HF Hawaii?

[Linda]

I'm interested in avidly reading any historical fiction about Hawaii, any time period. I've read Michener's Hawaii, of course, and Moloka'i. What else is out there?

[NayNay]

by Kiana Davenport
by Kaui Hart Hemmings
by Toby Neal
by Alan Brennert
by Jill Engledow

[Eric]

Linda wrote: "I'm interested in avidly reading any historical fiction about Hawaii, any time period. I've read Michener's Hawaii, of course, and Moloka'i. What else is out there?"

There is a children's Kindle ebook you might be interested in, which contains a lot of Hawaiian lore and a glossary of the Hawaiian words used in the story. The link below will give you the info and within that is a link to the book at Amazon.com.

"The Kite of Kilauea" http://www.biemiller.com/kite1.htm

[Joseph]

Aloha Summer by Bill Wallace is a YA book takes place in the 1920s. Pineapple mogul James Dole hires 14-year-old John Priddle's father to leave Oklahoma and move to Hawaii to work for him. The island of Lanai looks more like Oklahoma than an exotic paradise -- but other things are much stranger than John expected. The "white" people on the island treat the Hawaiians miserably -- and the only native in school who will speak to him is Carol, a pretty dark-eyed Hawaiian girl who becomes, to his shock, his best friend. But as Carol shows him the wonders of the island, an insidious enemy is secretly trying to harm Carol's beloved grandfather Makalii and steal his land. It will take all of the strength John and Carol can muster to save Makalii and return him to his beloved land.

[Linda]

Great start, thanks! Anything else particular to the period after 1900 but before the war would be great. I'm writing a piece set in Honolulu at that time and need to get a feel for the time.

[Michael]

Linda wrote: "Great start, thanks! Anything else particular to the period after 1900 but before the war would be great. I'm writing a piece set in Honolulu at that time and need to get a feel for the time."

Aloha Linda:
Eric's suggestion of "The Kite of Kilauea" is a good one -- loaded with information about the language and culture of the islands. It's set in a later period than you're looking for (post WWII Hawaii) but much of the information would be accurate for pre-WWII Hawaii.
Eric:
I just finished the book and will post a review soon. Very good book! I'll let you know when I finish it.
Cheers,
Mike

[Michael]

Linda wrote: "Great start, thanks! Anything else particular to the period after 1900 but before the war would be great. I'm writing a piece set in Honolulu at that time and need to get a feel for the time."

Aloha Linda:
Here's a few more suggestions:
1) visit the website of Watermark Publishing (www.bookshawaii.net) and click on the link "Nostalgia." You'll find 16 books, many of which show Hawaii as it was during the period your story will be set in. Lots of great photos to help you visualize scenes; also a few bios of people who lived back then.
2) Honolulu magazine has been published for over 125 years, and would be a great source for life during that period. I'm sure the Hawaii State library system has most of their back issues, and you may be able to get copies for the specific decade/years you are interested in via inter-library loan. A reference librarian there could get you started. Call the reference desk at 808-586-3621.
3) I used the Library of Congress when I researched my novel set in Italy in 1899. The reference libaraians there helped me find a number of great sources of information foe that period, including diaries and books focuses specifically on Naples, where a lot of the novel's action is set. If you are a writer, you can apply for a researcher's card. The reference people there take writers more seriously than the drop-in visitor. It's a long way from CA, but might be worth a visit to the East Coast if the librarians there uncover some great materials.
Hope these suggestions help.
Cheers,
Mike

[Eric]

Michael wrote:"Eric's suggestion of "The Kite of Kilauea" is a good one -- loaded with information about the language and culture of the islands. It's set in a later period than you're looking for (post WWII Hawaii) but much of the information would be accurate for pre-WWII Hawaii.
Eric:
I just finished the book and will post a review soon. Very good book! I'll let you know when I finish it.
Cheers,"

Mahalo Mike! :)