The historical content of this book is quite interesting for anyone who has been a faculty, staff, or student of the UH system. Focus is primarily on the Manoa campus, but brief sections (a little too brief) include the expansion of the CC system, as well as the Hilo and West Oahu systems. Unfortunately, for some, the book goes too deep into the politics of the UH system and leaves the reader wanting to know more about the campus itself, such as individual building constructions and proposals; the architectual designs of the more modern buildings; food services; the parking crunch. Additionally, the book is severely lacking in specific dates; for example, there is not even an appendix entry on when buildings were completed. Overall, it's an interesting read, but may leave many wanting for more, especially for post-1970's context, which is far too few.

This book is nowhere near as great as Murayama's classic 'All I Asking For is My Body.' but the underlying power is still there. This book continues the story of Tosh Oyama, the boxing-loving, fiercely independent first son who works himself out of the sugar plantations to become one of the rising tide of Japanese Americans who change the face of Hawaii's social and political landscape during the 50's and 60'. The story is almost a documentary, but if you were taken in by the families beginning story in 'All I Asking,' it's easy to find the human thread beneath the fast moving historical events that Murayama describes. As a 'hapa haole' (half caucasian, half Japanese) from Hawaii, I can easily find my father's own story in these pages -- so I'm biased. But beyond that, Murakama is a great writer. He doesn't bog down, he knows the human dimension, got the gifted ear for the pidgin dialect, and always keeps with him the sweat and hardships of the plantation fields in his work. Read this. But if you haven't read 'All I Asking...', read that first.

I purchased the book before my trip hoping to learn about the place. It's not a bad book, but I didn't feel like I learned much from it. It is more of a love letter written by the author who is a local resident and business owner in Kaunakakai. The photos are nice although not spectacular, and there are plenty of them, giving a good general overview. During my trip a friend loaned me a Lonely Planet guide to Hawaii which I got much more out of as far as learning about Molokai.

Although only a brochure, this contains all that a visitor to Kauai would be interested in knowing about Queen Emma.

Buy this book only if you need a general guide for Oahu and Maui. It does not cover any other islands. The book does have street maps of Honolulu, Wailuku, Kahului, and Lahaina.

When moving to Honolulu recently I bought several guides to Hawaii, and this is the one I use the most. The maps in the back are great, and I especially like the hiking trail maps & info. Plus the book is very small, and easy to fit in a bag to carry around without much hassle. The map in the front mislabels the two mountain ranges on Oahu, though, which was confusing until we figured it out. Also has an excellent index, and if you don't want or need info on the other islands, this is just the ticket.

This book taught me a lot about my Hawaiian heritage. I learned tons of words and about the history of my people. The book was basically about 13-year-old Kaiuilani dreading to go to England, but went anyway, and the her life there and at home. It saddened me that she didn't have long to live, but this diary (I believe) shows how it felt like to be an ignored royal person. Although they don't show it in the story I think it's a tragic book. Hawaiians have much to mourn about for their royal family...

vraisemblance takes a beating when jake lassiter resorts to show tunes & psychological tap-dancing to stave off certain death at the hand of an uzi bearing reincarnated hawaiian god.not levine's best, though still entertaining. average.

I was disappointed when receiving the book. Despite of its title, all but one of the described hikes have an estimated hiking time of at most three hours which can hardly be considered a day hike. The shortest hike isn't a hike at all, followed by one lasting 10 to 30 minutes.

I used this book & found several wonderful hikes that weren't mentioned in any of the other Kauai guide books. The best was the Waiema Canyon hike -- it wasn't a super-easy hike, but four of us (ranging in age from 25 to 50) did it in half a day. We had lunch by a beautiful hidden waterfall, & during the hike we found spectacular views of the canyon. Recommended.

You simply do not find anything unique in the book that you could not find in other sources. Although I prefer the shorter hikes, less than 4 hours long, this book simply did not live up to my expectations.

I did not read this book, but I did take a class with the author, Edith Skom, at Northwestern University. She is an arrogant, snotty woman with little care for whether her students are learning. So in the name of all that is good and decent, do not read this book or try to purchase it-- if, that is, there are any copies of her retarded books still extant.

This book is a vast improvement over Skom's first novel, THE MARK TWAIN MURDERS, which was a predictable and formulated mystery. THE GEORGE ELLIOT MURDERS is not only better-written, but the characters, although "stock" in more than some cases, are better portrayed. However, the biggest improvement is the relationship between the heroine and her love interest - it's more believable and interesting.

I have to admit that I am not connoisseur of mystery novels, by any means, but I read this book at the urging of my mother (she's one of those people who have the mystery sections of every bookstore within a one-hundred mile radius memorized) and loved it. This is a good read that can stand on its own outside the genre, and I would definitely recommend this book.

If I could five this more than five stars I would! The characters as usual were interesting and the ending was the perfect surprise. A wonderful mystery that also highlights a great work of literature, Middlemarch by George Eliot. Two great authors in one!