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KINGSTON, Maxine Hong. Hawai`i One Summer. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai`i Press (2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822-1888), 1998. xviii, 72p. ISBN 0-8248-1887-3 (pa). $11.95. Illus. Acid-Free.
If you ask a number of writers, scholars, and general readers what their definition of “Hawaii Literature” is, it is likely that you would receive a variety of answers. One might say it is the collection of myths and stories that represent ancient Hawaiian culture and tradition. Another might say it is the literary works of Hawaii “locals” representing the “local” way of speaking (i.e. pidgin) and living. Others may argue that it is a mixture of traditional Hawaiian myths, stories with “local” flavor, as well as any writings—by those of Hawaiian ancestry, locals, or transplanted “locals”—which render or represent the Hawaiian Islands and its melting pot of cultures and people. In the 1984 preface to her book, Hawai`i One Summer, Maxine Hong Kingston expresses, “It is very difficult to capture Hawai`i. Whose point of view among all of Hawai`i’s peoples is the right way of seeing?” Ultimately, through this book Kingston finds her own way of perceiving Hawaii and redefines “Hawaii Literature” by telling her own tales of life in the Islands as she perceived them during the summer of 1978.
In her 1998 preface to this paperback edition, Kingston expresses her initial concern over writing about Hawaii as a non-local. A native Californian who is well-known for her award-winning novel, The Woman Warrior, Kingston moved to Hawaii with her husband and son in the late 1970s and remained on the island of Oahu for a few years. Despite being recognized as a Living Treasure of Hawai`i and a recipient of the Hawai`i Award for Literature (1983), Kingston felt it was still “kapu”—or taboo—for a non-Hawaiian and a non-local to write stories about Hawaii. She believed she needed to write about something or someplace that she was more familiar with, something that she knew. Thus, she began to write down her personal thoughts while living in Hawaii. Soon she found that even though she struggled to leave Hawaii out of her stories, its presence began to find and fit its way into them.
And this is how I felt as I began to read this book: I did not think a majority of the essays had anything to do with Hawaii despite the book’s suggestive title. As I started to read Kingston’s essays, they seemed to be about general things: buying her first house, expressing her dislike for washing dishes, worrying about going to her twentieth high school reunion, seeing the supernatural, pondering nature, and so on. My initial response was, What do these stories have to do with Hawaii other than the fact that Kingston moved to Hawaii and wrote them here? However, slowly and subtly the book reveals Hawaii’s important but understated role in her personal and literary lives. I was able to see how the people, the nature, the landscape, and the traditions of Hawaii fueled Kingston’s thoughts—no matter how mundane they were—and inspired her to write them down. I was even impressed by the way Kingston was able to seamlessly weave Hawaiian and local culture into her own life and stories. Kingston may not be a “kama`aina” (a “local”), but her familiarity with and her closeness to Hawaii are apparent. She casually uses common Hawaiian language phrases in her writing as if they were part of her natural voice and evokes images of Hawaii landmarks and beaches (such as Chinaman’s Hat and Sandy Beach) as if she were a true local.
This is a quick read of only 72 pages; however, it is not short on encouraging personal thought and reflection. The essays could be described as “meditative” and they read much like diary entries. Kingston has a knack for language, and her feelings and experiences are sometimes expressed like poetry. Although reading someone else’s thoughts and reflections, readers may find themselves considering their own thoughts on the topics presented in the book. They may even see Hawaii in a different light, through Kingston’s eyes, as this reviewer did.
Because this is fairly simple reading, I recommend this book for most high school, public, and university libraries. This book would be appropriate for senior high school and college literature courses, especially those on the Literature of Hawaii/ the Pacific or Contemporary Women Writers. This book has been discussed in University of Hawaii at Manoa English Department courses like “Hawaii Women Writers.” Hawai`i One Summer is a great introduction to understanding perspectives on Hawaii, as not all narratives about Hawaii are the same. The book also contains several attractive black and white photographs by Franco Salmoiraghi. It is through the essays and the photographs that we see the way Kingston views Hawaii and its role in her life. Even if Kingston’s Hawaii does not match the perceptions and experiences that others have had, it is still Hawaii all the same and it is what contributes to a diverse Hawaii Literature.
