What do you think?
Rate this book
He Mele A Hilo: A Hilo Song
Something strange is happening in Hilo. Noleani Choi's new show about the life of Jesus Christ told through hula dance has everyone, especially her halau, wondering what she could possibly be thinking. Rumors circulate about a rich guy from the mainland, and the dancers and their friends must reckon with what is really hula, who is Hawaiian enough, and why each of them wants to dance.
On one beautiful island, we discover that loving other people in spite of their flaws might just begin with being true to our own selves.
On one beautiful island, we discover that loving other people in spite of their flaws might just begin with being true to our own selves.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2014
19 people are currently reading
1844 people want to read
About the author
Ryka Aoki
15 books1,654 followersRyka Aoki is a writer, performer, judo black belt, and professor of English at Santa Monica College.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 16, 2021
No one ever paid much attention to mac salad—it was just a side dish. But without mac salad, plate lunch wouldn’t be plate lunch. No ways. Something would be missing—no matter how good the tempura was, or the katsu, or even the chicken.He Mele A Hilo is a book I’m sure I never would have read, or likely even heard of, if I hadn’t been given a copy by my son’s fiancée. It is written in an apparently authentic dialect called Hawaiian Pidgin English. There’s a glossary in the back of the book, but it doesn’t take very long to get used to the occasional unfamiliar word, which can also usually be figured out from context.
Something has to be there, between the main kau kau, to make everything one true meal…
Jonny-Boy took another bite of the salad, then some chicken. Then some more salad. Then a bite of tempura. He smiled. Was ono.
...
“Just be yourself, Nona,” said the old lady in red. “That’s all you ever had to be.”
The story has an ensemble cast of about seven main characters, each of whom is hurting in one way or another due to illness, being unable to move on after the loss of a spouse, feeling out of place or lost, or unresolved issues from the sins of one’s parents. But as the characters start to interact with one another, largely due to an upcoming hula show, they begin to help each other see a way out of their troubles.
He Mele A Hilo has a fair amount of magical realism and—either because of thar magic or despite it—feels like a deeply Hawaiian story. It’s all about being in touch with your surroundings, the people and the environment. Living in the moment, and doing what feels right. Appreciating how everyone and everything has a role, or a place, that will help them become their best self. I’m glad I gave it a try, because it’s a charming, uplifting story. Recommended when you’re looking for something different, and/or a book that will make you feel a little bit better about the world.
February 11, 2021
Wonderful. Genuinely felt she made my grumpy old withered black heart bigger by the end. A real warm joy of a read that I recommend to one and all. She manages the very tricky task of writing about things like love, tradition, finding of the self and forgiveness of the self, without being sappy or trite or chocolate-box sweet. Plus, I am sure I felt something of the warmth of Hawai’i slipping through this frosty English February as I read, which is about as close to magic as I get...
May 18, 2020
He Mele A Hilo: A Hilo Song by Ryka Aoki is a story populated with the most wonderfully diverse characters and voices. I was surprised that I did not need to take notes to keep all the characters straight, which has been necessary for so many of my other reads lately. What a breath of fresh air! It is a story of belonging, family, food, identity, spirituality, and hula all woven together with rain, ocean, lava and land. It is exactly the kind of beautiful soul escape I needed and perhaps many could use right now.
~~~
I loved that it was written in Hawaiian Pidgin English with a glossary at the back. Before starting I read through the glossary but I caught on quickly and didn't refer to it often while reading. One thing that I didn't know about was all the terms referring to ethnicity in Pidgin. I think most people know 'haole' as the term for white folks, especially from the mainland, but there are many others. From what I gathered in further reading some could be seen as deragatory depending on tone and intent which in this book was not the case. They seemed to be more terms of endearment and identity than anything negative.
~~~
Ryka Aoki has a talent for writing in the same way some of her characters do with hula, music, cooking chicken, fishing, and more. It is innate, it brings you to tears, and makes your face hurt because you don't even realize you have been smiling so hard while reading. I do not remember where I heard about this book, around this time last year, but I remember searching for Hawaiian Own Voice authors and this sounded exactly like what I was looking for. I would absolutely recommend to everyone!
