknowledgements begin with this savvy Hawaiian saying: "Aia ke ola ka hajna" - Life is in labor.

This book reflects facts from concurrent aquaculture research done by J.A. Wyban and J.N. Sweeney which resulted in publishing a 19991 report on Intensive Shrimp Production Technology: The Oceanic Institute Shrimp Manual. The Oceanic Institute, Hawaii, USA, 158 pp.

As a state-owned pond on Moloka'i, `Ualapu`e was selected by the state to be a model aquaculture project. This book describes more about this effort on p.154

While profit and economic development utilizing modern aquaculture techniques are major long-term goals, equally important goals are the revitalization of traditional Hawaiian fishpond practices and the preservation of the history, culture, and values associated with `Ualapu`e.

" Well, fishponds are living cultural treasures. I see them as important springboards for education, because they give us the opportunity to explore the way Hawaiians used the land and water." --Carol Wyban

This guide to Maui has information on hotels, condos etc. with phone numbers for getting rates. History, maps, suggestions and tips and the most information in one book I've found. Necessity for planning and touring on your own.

Set in 1968, a newspaper reporter covering the Vietnam antiwar movement, falls in love with Vivienne, the beautiful Vietnamese wife of a US army intelligence officer. She has a secret so vital to her husband that he is willing to give her up to the reporter if she will only tell. The ensuing "Vivienne War," artfully woven into the back drop of the Vietnam War, mirrors and blends with the traumatic events of 1968: The Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, the DNC riots in Chicago, LBJ, university riots with tear gas and clubbing police, George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy, Richard Nixon etc. Vivienne is throbbing with emotion, suspense, excitement, blood, anguish, sex, and rioting in the streets. This is a brand new offering by Richard Hoyt, the prolific Pacific NW novelist famous for fast paced, exotic thrillers and page turning mysteries. Vivienne should appeal to Hoyt fans and readers of military fiction, but moreover to anyone who lived through 1968 or wished they had. If you think the election of 2000 was eventful, just go back to 1968.