Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Set in racially tense 1940’s South Africa. A beautiful, lyrical story of a father’s search for his son.
Hawaiian Fishing Traditions by Dennis Kawadahara. The reader will learn of such unique practices as pearl shell aku lures to traditions of sharing the catch as well as the great fishers of ancient Hawaiʻi.
The Chosenby Chaim Potok. A story of two Jewish boys of different sects who become friends despite external challenges.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The French Revolution backgrounds a great love, a great sacrifice, and of course, one of the most famous first sentences in English literature.
The Hiding Placeby Corrie Ten Boom. A shocking, amazing, and inspiring account of faith and triumph over evil.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. This book is philosophical on writing, life and creative expression. It gives exercises to do on your own and thus is interactive as a catalyst for creativity.
Native Use of Fish in Hawaii by Margaret Titcomb. For those who grew up in the school of the ocean, this is a great resource.
The Mulligan: A Parable of Second Chances by Ken Blanchard and Wally Armstrong. A book about a golfer who learns life lesson by reflecting on how he plays the “game of life.”
Beloved by Toni Morrison. This novel is for the academic reader; it’s the story of an escaped slave and her “lost” child; incredibly beautiful language and opportunity for critical analysis.
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. This novel is a historical fiction about a girl who contracts Hansen’s disease and is forced to grow up on Kalaupapa; a very engaging storyline.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I love the author’s use of voice and her ability to take you through a myriad of emotions in this novel. It’s the story of an African American maid set in the 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. One of my favorite literary classics; it’s a story of love, hate, acceptance, rejection, and revenge.
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Set in an utopian community, the main character begins to question the only world he has ever known.
A Nation Rising: Hawaiian Movements for Life, Land and Sovereignty edited by Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua, Ikaika Hussey, Erina Kahunawaikaala Wright. “A Nation Rising chronicles the political struggles and grassroots initiatives collectively known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Scholars, community organizers, journalists, and filmmakers contribute essays that explore Native Hawaiian resistance and resurgence from the 1970’s to the early 2010’s.” – Duke University Press.
Hawaiki Rising by Sam Low. On Hōkūleʻa, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian renaissance.
The Tattoo by Chris McKinney. “The other Hawaii, the one tourists never get to see.” – Ian MacMillan
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A fantasy of the future (first published in 1932) that sheds a blazing critical light on the present. “The novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep learning, psychological manipulation, and classical condition that combine profoundly to change society.” – Harper Collins/Wikipedia
Wayfinding through the Storm by Gavin Daws and Nā Leo ʻO Kamehameha. The inside story behind the controversy surrounding the abuse of power that nearly destroyed Kamehameha Schools during the 1990’s.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. For tragic Jay Gatsby and the novel’s prose: “[Gatsby] smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced –or seemed to face the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.” – The Great Gatsby
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. The books inspired a theme park. Harry: “So light a fire!” Hermione: “Yes… of course… but there’s no wood!” Ron: “HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT!”
The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It has cartoons! “I grabbed my book and opened it up. I wanted to smell it. Heck, I wanted to kiss it. Yes, kiss it. That’s right, I am a book kisser. Maybe that’s the kind of perverted or maybe its just romantic and highly intelligent.” – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
T.S. Elliot’s poem, “The Love Son of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Because we’ve all felt like “a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floor of silent seas” and the answer to, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” is no.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Translation from French. Beautifully written and very thought provoking, though complex with intense French and Russian literary references.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Wonderful story and memoir about McCourt’s experiences as a teacher. Not necessarily examples of great teaching, but definitely great storytelling.
Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros. Series of imagery-laden short stories dealing with issues of racial and gender identity for mature audiences.
Grendal by John Gardner. Amazing retelling of a canonical story (Beowolf) through an alternate perspective.
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. Historical fiction about the experiences of a girl with Hansen’s disease growing up in Kalaupapa. The narrative really makes the history come alive and connects well with topics covered in Kaluaiko’olau. Some sections for mature audiences.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Absurdist, satirical, black humor. Takes a critical look at society and the human condition. Even though the book is set in World War II, Yossarian lives even today.
Blu’s Hanging by Lois-Ann Yamanaka. An unflinching look at growing up poor in Hawaiʻi, with all the struggles, dysfunction, and sense of community that goes along with it.
Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. A love story, but not a cheesy one. Explores different types of love and has a very ambiguous take on the atrocities committed in the book. The movie sucked. The book is pretty awesome.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry. I actually read this book in a grad school class. I thought it was going to be terrible but its super fun to read and entertaining. It’s clever, has a lot of action, and touches on issues of globalization and economic inequality.
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell. A gripping tale of Clifford, a gigantic red dog, as he goes through his life journey seeking acceptance and finding his place in the world.
Mr. Cowan cecowan@ksbe.edu