~~~
I loved that it was written in Hawaiian Pidgin English with a glossary at the back. Before starting I read through the glossary but I caught on quickly and didn't refer to it often while reading. One thing that I didn't know about was all the terms referring to ethnicity in Pidgin. I think most people know 'haole' as the term for white folks, especially from the mainland, but there are many others. From what I gathered in further reading some could be seen as deragatory depending on tone and intent which in this book was not the case. They seemed to be more terms of endearment and identity than anything negative.
~~~
Ryka Aoki has a talent for writing in the same way some of her characters do with hula, music, cooking chicken, fishing, and more. It is innate, it brings you to tears, and makes your face hurt because you don't even realize you have been smiling so hard while reading. I do not remember where I heard about this book, around this time last year, but I remember searching for Hawaiian Own Voice authors and this sounded exactly like what I was looking for. I would absolutely recommend to everyone!
August 26, 2014
An incredible first novel from Ryka Aoki full of myth, food, music and heart. He Mele A Hilo follows an endlessly endearing ensemble of characters (who speak and are described in the local language of Pidgin) - their stories entwine and unravel at a relaxed pace that fits perfectly with the themes Aoki's working with. The narrative slowly peels back the edges of our world to reveal a magic that is at once mysterious and divine and as ordinary and knowable as spam. I usually find myself slogging through adult literary fiction, but this was a real pleasure to read.
November 3, 2016
I cried through the last fifty pages of this book. Perhaps the closest I've ever come to tears of joy while reading.
January 28, 2022
I'm from Hawaii and my dad grew up in Hilo: Hilo is the only place we'd go on vacation when I was a young kid, and I have so many fond memories of it. This book was so comfortable and warm, and I'm excited to read more that Ryka Aoki has written.
January 4, 2017
pretty much cried straight through this one and don't think it was only cuz i'm gonna bleed soon. there's without a doubt an immensity of depth i'm missing partially through language (it's written in hawaiian pidgin english) & partially through my lack of knowledge about the gods of those islands and their stories. what i received from this book were pictures of some rare & sweet kinds of romance & partnership, some subtle & complex kinds of growth in community, and also a relationship to innate talent that i deeply appreciated but that also raised such immense longing in me (thus the crying), specifically relationships to dance and music.
May 6, 2014
"He Mele A Hilo" is a story about love, faith, friendship, and identity. Written in Hawaiian pidgen English, the narrator weaves several individual tales together to create one large story. Some transitions between voices will feel choppy to those unused to folktales and traditional story telling. All in all, the cadence and language feel warm. Ryka Aoki has done a wonderful job immersing the reader in Hawaiian culture, and bringing to life the lives of Harry, Nona, Noelani, Kam, and Steve, to name a few.
August 25, 2022
One of the best books I've read in awhile!
A story about culture, music, food, community, dance, spirituality, and finding the song that lives inside each of us.
A book that makes the soul feel both energized and at home.
Content Note: suicidal ideation
A story about culture, music, food, community, dance, spirituality, and finding the song that lives inside each of us.
A book that makes the soul feel both energized and at home.
Content Note: suicidal ideation
July 26, 2023
My favorite book of the year so far. The magical realism is woven so beautifully throughout the tales of this cast of natives and transplants as they all explore what it means to be Hawaiian. This book gave me a consistent feeling of joy and familiarity. Contained so much heart and respect for the land and culture.
June 15, 2021
This is a genius book and one that I want everyone to read.
September 14, 2015
A clarion call to love thyself and others and all the mistakes and flaws that come along in the package, He Mele A Hilo is a fun, relaxing read about personal growth and identity with a colourful backdrop of Hawaii, its landscape and culture, food, dancing, music, and even language (teaching you Hawaiian local slang throughout the book). Aoki creates rich vignettes of characters and links them together in her microcosm of the world, and as we uncover more and more about each character through their childhood stories or their interactions with each other, we seem to grow with them as well. Chapters are not titled, but different sections in each chapter have cute descriptive names such as 'The Tale of the Evil Plate Lunch,' 'The Tale of the Crazy Omelet,' and 'Strange Kine Funny Tings' which divvies up the novel into manageable bite-sized chunks.
If you would love a book about Hawaii, the drive behind expression through the arts, and/or getaways that will heal you spiritually even physically, would recommend.
If you would love a book about Hawaii, the drive behind expression through the arts, and/or getaways that will heal you spiritually even physically, would recommend.