Reviewed by Marie Wasnock, LIS Student, University of Hawaii at Manoa, May 2006.
If you ask a number of writers, scholars, and general readers what their definition of “Hawaii Literature” is, it is likely that you would receive a variety of answers. One might say it is the collection of myths and stories that represent ancient Hawaiian culture and tradition. Another might say it is the literary works of Hawaii “locals” representing the “local” way of speaking (i.e. pidgin) and living. Others may argue that it is a mixture of traditional Hawaiian myths, stories with “local” flavor, as well as any writings—by those of Hawaiian ancestry, locals, or transplanted “locals”—which render or represent the Hawaiian Islands and its melting pot of cultures and people. In the 1984 preface to her book, Hawai`i One Summer, Maxine Hong Kingston expresses, “It is very difficult to capture Hawai`i. Whose point of view among all of Hawai`i’s peoples is the right way of seeing?” Ultimately, through this book Kingston finds her own way of perceiving Hawaii and redefines “Hawaii Literature” by telling her own tales of life in the Islands as she perceived them during the summer of 1978.
In her 1998 preface to this paperback edition, Kingston expresses her initial concern over writing about Hawaii as a non-local. A native Californian who is well-known for her award-winning novel, The Woman Warrior, Kingston moved to Hawaii with her husband and son in the late 1970s and remained on the island of Oahu for a few years. Despite being recognized as a Living Treasure of Hawai`i and a recipient of the Hawai`i Award for Literature (1983), Kingston felt it was still “kapu”—or taboo—for a non-Hawaiian and a non-local to write stories about Hawaii. She believed she needed to write about something or someplace that she was more familiar with, something that she knew. Thus, she began to write down her personal thoughts while living in Hawaii. Soon she found that even though she struggled to leave Hawaii out of her stories, its presence began to find and fit its way into them.
And this is how I felt as I began to read this book: I did not think a majority of the essays had anything to do with Hawaii despite the book’s suggestive title. As I started to read Kingston’s essays, they seemed to be about general things: buying her first house, expressing her dislike for washing dishes, worrying about going to her twentieth high school reunion, seeing the supernatural, pondering nature, and so on. My initial response was, What do these stories have to do with Hawaii other than the fact that Kingston moved to Hawaii and wrote them here? However, slowly and subtly the book reveals Hawaii’s important but understated role in her personal and literary lives. I was able to see how the people, the nature, the landscape, and the traditions of Hawaii fueled Kingston’s thoughts—no matter how mundane they were—and inspired her to write them down. I was even impressed by the way Kingston was able to seamlessly weave Hawaiian and local culture into her own life and stories. Kingston may not be a “kama`aina” (a “local”), but her familiarity with and her closeness to Hawaii are apparent. She casually uses common Hawaiian language phrases in her writing as if they were part of her natural voice and evokes images of Hawaii landmarks and beaches (such as Chinaman’s Hat and Sandy Beach) as if she were a true local.
This is a quick read of only 72 pages; however, it is not short on encouraging personal thought and reflection. The essays could be described as “meditative” and they read much like diary entries. Kingston has a knack for language, and her feelings and experiences are sometimes expressed like poetry. Although reading someone else’s thoughts and reflections, readers may find themselves considering their own thoughts on the topics presented in the book. They may even see Hawaii in a different light, through Kingston’s eyes, as this reviewer did.
Because this is fairly simple reading, I recommend this book for most high school, public, and university libraries. This book would be appropriate for senior high school and college literature courses, especially those on the Literature of Hawaii/ the Pacific or Contemporary Women Writers. This book has been discussed in University of Hawaii at Manoa English Department courses like “Hawaii Women Writers.” Hawai`i One Summer is a great introduction to understanding perspectives on Hawaii, as not all narratives about Hawaii are the same. The book also contains several attractive black and white photographs by Franco Salmoiraghi. It is through the essays and the photographs that we see the way Kingston views Hawaii and its role in her life. Even if Kingston’s Hawaii does not match the perceptions and experiences that others have had, it is still Hawaii all the same and it is what contributes to a diverse Hawaii Literature.
Reviewed by Marie Wasnock, LIS Student, University of Hawaii at Manoa, May 2006.
