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Duke
HALL, Sandra Kimberley. Duke: A great Hawaiian. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bess Press, 2004. 112p, ISBN 1573062308 (hc). $10.95. Index, Notes, Further reading.
Hall traces the life and achievements of Hawaii’s most celebrated sportsman and political figure in this easy-read about Duke Kahanamoku. With minimal text presented clearly over 112 pages, this light book is appropriate for adolescents interested in Hawaii. I applaud Hall’s attempt to create an accessible book about this important figure, but cannot recommend this book without drawing attention to its numerous shortcomings.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Sandra Kimberley Hall earned two MLIS degrees from the University of Arizona, one in School Librarianship. Hall, an active member of the News Division of the Special Libraries Association, worked as Librarian for the Arizona Daily Star, among many other careers before moving to Hawaii in the early 1990s. An explanation of the author’s connection to Hawaii and a discussion of the context from which the author wrote this biography would have been helpful while reading this piece. For instance, it is not clear why she is qualified to write a biography of Duke Kahanamoku.
Educated as a school librarian, it comes as no surprise that Hall’s Duke is well suited for school and public libraries. It should be included in Hawaii’s youth-oriented collections, and Hawaiiana collections nationwide. Though the language and reading level may lend this book to a K- 6 audience, it is exactly this audience that deserves better quality from its content.
The text is plagued by some uneasy transitions that leave the reader in confusion. One page does not clearly follow its predecessor, and topics unexpectedly shift with no discernible segue. Even adjacent sentences often lack connecting transitions. Much of the information presented assumes a familiarity with Hawaii. This is a dangerous assumption for an introductory text, rendering much of the content impressionistic.
Considering its rampant myth-making, this book should be received as folklore rather than biography. At every turn Hall unabashedly builds Duke into a superhuman with juvenile lines like this page 97 statement claiming Duke to have been, “the greatest aquatic sportsman the world has ever seen.” These failings are partially alleviated by appreciable notes and “further reading” pages that negligibly add to this book's minima of credibility. Its one and a half page index is accurate though insufficient, even for such an unsatisfactory book.
Whereas this book is not as culturally offensive as much material about Hawaii, its treatment vis-à-vis cultural sensitivity is definitively problematic. Reading the massive cultural appropriation within Hall’s personal philosophies cements this critique, and further decreases my faith in Hall’s authority to author such a book. Care should be taken to avoid this book serving as or substitute for a scholarly biography. Though an interesting overview of Duke’s life is provided, it would be deleterious for a seventh grader to cite this book in a biographical research project. It is suitable for novelty shops in Waikiki, not libraries serving educational needs. Though content and language are geared for k-6 readers, the presentation is directed towards older audiences, ultimately failing both. The author and publisher would have done well to focus this book towards one or the other of these populations.
Hall’s minimal credentials to pen this abbreviated biography, earned by her authorship of this book’s 1995 counterpart, Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life: Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, 1890-1968 are negated by this work’s extensive shortcomings. Your library is better off with more reputable titles such as Joseph L. Brennan’s 1994 Duke: the life story of Hawaii’s Duke Kahanamoku from Ku Pa’a Publishing Inc., or his 1968 Duke of Hawaii from Ballantine Books.
Where this book fails in content, it excels in format. Produced by Bess Press, this book is of fine physical quality with durable binding and paper. Wide margins and clear type make for easy reading. Well-planned design, including photographs opposite every page of text enlivens the reading experience, while floral print backgrounds create a pleasing layout. Because of these design strengths, this might serve well as a coffee-table book.
Submitted April 2006 by an LIS student, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Hall traces the life and achievements of Hawaii’s most celebrated sportsman and political figure in this easy-read about Duke Kahanamoku. With minimal text presented clearly over 112 pages, this light book is appropriate for adolescents interested in Hawaii. I applaud Hall’s attempt to create an accessible book about this important figure, but cannot recommend this book without drawing attention to its numerous shortcomings.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Sandra Kimberley Hall earned two MLIS degrees from the University of Arizona, one in School Librarianship. Hall, an active member of the News Division of the Special Libraries Association, worked as Librarian for the Arizona Daily Star, among many other careers before moving to Hawaii in the early 1990s. An explanation of the author’s connection to Hawaii and a discussion of the context from which the author wrote this biography would have been helpful while reading this piece. For instance, it is not clear why she is qualified to write a biography of Duke Kahanamoku.
Educated as a school librarian, it comes as no surprise that Hall’s Duke is well suited for school and public libraries. It should be included in Hawaii’s youth-oriented collections, and Hawaiiana collections nationwide. Though the language and reading level may lend this book to a K- 6 audience, it is exactly this audience that deserves better quality from its content.
The text is plagued by some uneasy transitions that leave the reader in confusion. One page does not clearly follow its predecessor, and topics unexpectedly shift with no discernible segue. Even adjacent sentences often lack connecting transitions. Much of the information presented assumes a familiarity with Hawaii. This is a dangerous assumption for an introductory text, rendering much of the content impressionistic.
Considering its rampant myth-making, this book should be received as folklore rather than biography. At every turn Hall unabashedly builds Duke into a superhuman with juvenile lines like this page 97 statement claiming Duke to have been, “the greatest aquatic sportsman the world has ever seen.” These failings are partially alleviated by appreciable notes and “further reading” pages that negligibly add to this book's minima of credibility. Its one and a half page index is accurate though insufficient, even for such an unsatisfactory book.
Whereas this book is not as culturally offensive as much material about Hawaii, its treatment vis-à-vis cultural sensitivity is definitively problematic. Reading the massive cultural appropriation within Hall’s personal philosophies cements this critique, and further decreases my faith in Hall’s authority to author such a book. Care should be taken to avoid this book serving as or substitute for a scholarly biography. Though an interesting overview of Duke’s life is provided, it would be deleterious for a seventh grader to cite this book in a biographical research project. It is suitable for novelty shops in Waikiki, not libraries serving educational needs. Though content and language are geared for k-6 readers, the presentation is directed towards older audiences, ultimately failing both. The author and publisher would have done well to focus this book towards one or the other of these populations.
Hall’s minimal credentials to pen this abbreviated biography, earned by her authorship of this book’s 1995 counterpart, Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life: Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, 1890-1968 are negated by this work’s extensive shortcomings. Your library is better off with more reputable titles such as Joseph L. Brennan’s 1994 Duke: the life story of Hawaii’s Duke Kahanamoku from Ku Pa’a Publishing Inc., or his 1968 Duke of Hawaii from Ballantine Books.
Where this book fails in content, it excels in format. Produced by Bess Press, this book is of fine physical quality with durable binding and paper. Wide margins and clear type make for easy reading. Well-planned design, including photographs opposite every page of text enlivens the reading experience, while floral print backgrounds create a pleasing layout. Because of these design strengths, this might serve well as a coffee-table book.
Submitted April 2006 by an LIS student, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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