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Releases from Hawaii authors
"Dear Kelsea: Some Ramblings of Your Jesus-Loving, Cancer-Fighting, Pot-Smoking Mom,"
by Kealoha Wells
(AuthorHouse, $11.50)
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The invention of print-on-demand publishing has given the world an endless supply of rants and faux-literate gushes that would never have seen ink at a legitimate book publisher. On the other hand, there are gems in the rubble, and "Dear Kelsea" shines brightly. Wells had a brief bout with unwanted and undeserved celebrity a couple of years ago when, as a leukemia survivor, the home she shared with two other medical marijuana users was raided by Big Island drug police and their possessions seized. There were serious problems with the pretext for the raid (the other two were given a settlement by government authorities this month for the illegal action), but Wells has used the event as a hook to examine her own life and struggle to raise a child with love and care while stuck on the fringes of society. The miracle here is that Wells isn't bitter -- she's got a real story to tell. She's genuinely funny and has human and secular values that transcend our bizarre drug laws. As a "real book," this is a mess, but on the other hand, it's impossible to put down, and you'll laugh out loud and wince at the same time.
God bless her courage. (Available at dearkelsea.com. Half of the profits support Hawaii children with leukemia.)
