ISLE PAGES
New releases by Hawaii authors
 "Avebade Bade — Hawaii's Pidgin Poetry" by bradajo (Mutual, $14.95) |
 "The Gift of Hawai'i — Island Inspirations" by Jessica Lani Rich, illustrated by Kelly Sueda (Watermark, $9.95) |
 "The Guide to Hawaiian-Style Money Folds" by Jodi Fukumoto (Island Heritage, $9.99) |
Reviewed by Burl Burlingame "Avebade Bade — Hawaii's Pidgin Poetry"
bburlingame@starbulletin.com
This seems obviously to be a book. I mean, it has a cover, pages, calligraphy, typography, evocative pictures by Douglas Peebles, words, words, words — but how can something so small feel so deep? "Avebade" is the heartfelt response of poet/artist Joseph "Brother Joe" Hadley — bradajo — to the horrors of 9/11, and a philosophical meditation of the meaning of aloha in a cold and scary world. Bradajo's "chaloookyu eensai," published three decades ago, legitimized pidgin as a language and helped spark the Hawaiian Renaiisance, but this work isn't inciendiary. It's more of a mature flowering of a well-planted tree. Pidgin, however, is such an oral and aural tradition that the "book" is more of a sleeve packet for the delightful compact disk contained inside the rear cover, of bradajo reading — sharing — his deceptively simple pieces. What a cool little volume.
"The Gift of Hawai'i — Island Inspirations"
We just love ourselves in Hawaii, and we can't stop reflecting on how cool we are. Sometimes it's even true. KUMU radio news and public-service director Rich has been sharing her aphorisms on life in Hawaii with listeners for more than two decades, providing a breadth of motivational meditation amidst the daily clangor, and this gift-sized volume is a collection of such affirmations. Simple but not simplistic, you have to admire Rich for sticking to her philosophic guns in an age when it's unhip to do so. The typography and design (by Gonzalez Design) is also retro, and suits the material. I'm not sure if a glossary was required for non-Hawaii readers, however.
"The Guide to Hawaiian-Style Money Folds"
What's the deal here? You take perfectly good money and fold it into little complex pieces of origami art? Won't that get expensive after a while? There are illustrations in here of leis and whatnot with dozens of folded dollars worked into the design. At least I hope they're just Washingtons and not another dead president. Man, that could get expensive.Actually, origamists know that paper money is actually excellent folding material, being crisp and strong, with a high fiber count, and a lovely green/gray color. They have texture. Fukumoto's designs are cute and the illustrations are clear and exacting. The book is a combo hard-cover and spiral design that lies flat, handy for studying while pondering your next crease. Whether you're creating little birthday presents for the rels or wasting time in classrooms or board meetings, this book will come in handy.
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