May 11, 2015
I absolutely LOVE this novel. Since I'm at work, and have already spent the first hour here finishing the book, I'll keep this quick. This book is full of characters who have deep histories with each other, with their families and communities and with the islands. You'll love this book if you're into seeing the world as full of ancient magic and believe that our past is always part of our present. I could hear all the voices as I read though I did have to make liberal use of the hawaiian pidgin glossary int he back. If you love food, dance, music or human relationships then you might enjoy this book. Please read this book!
okay go read this review: You are more than your trans self by Emma Caterine.
okay go read this review: You are more than your trans self by Emma Caterine.
April 2, 2016
I thought this was a hidden gem of a book - I'm glad I managed to get it on ILL, as not that many libraries have it. I like how it felt kind of like a goofy soap opera but then had a lot of emotional complexity to it, at least for the first 3/4 of the book. Then it got kind of heavy handed and repetitive with its lessons of everyone learning to accept themselves and focus on what brings them joy and not what other people think of them. But still, I liked the variety of internal dilemmas the characters had (especially the main characters Harry, Nona, and Kam) and the way the author showed even people who seemed confident had their insecurities or foibles. Also, the writing in Hawai'ian pidgin was neat - not too hard to read, and it brought a distinct sense of place to the novel.
May 12, 2015
Ryka's He Mele A Hilo is a delicious read. Set in Hawaii, this lush, comforting story explores ideas of identity, propriety and belonging. Following and joining the threads of her characters' searches for authenticity, Ryka gives us a view of Hawaii from many sets of eyes. Conversational in tone and pace, this book is an example of storytelling done by someone who excels at connecting to their audience and delivering characters who are believably whole human beings, worthy of our love and attention.
June 21, 2019
I really loved this. It's one of those books where you smile fondly later when something reminds you of one of the characters like you would about someone you know in real life.
I read this as part of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (for the own voices Oceania prompt) and also because I was traveling to Hawaii and wanted to read something by someone who was from there. I finished it on the plane and I think I referenced it more than any guidebook we took with us.
I would read a whole series with these people.
I read this as part of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (for the own voices Oceania prompt) and also because I was traveling to Hawaii and wanted to read something by someone who was from there. I finished it on the plane and I think I referenced it more than any guidebook we took with us.
I would read a whole series with these people.
July 12, 2019
This is amazing boook
May 22, 2018
It is a wonderfully written novel, flowing and structured at the same time, the characters are individuals and archetypes, and Hawaii and its spirit is most definitely the heart of the story. I haven't been touched like this by a book in a very long time.
July 26, 2014
He Mele a Hilo (A Hilo Song) is a delicious novel, filled with vibrant portraits of its characters. Not to be missed.
April 30, 2015
Wonderful, magic portrait of a small community in Hilo, Hawaii. Aoki's characters are richly conceived. I'm excited to check out other titles from Topside Press.
August 3, 2015
I loved the characters! I've been carrying this to the pool all summer and am sad to be finished. I will miss them!
April 13, 2020
He Mele a Hilo is a story of a mish mash of native and Mainlander characters living in the Hilo Town on Hawai'i island. Mainly, we see each characters' individual journeys to "finding themselves" and confident in who they are. The cast of characters are endearing and charming. I can identify with most of them. Yet, the structure of the book--heavy dialogue and quick transitions from one characters' story to another--prevented me from actually knowing each characters' history. I didn't really know a lot about how the characters came to be--like why Kam is distant from his LA Jewish family or Harry's relationship with his wife or why Nona feels so insecure about her looks. The stories were disconnected and lacked historical development.
Aoki definitely captures the spirit of Hilo Town, sleepy yet thriving in tradition. I appreciate that Aoki wrote the book in pidgin. By doing so, she normalized Hawaiian pidgin as part of the American vernacular and that great American literature can be written in non-standard American English. Aoki also played on the theme of magical realism incorporating visits from Madame Pele herself and other Hawaiian goddesses throughout the book and with various characters (although Madame Pele does reportedly visit folks in Hawaii in real life).
Unfortunately, the editors did not do a great job proofreading the book; I caught a few errors where they didn't delete extra punctuations or words. I was disappointed that they did not take care that Aoki deserved.
