"The Heart of Being Hawaiian" by Sally-Jo Bowman; Watermark

In the foreword to "The Heart of Being Hawaiian," navigator Nainoa Thompson equates Sally-Jo Bowman's quest to uncover her Hawaiian identity with "a voyage in words." And indeed Bowman's heartfelt solo journey undertaken through freelance writing eloquently explores elements of modern Hawaiian culture that had eluded this Oregon resident, despite being a quarter Hawaiian, raised in Kailua, O'ahu, and attending Kamehameha Schools (class of '58).

Bowman's lack of a Hawaiian name and her '40s and '50s upbringing, when, as she says "it still was not cool to be Hawaiian," influenced her to begin writing in the 1990s on such topics as lua (Hawaiian martial arts), language immersion schools, Kalaupapa, the controversial Hawaiian leader Bumpy Kanahele and the Onipa'a (centennial overthrow protest). Through these events and Bowman's earnest reflections, readers witnessed her cultural roots grow, and Bowman began to see a whole develop.

This book smartly presents that whole, not in a chronology of articles but as an illuminating, thematic arrangement addressing such concepts as coming home, ancestral paths and central values.

"Who Owns the Crown Lands of HawaI'i?" by Jon M. Van Dyke; UH Press

The eponymous query of UH-Manoa law professor Jon M. Van Dyke's book "Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i?" is answered before it properly begins, when in the introduction Van Dyke echoes the 1993 Apology Resolution and asserts: "Native Hawaiians have been deprived of their lands without compensation or their consent, and ... these Crown Lands should once again be managed by and for the Native Hawaiian people."

By detailing the intricate history and legal status of the Crown Lands, which centers on the Great Mahele of 1848 — when Kamehameha III divided the lands as a protective measure should Hawai'i fall into foreign hands — and the subsequent "ceding" of the government and crown lands to the United States after the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani, Van Dyke succeeds in laying a remarkably clear and completely captivating path of understanding.

As the "history of lands moving from the Native Hawaiian people into the hands of others" is painstakingly and equitably examined, Van Dyke smartly navigates past such disputes as the role of ali'i in a new Hawaiian Nation to pointedly elucidate and persuasively affirm the Crown Lands' unique status so they can be more effectively restored to their intended purpose and beneficiaries.

"Honolulu Stories: Two Centuries of Writing" edited by Gavan Daws and Bennett Hymer; Mutual

Had "Honolulu Stories" editors Gavan Daws and Bennett Hymer included the full text of each story included in this mammoth, 1,000-plus-page collection of Honolulu portraits from the 19th century to the present, it would be even more intimidating to crack open.

But apart from its girth, this first-of-its-kind anthology is undeniable in its ambitious, democratic range and focus on "imaginative writing, not nonfiction." And with nearly 250 contributors and 350 entries — by unknown to local favorites to famous voices — nine translated languages, and sweeping categories such as "The Plantation," "On the Beach at Waikiki" and "To Be Hawaiian," the poetry, lyrics, chants, fiction, comedy and plays within offer a truly comprehensive canvas.

Read more of Christine Thomas' reviews at www.literarylotus.com.