Isle Pages

New book releases from Hawaii authors

"Ha'ena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors"

By Carlos Andrade
University of Hawaii Press
$30
This book details the rich history of the Haena ahupuaa on the island of Kauai. Through multiple interviews with longtime residents, the author tells of how the area was transformed from the times of the menehune through modern times. The impact of Western contact and the ultimate land divisions that resulted are also chronicled, showing how the fight to preserve traditional ways is often in conflict with Western ideas of land privatization.

"Imagine What It's Like: A Literature and Medicine Anthology"

Edited by Ruth Nadelhaft and Victoria Bonebakker
University of Hawaii Press
$19.95
Several authors tackle the subject of medicine and the human experience in this anthology. Most medical encounters are cold and detached, and these writings reflect on those experiences. Among the wide variety of authors is Hawaii's Juliet S. Kono, who offers a series of poems dealing with the mental illness, suicide attempt and loss of a son.