Dem Haoles

Dem Haoles is an innovative and entertaining study of white privilege. Set against the backdrop of Hawaii, Dem Haoles explores how white people or haoles are portrayed and why. The exploration is guided by the concept of images or archetypes, employed to classify and dissect haole representation. Dem Haoles mines normally mundane entertainment vehicles like romantic comedies and action hero dramas and reveals that these artifacts of popular culture are more than mindless entertainment. They are in fact well camouflaged political messaging. The focus on popular culture examined through image analysis makes Dem Haoles entertaining and informative. The examination of popular media is detailed and thorough and will evoke deep nostalgic sentiments. While the insightful analysis of images, its mechanics, and intent will provoke critical thinking. Together this combination makes Dem Haoles a unique and rewarding experience that will both invalidate old perceptions about Hawaii and ruin the simple pleasure of mindless entertainment.

From a hospital bed a dying man unfolds the tale of an arduous life on the fringes of a Hawai‘i sugar plantation in the 1920s. There Kim Sung Wha—laborer, patriot, revolutionary, aviator—envisioned building an airplane from ricepaper, bamboo, and the scrap parts of a broken-down bicycle, an airplane that would carry him back to his Korean homeland and to his wife and children. From the start Sung Wha’s dream is destined to fail, but this moving and passionate work is the story of a man who dares to life past the wreckage of shattered visions. His is a heroic story of loss, of deep love, and of rebirth.

In Hawaii an exciting tradition of local drama is reaching new audiences with plays that deal directly, often humorously, with life in this polychrome island state. The eight plays collected in this anthology celebrate the spirit of that tradition and offer an uninhibited feast for the ear — local language as it is spoken in contemporary Hawaii. In style and subject matter, the plays fall naturally into pairs: Ashes and Reunion are realistic dramas about problems of identity among the Japanese in Hawaii; Oranges Are Lucky and All Brand New Classical Chinese Theater add a touch of surrealism to their treatment of Chinese Americans; In the Alley and Paradise Tours depict the urbanized pressures of jet-age Hawaii at odds with older rhythms of life; and the last two plays, although written for a contemporary audience, draw on classical models- The Travels of Heikiki follows the structure of the historical pageant play, and the hugely popular Twelf Nite O Wateva! is a pidgin adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. Carroll’s introduction is a pioneering essay on the development of local drama that outlines the historical and theatrical context of these plays. The book is complete with a glossary of the pidgin words that appear in five of the eight plays.

This book reclaims Korean history in Hawaii through the examination of works by three local writers of Korean descent: Margaret Pai, Ty Pak, and Gary Pak.

“Carl Hiaasen, meet Hannibal Lecter” in this comedy about a vengeful Hawaiian chef, his greedy rivals, and some very bad table manners (Kirkus Reviews). Joseph Tanumafili’s family-owned food-service business in Honolulu has been the only game in town for years. But when competing caterers from Las Vegas arrive to accommodate the cast and crew of a film shoot, the battle for paradise begins. As far as Joseph and his hotheaded Samoan uncle are concerned, no mainlanders are going to muscle in on native territory. Lines are drawn and everyone’s taking a side: a gay TV producer on romantic rebound; his androgynous New Age–y assistant; a horny stroke survivor in a state of perpetual, chemically induced arousal; an aspiring missionary; a dimwitted bodybuilder; and a sweet-natured pimp. But when the Sin City boys decide to enlist the services of an ecstasy-popping ex-Marine hit man, Joseph hits back. And for such a resourceful chef, the revenge is going to be absolutely delicious. Mark Haskell Smith offers a guide to Hawaii that definitely hasn’t been endorsed by the tourist bureau, nor is it “for those with weak stomachs, prudish minds or delicate ears, but that leaves the rest of us to savor the novel’s many twisted charms” (Baltimore Sun). “Think Elmore Leonard meets Mario Batali.” —Richard Rayner, Los Angeles Times “Perverse black humor and sensuality, totally unexpected situations . . . simply breathtaking.” —Liz Smith, New York Post