A look at the published books written by Punahou alumni and faculty that span a variety of genres and subjects.
Tom Coffman ’54
“Inclusion: How Hawai‘i Protected Japanese Americans from Mass Internment, Transformed Itself, and Changed America”
Following Dec. 7, 1941, the United States government interned 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry evicted from scattered settlements throughout the West Coast states. Yet why was a much larger number concentrated in the Hawaiian Islands war zone not similarly incarcerated? At the root of the story is an inclusive community that worked to protect an embattled segment of its population.
Minnie Ko ’97
“The Journey for Rainbows”
This is a story of one person’s journey – a journey that reveals that moving to a new place will bring hope, dreams and opportunities. This is a story that teaches that new can be good. It can be great! We just need to open our hearts, be brave and be resilient. It teaches you never to forget about your roots, while embracing the new.
Muriel Miura with Lynette Lo ’74 Tom
“Yum Yum Cha: Let’s Eat Dim Sum in Hawai‘i”
Lynette Lo ’74 Tom helped complete “Yum Yum Cha: Let’s Eat Dim Sum in Hawai‘i,” a cookbook that had been started by her friend, Muriel Miura. With Miura’s family’s blessing, Lo Tom, a cookbook author herself, completed it and had it published after Muriel’s death.
The book has over 100 recipes that duplicate what you can order in restaurants, shops and bakeries serving dim sum in the Islands. Included are delicious favorites such as: pork hash bites (siu mai), shrimp in translucent wheat starch wrap (har gao), steamed then pan-fried turnip cake (lo bak go) and tender steamed pork spareribs in fermented black bean sauce (dow see pai gwat).
Kira Seamon ’89
“Dead Cereus”
Holly Jackson could be the next rising star in the botanical department at prestigious Shellesby College in New England. On a perfect moonlit night, the rare night-blooming cereus plant is scheduled to open its petals during the College’s much anticipated Annual Night Lights Gala.
A famous chocolate maker is the featured guest; there is enough food to die for, and Holly is hosting it all. What could possibly go wrong? It’s all honeysuckle and roses until a wily and clever killer shows up, and suddenly, everything goes roots up. Is Holly the only one brave enough to follow the clues and bring about justice?
Wesley F. Fong ’61
“Memoirs of a Chinese American Officer”
The book is a personal recollection of the author’s life, starting with him donning a uniform in high school JROTC, to his tour of duty during Vietnam, highlighting the lives he and his company saved during that conflict, to the end of his military career in the U.S. Army Reserve as a colonel. This gripping tale is grounded in the respect and commitment to duty, honor and country that he learned during his long military service. It is also meant to be a way to share his experiences with family and fellow Americans at every step of that journey and as a tribute to his fellow Vietnam veterans.
Tae Keller ’11
“Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone”
This story about one girl’s reaction to another seventh grader’s disappearance reveals the internal impact of This story about one girl’s reaction to another seventh grader’s This story about one girl’s reaction to another seventh grader’s disappearance reveals the internal impact of bullying. Mallory Moss, a 12-year-old girl in a small Florida town, was the first to meet Jennifer Chan. Chinese American Jennifer moved from the Midwest into the house across the street during the summer. Mallory, who is Korean and implied White, knows that the new girl will have trouble once their predominantly White, Christian school begins. The book dives right into the action as Jennifer goes missing in the first chapter. Texts start flying between Mallory and her friends as they worry about what Mallory calls “the incident” with Jennifer that took place a few days before her disappearance. While the search for Jennifer intensifies, Mallory replays prior events with growing dread, looking for clues.
Candes Gentry ’95 and Poet Gentry ’31
“Eat Pono”
Simple, vibrant and nutritious recipes for a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy the visually stunning photos and nutritious and scrumptious recipes presented by first time author Candes Gentry and her son Poet Gentry. Together they make an unstoppable duo in and out of the kitchen, sharing their positive vibes and fun healthy dishes with friends and family. These recipes are bursting with flavor, sure to please the keiki and simple to prepare.
J. Susan Williamson ’61 Corley
“Leveraging Sovereignty: Kauikeaouli’s Global Strategy for the Hawaiian Nation 1825 – 1854”
The book examines the leadership of Hawai‘i’s longest reigning monarch, King Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli). It highlights the early 1840s, when Kauikeaouli secured recognition from the United States, Britain and France that he ruled over an independent and sovereign Hawaiian state. Britain and France, however, sought to limit his powers through forced extraterritorial treaties, and the king struggled to regain ruling control over key governance functions. At the same time, foreign merchants and traders increasingly dominated Hawai‘i’s economic activity, demanded institutional and social changes, and threatened to overwhelm the Hawaiian population already decimated by disease and out-migration.
Mike Befeler ’62
“Old Detectives Home: An Omnipodge Mystery”
Imagine a retirement home populated with such residents as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes, and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a real person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as this colorful cast of suspects investigate each other to solve the mystery of who done it.
Kwei-Lin Lum ’68
“Fuzzy Village: 1 Vignettes, Brief Tales”
The book is a sequential series of panels, like bits of life from a grown-up Dick and Jane, depicting a town where the surreal is rather normal and residents sometimes can’t tell what’s really going on. The fuzziness also covers small inconsistencies of time, space and speed. Volume 1, Vignettes, Brief Tales, showcases a few stories from the town. In the end there will be several volumes which incorporate about 700 digital panels that were created as an escape from sequestration during the 2020 – 2021 pandemic.
Dr. Carl R. Ackerman, Dr. Laura K.G. Ackerman ’05 (illustrator)
“Wally and Dolly: A Story in Hawai‘i Coloring Book”
Wally and Dolly, respectively a fish and a crab, live in the Ala Wai Canal adjacent to Waikīkī Beach in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. They encounter the lovely Laura, and her mother and grandmother, who give them a piece of a Java Java Cafe vegetarian sandwich. This inspires Wally and Dolly to frolic in this Hawai‘i canal. The story of Wally and Dolly will make children everywhere want to pick up their crayons or paints and draw Wally and Dolly in the Ala Wai Canal; it will also inspire their own story about a special place in their home environs. An inspirational story to spark additional art work from every child who encounters this delightful coloring book.
Clark Little ’87
“The Art of Waves”
Award-winning wave photographer Clark Little shares his most remarkable photographs from inside waves, with a foreword by world surfing champion Kelly Slater. Published by Ten Speed Press (a Penguin Random House imprint), this is Little’s first book to be released across the US and all over the world.
Little creates deceptively peaceful pictures of waves by placing himself under the deadly lip as it is about to hit the sand. “Clark’s view” is a rare and dangerous perspective of waves from the inside out. Thanks to his uncanny ability to get the perfect shot – and live to share it – Little has garnered a devout audience, been the subject of award-winning documentaries, and become one of the world’s most recognizable wave photographers.