Hula

A Novel

De: Jasmin Iolani Hakes

Narrado por: Mapuana Makia

Audiofile Magazine Earphones Award Winner• Named a Best Book of the Summer by Harper's Bazaar and ELLE

“Stunning…an intricately built novel that spans decades, moving in and out of a collective voice, while also telling Hi’i’s deeply personal and devastating story of trying to find her way.” –Los Angeles Times

“A full-throated chant for Hawai'i. . . . It’s impossible to come away unchanged.” —KAWAI STRONG WASHBURN, author of the PEN/Hemingway award-winning Sharks in the Times of Saviors

Set in Hilo, Hawai’i, a sweeping saga of tradition, culture, family, history, and connection that unfolds through the lives of three generations of women—a tale of mothers and daughters, dance and destiny.

“There’s no running away on an island. Soon enough, you end up where you started.”

Hi'i is proud to be a Naupaka, a family renowned for its contributions to hula and her hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, but there’s a lot she doesn’t understand. She’s never met her legendary grandmother and her mother has never revealed the identity of her father. Worse, unspoken divides within her tight-knit community have started to grow, creating fractures whose origins are somehow entangled with her own family history.

In hula, Hi'i sees a chance to live up to her name and solidify her place within her family legacy. But in order to win the next Miss Aloha Hula competition, she will have to turn her back on everything she had ever been taught, and maybe even lose the very thing she was fighting for.

Told in part in the collective voice of a community fighting for its survival, Hula is a spellbinding debut that offers a rare glimpse into a forgotten kingdom that still exists in the heart of its people.

10 STARS

This is what a book should be.
I found the actual writing and many turn of phrases such as - possible paraphrase;
“she snuck into the room of my head and re-arranged the furniture”
almost life changing. That may sound silly, but it so perfectly describes how someone can have so much influence that you begin doubt your own reality.
The narration is spot-on.
At times I had to re-wind as I became a bit confused, although part of this was due to my lack of familiarity with the Hawaiian words.
I don’t usually like multi generational, female, familiar relationship sagas; but placed in the context of Hawaiian history and cultural atrocities, they represent the effects of that history.
My niece has a PhD re the financial colonization of Latin America, and I believe she will find this book extremely well done. Her mother, my sister, nurtured and encouraged her daughter’s education and world views exactly from books like this.
This would have been one of the best credits I ever spent, oh wait, it was the daily special I think. What a treat.
In summary, I am very impressed with this book, and very much look forward to her next creation.
Note: when the book ended, I immediately started it all over again. Just sayin ☺️

Rich and complex novel with beautiful writing.

Wonderful novel with complex characters that provides valuable insight into Hawaiian history and culture from a Hawaiian perspective.

Beautiful Hawaiian culture explained.

Listening to the beautifully pronounced Hawaiian language and understanding the importance of multi-generational customs was a joy interwoven into a rich storyline.

Great story and writing

I loved the story, history and the author's writing. The only complaint I have is that so many Hawaiian words were used and not explained or translated. I listened to the book on audible and it was really hard for a non-Hawaiian speaking person to understand. I learned a lot though! Reading the author's new book now!

Finally!!

We need more books that shows the conflicts and struggles of the Hawaiian people. This is a great insight into the historical events that have plagued Kanaka. Though this book is fiction, the historical date and events are fact. The author illustrates how difficult this issues are to tackle as a People. She does a great job of showcasing differing viewpoints on how to protect and perpetuate Hawaiian culture, land, and people. We must remember the end goal is always the same and to stand tall and proud as one Lāhui. IMUA!!