Aoki definitely captures the spirit of Hilo Town, sleepy yet thriving in tradition. I appreciate that Aoki wrote the book in pidgin. By doing so, she normalized Hawaiian pidgin as part of the American vernacular and that great American literature can be written in non-standard American English. Aoki also played on the theme of magical realism incorporating visits from Madame Pele herself and other Hawaiian goddesses throughout the book and with various characters (although Madame Pele does reportedly visit folks in Hawaii in real life).
Unfortunately, the editors did not do a great job proofreading the book; I caught a few errors where they didn't delete extra punctuations or words. I was disappointed that they did not take care that Aoki deserved.
April 11, 2024
It's a special pleasure these days to read something which is upbeat without being saccharine. Yeah, this can be read as sort of a feel good beach read, but I found it worked on deeper levels as well. It's a salute to the diversity of Hawaii; characters are native Hawaiian, haole (white, Jewish) Black, Filipino, hyphenated Americans: Japanese, Chinese and I may have forgotten some. But it is not their ethnic heritage Aoki focuses on; her characters are all portrayed charitably and even the less likable ones (Eva, for instance) have redeeming qualities. It's refreshing to read something focused on the good in people.
As others have mentioned, the book is written largely in Pidgeon English, for the most part it is not hard to deal with for a non-speaker. There is a glossary in the back of the book, a bit less complete that would have been best, but the first witty glossary I have encountered.
I have to admit that even the magical realism, which I normally find irritating, did not bother me in this case.
This book is pretty hard to find, by the way. No library in the state of Maine had it, so I had to get
it from an out of state college library. It's well worth the effort to track it down!
As others have mentioned, the book is written largely in Pidgeon English, for the most part it is not hard to deal with for a non-speaker. There is a glossary in the back of the book, a bit less complete that would have been best, but the first witty glossary I have encountered.
I have to admit that even the magical realism, which I normally find irritating, did not bother me in this case.
This book is pretty hard to find, by the way. No library in the state of Maine had it, so I had to get
it from an out of state college library. It's well worth the effort to track it down!
July 20, 2024
What a beautiful story this was! I loved everything about this book, and I'm not even sure where to start with it.
The setting itself is what interested me at first. I didn't know much about Hawaii and its traditions, its culture, etc, besides a very superficial approach to it. And with this book, I simply felt transported to the island, into the city of Hilo, and it made me want to look into it even more!
I loved the range of characters that bring many different points of view, many stories, many struggles... every character was fascinating, even the ones on the side.
The story itself had very low stakes, but it was interesting enough to make me want to go on, and it gave us time to really focus on the rest, which I really appreciated!
And I really adored the other themes that are brought up. The Hawaiian legends, the music and its importance, the true meaning of belonging somewhere, the quest for one's identity... the touch of fantasy was definitely a plus as well, making this story even more magical! It transported me to the other side of the earth for a few hours and I enjoyed every second I spent there.
The setting itself is what interested me at first. I didn't know much about Hawaii and its traditions, its culture, etc, besides a very superficial approach to it. And with this book, I simply felt transported to the island, into the city of Hilo, and it made me want to look into it even more!
I loved the range of characters that bring many different points of view, many stories, many struggles... every character was fascinating, even the ones on the side.
The story itself had very low stakes, but it was interesting enough to make me want to go on, and it gave us time to really focus on the rest, which I really appreciated!
And I really adored the other themes that are brought up. The Hawaiian legends, the music and its importance, the true meaning of belonging somewhere, the quest for one's identity... the touch of fantasy was definitely a plus as well, making this story even more magical! It transported me to the other side of the earth for a few hours and I enjoyed every second I spent there.
July 21, 2023
3.5 I am a fan of Ryka Aoki, but this work was a challenge for several reasons. The good challenge was the language. I loved to learn the local dialect, and the glossary had as much personality as the text. It's not everyday you see that. The story stay solid until about the halfway point where some of the side characters were clumsily developed. Then some ambiguity about the status of several characters as gods got to be a bit much. Maybe that's just the haole in me missing the point though. LOL. Overall, I still really enjoyed the book for the Hilo culture, the delightful humor, and always for the real love of ono food.
