Book recalls growing up with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Books Editor
"BUCKALOOSE: Kaimuki School Days with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole" by Sam Kong; Mutual Publishing, hardback, $13.95
I was fully prepared to dismiss this book as an attempt to cash in on the name of the beloved late king of contemporary Hawaiian music, "Bruddah Iz." But then I read the book and succumbed to its charm by, oh, say, page 5 (the text begins on page 4) when Kong, who owns Aiea Florist in his other life, recalls the days when even slippers were optional in the classroom, and he'd shuck them off at recess and forget to put them back on until he felt the cool linoleum on his feet. Ho! Talk about bringing back small-kid time. Kong here tells the story of his friendship with Iz, who entered Kaimuki Elementary late in his fourth-grade year, after the Kamakawiwo'ole family moved to Petrie Street from Ni'ihau in 1969. We meet the school's gruff caretaker, Mr. Imai, who gave the kids crack seed and lemon peel; we head to the Kahala Mall for cone sushi and chicken from the Woolworth's counter; we play ball, fly kites and hang out by Israel's favorite bench. And then we say goodbye to Israel just as Kong discovers girls and Iz discovers the musical life. A sweet memoir with nostalgic photos, bright illustrations and an engaging design by Mardee Domingo Melton.
"AVEBADE BADE: Hawai'i's Pidgin Poetry" by Bradajo; Mutual Publishing, hardback with CD, $14.95
Bradajo (Jozuf Hadley) is legendary among pidgin writers for his release 30 years ago of a book and record, "Chahaloook-ya Ensai" that resembled a child's scribbled notebook and had people sounding out syllables and puzzling over the idiosyncratic spelling. That book was recently re-released. This new book was prompted by 9/11 terrorism, and the breakdown of a friendship that got Bradajo thinking about how hate works, and what can work against it. This time, his pidgin scribblings on the oneness of humanity are superimposed on or juxtaposed with well-chosen photos of island people and places. It's unfortunate, though, that the editors chose to print English "translations" alongside; puzzling it out was more fun and gave more of a sense of the rhythm of what scholars call Hawai'i's Creole English. Wot? Dey tink we dumb? No can figgah yum out? Bradajo's plea for a connection between all of us seems a bit over the top, but he hits it with this warning: "bachugada leeevom da aloha not jos poodom da steeka ontop da ka." Read it aloud. You'll get it. A well-made book, enjoyable to pore over, and there's a CD of Bradajo reading his poetry, too.
"ZEN MASTER RAVEN: Sayings and Doings of a Wise Bird" by Robert Aitken; Tuttle Publishing, trade paper, $14.95
Robert Aitken is a Zen master, founder of Honolulu's thriving Diamond Sangha Buddhist community, author or translator of nine previous books and widely considered the patriarch of Western Zen Buddhism. In 1996, Atiken Roshi, as he is known in the Zen community, retired to the Big Island to write and rest. He has been battling Hodgkin's disease, but clearly maintains his sense of humor and balance. This sprightly collection of Raven stories is quintessentially Zen; full of questions answered with questions, or seeming irrelevancies or not answered at all. Raven is, like Aitken, a master; he seeks to help others along what Zen practitioners call The Way, but sometimes he, too, must be amused at his own loss of direction. Each brief piece here — most are no more than two or three paragraphs — is a lesson, a meditation and, often, a little joke on human frailty.
"LIVING AND RETIRING IN HAWAII: The 50th State in the 21st Century" by James R. Smith and Diane Smith; Writers Club Press, paper, $14.95
Know anyone who is considering retiring to the Islands? Save yourself long phone calls, letters or e-mails and send them a copy of Jay and Diane Smith's thorough and well-researched book. The Smiths — who have worked as real estate agents, business consultants, writers and teachers — wisely spent 10 years researching where to spend their latter years, with Hawai'i a particular interest because he had attended college here. They found nothing written on retirement in Hawai'i since 1983. The book includes an honest assessment of how retiree-friendly Hawai'i is (fairly so), an island-by-island guide (though heavy on the Smiths' home on the Big Island), discussions of health care, recreation, retirement homes and more, and tables and charts on everything from weather to property taxes. Most important, the book offers a template for the questions that need answered before you make any big moves. Even O'ahuans considering retiring to another island can benefit from that.
