Native Hawaiian #OwnVoices Wrap Up

Wow, the month of November flew by super fast! This was my first attempt of hosting a blogging event and I learned a ton and had a fantastic time reading and signal boosting Native Hawaiian authors. Below, I have outlined all the posts featured this month with a 2-3 sentence description. Please check them out if you have not already!

Native Hawaiian #OwnVoices Introduction
This was my introduction post to the month. In it, I talk briefly about the importance of seeking out, reading, and promoting Native Hawaiian authors. The common narrative of Hawaiian is so pervasive in the United States, we must start beginning to challenge this narrative with real, authentic #OwnVoices stories.

Book Review: The House of Many Gods by Kiana Davenport
The House of Many Gods was the only book I found in my local library written by a Native Hawaiian author. Needless to say, I checked it out immediately. This book follows Ana from a young child all the way through adulthood. There is a lot to love about this novel – the infusion of Hawaiian culture, traditions, and language, the backdrop of environmental justice, and the themes of health, wellness, and mortality. I would recommend you add this novel to your TBR!

Guest Post: “Native Hawaiian #OwnVoices:” The Non-fiction Edition
A great guest post from Bina of If You Can Read This full of fantastic non-fiction recommendations by Native Hawaiian authors. I don’t know about you, but my TBR grew significantly after read her post! We might not read non-fiction that often (some of us more than others), but non-fiction, history, and memoirs give us real experiences and stories! Make it a goal to read one non-fiction book by a Native Hawaiian author.

Spotlight: #ProtectMaunaKea
In my research, I stumbled on a couple of articles and a dissertation on the Thirty Meter Telescope and the ongoing battle of taking land from Native Hawaiian people in the name of science. I wanted to bring more awareness of this ongoing issue and talk a little bit about the idea of decolonizing science. The idea that science and Indigenous Peoples are on opposing sides have long been perpetuated in US culture; however, we can trace many scientific ways of learning and knowing back to Indigenous Peoples.

Guest Post: Why Indigenous Authors of Hawai’i Matter
The second guest post of the month by the wonderful Jackie of Death by Tsundoku. In the post, Jackie explores a bit of the history of Native Hawaiian Peoples, why their voices have been silenced, and what we can do as readers, bloggers, and book reviewers to help lift up Native Hawaiian voices in the book world. Thank you Jackie for a fantastic post!

Book Review: This is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila
My second book review of the month is the short story collection by Kristiana Kahakauwila. In this powerful collection, Kristiana explores many different themes including family, loss, belonging, culture, and tourism. I enjoyed this collection a lot and I am excited for the next work from Kristiana! Check it our if you get a chance.

A Q&A with Kristiana Kahakauwila, author of This is Paradise: Stories
As a follow up to my book review, author Kristiana Kahakauwila agreed to participate in a written Q & A for the blog. In her answers, Kristiana talks a lot about her inspirations, the influence of Hawaiian culture, and a little teaser about her next writing project. A huge thank you to Kristiana for giving her time in answering my questions.

Guest Post ~ Book Review: Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me by Lurline McGregor
My last post of the month was a guest book review of Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me by Wendy from What the Log Had to Say. After reading Wendy’s review, I found myself a copy of this book. It sounds like a wonderful experience, following a story about identity, family, and the struggle between science (the museum) and Native Hawaiian Peoples. Thank you Wendy for writing a lovely review!

I want to thank everyone who read these posts, commented, and/or shared them. It has meant a lot to me that so many folks in the blogging community took the time and interest in this event. But enough about me and how I feel -> this is an excellent starting point to continue to support and lift up Native Hawaiian authors. I would highly encourage you to add at least one book by a Native Hawaiian author to you 2017 TBR and talk about the book to your friends or on you blog (if you have one).