October 22, 2021
Oh my goodness, I love this book so much! I just read her newest title, "Light From Uncommon Stars", and I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to read more by this author so I found her previous novel, He Mele A Hilo, and now I am truly a devoted fan! ;0)
This is such a fun, heartwarming, beautiful story- full of magic, and told in an authentic voice, truly- there's a Hilo Glossary to refer to in the back of the book, which I did, many times.
I cannot sing enough praise for this book- just read it!
This is such a fun, heartwarming, beautiful story- full of magic, and told in an authentic voice, truly- there's a Hilo Glossary to refer to in the back of the book, which I did, many times.
I cannot sing enough praise for this book- just read it!
April 27, 2022
Read Round the World 2022: an Island
Popsugar 2022: a book featuring two languages
Genreland 2022: To Lift Your Spirits
I read this book on the strength of the author's better known book "The Light from Uncommon Stars". After two books I can say that this author is good comfort reading for me. She isn't afraid of some darkness but ultimately has a hopeful outlook and believes in community. She loves music, food, and sinking into a place's culture. She has a lot of Hawai'ian Pidgin words in the book with a funny glossary at the back.
This book is more about characters than plot. It explores the lives of several people living in or near Hilo, the windward side of the Big Island. This is the green, rainy side of the island, maybe not quite as touristy as the dry side. We are invited into the lives of several members of an amateur hula troupe, a haole (non-native)guitarist who's moved to Hawai'i looking for something (he's not sure what), a tech mogul who might really be God(who still could use a vacation), a restaurant owner infamous for her family's filching of recipes who really, really wants this one chicken recipe so joins the hula troupe to make a play for it, and more.
The title translates as "A Song for Hilo". There's a lot about music in this book, dance too. There's a bit of a meditation on how creativity works, and how learning a place is important if you want to help anyone or anything because there are complex systems always in play. There is a LOT about good food. I really wanted to try that chicken! I looked up ling hing, musubi, malasadas, and was about ready to fly to Hawai'i immediately to find all of that and wash it down with a giant guava juice.
This book should definitely make your list of comfort reads.
Popsugar 2022: a book featuring two languages
Genreland 2022: To Lift Your Spirits
I read this book on the strength of the author's better known book "The Light from Uncommon Stars". After two books I can say that this author is good comfort reading for me. She isn't afraid of some darkness but ultimately has a hopeful outlook and believes in community. She loves music, food, and sinking into a place's culture. She has a lot of Hawai'ian Pidgin words in the book with a funny glossary at the back.
This book is more about characters than plot. It explores the lives of several people living in or near Hilo, the windward side of the Big Island. This is the green, rainy side of the island, maybe not quite as touristy as the dry side. We are invited into the lives of several members of an amateur hula troupe, a haole (non-native)guitarist who's moved to Hawai'i looking for something (he's not sure what), a tech mogul who might really be God(who still could use a vacation), a restaurant owner infamous for her family's filching of recipes who really, really wants this one chicken recipe so joins the hula troupe to make a play for it, and more.
The title translates as "A Song for Hilo". There's a lot about music in this book, dance too. There's a bit of a meditation on how creativity works, and how learning a place is important if you want to help anyone or anything because there are complex systems always in play. There is a LOT about good food. I really wanted to try that chicken! I looked up ling hing, musubi, malasadas, and was about ready to fly to Hawai'i immediately to find all of that and wash it down with a giant guava juice.
This book should definitely make your list of comfort reads.
August 16, 2022
This book was wonderful! It was so funny and light and just a joy to read. I loved all of the references and pidgen. The whole book just had me smiling and laughing while I read it. The food descriptions were so spot on! The hula was so amazing to read about. This book made me feel so warm and happy. I also loved the appearances of the goddess Pele and the magic that was so seamlessly woven into this story.
November 29, 2025
I really enjoyed exploring Hilo through these characters. And great story and writing, with a fun approach taken to the glossary for the dialect, with nice touches added for the terms. The book has such good lines like "Because even the fire needs to rest once in a while, and even the stars must close their eyes behind the rain" which is both poetic and speaks to the stories going on underneath it all.
June 13, 2021
This didn't really click for me. There were a ton of characters, and the POV jumps were very choppy and short, which made it hard for me to really settle in. I loved the setting and the way Aoki wrote about the community -- it felt very much like a book about a place. But the emotions of the characters seemed secondary, and I had trouble connecting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews