Several Punahou alumni and faculty have published books in the past two years that span a variety of genres and subjects. Here’s a roundup of some of their work.
Chris Yamada ’95
“Going Together: The Story of Punahou Baseball’s Perfect 1972 Season”
In the spring of 1972, the Punahou Varsity Baseball team embarked on a three-month journey towards immortality. The result was an undefeated regular season and Interscholastic League of Honolulu title, followed by the greatest performance in the history of the Hawai‘i State Baseball Tournament. On April 29, 1972, Glenn Goya, backed by a handful of stellar defensive plays, pitched a perfect game in the State Tournament Final in front of 2,500 fans at the mythic Old Honolulu Stadium. Fifty years later, the team has reconvened to celebrate their historic season. Through written submissions, photos and live interviews, they try to explain what it was like to be on that magical ride.
Jane Marshall Goodsill ’71
“Voices of Hawai‘i: Preserving Island Culture One Story at a Time Volume 2”
Life stories from the people who keep aloha alive. In this second volume of her unique anthology of the Islands, Jane Marshall Goodsill ’71 shares the stories of those who perpetuate the traditions of the Aloha State – kumu hula and pā‘ū riders, surfers and scientists, artisans and craftspeople, soldiers and builders, farmers and foresters, and so many others. Each of them has a fascinating tale to tell, from the battlegrounds of old Hawai‘i to the golden age of Waikīkī, to the seminal years of the 20th century Hawaiian Renaissance. Taken together, these rich anecdotes tell the story of Hawai‘i, offering an inside look at the history and culture of a special place.
Adria Imada ’89
“An Archive of Skin, An Archive of Kin: Disability and Life-Making during Medical Incarceration”
What was the longest and harshest medical quarantine in modern history, and how did people survive it? In Hawai‘i beginning in 1866, men, women and children suspected of having leprosy were removed from their families. Most were sentenced over the next century to lifelong exile at an isolated settlement. Thousands of photographs taken of their skin provided forceful, if conflicting, evidence of disease and disability for colonial health agents. And yet among these exiled people, a competing knowledge system of kinship and collectivity emerged during their incarceration. This book shows how they pieced together their own intimate archives of care and companionship through unanticipated adaptations of photography.
Cosette Morrison ’61 Harms
“December 7, 1941 — Letters from Hilltop House: ‘O‘ahu has been Attacked!’”
On the morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Anne Powlison was preparing breakfast at her hilltop home in Lanikai, Hawai‘i, which overlooks Kāne‘ohe Naval Air Station, when she noticed flames and smoke billowing from the air base. She soon learned that it had been attacked by Japanese planes. Against this backdrop of fear and terror, Anne began regularly writing letters to her son Peter ’40, a student at University of Washington. These contemporary letters that begin on “the day that will live in infamy” are poignant and moving.
Nicholas Prukop ’64
“Healthy Aging and You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit”
The premise of this book is to illuminate and clarify some of the recent information on healthy aging as it is evolving and also to provide insight, guidance, help, and yes, even wisdom for those of you who wish to start becoming happy, healthy and fit as you get “older – and not old.” This book offers a new paradigm on aging – to live and maximize opportunities for good health.
Debbie Standell ’84 Di Pietro
“Short Morning Prayers: A Collection of Heartfelt Prayers to Start Your Day”
How you spend your first few minutes after waking up each morning can greatly affect the rest of your day. Taking a little time for introspection and prayer makes it easier to be more focused and productive, leaving you feeling peaceful, uplifted, and ready to welcome each new day with hope. This book features a variety of universal prayers for different circumstances, moods and challenges, as well as several open-ended prayers that you can tailor to whatever you are feeling or experiencing at any given moment.
Amanda Tice ’02
“The New Mom Code: Shatter Expectations and Crush It at Motherhood”
Forget everything society has taught you about becoming a mom. Successful curve model Amanda Tice ’02 is here to tell you what motherhood is really like. In a refreshingly honest, hilarious and raw conversation, Tice takes you through her clumsy journey into motherhood and shares how she learned to embrace her new self – stretch marks, rolls and all. With journal prompts, exercises and “Tice Advice,” she helps you learn how to love and embrace your new identity.
Brooke Baird ’61 Brown
“Emalia: A Mother-Daughter Journey from Here to Beyond”
In this book of inspiration and hope, Brooke Baird ’61 Brown, Ph.D., shares the courageous journey of Emalia, her 41-year-old daughter – a vibrant mother, wife and friend – as they navigate through her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Along the way, they are given gifts of deepening friendships and exceptional care mixed with the joys of momentary upswings and the anguish of potential loss. This thoughtful book offers comfort as well as practical tools and resources for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.
Sara Ackerman ’84
“The Codebreaker’s Secret”
1943. As war in the Pacific rages on, Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues huddle in “the dungeon” at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor, deciphering secrets plucked from the airwaves in a race to bring down the enemy. Isabel has only one wish: To avenge her brother’s death. But she soon finds life has other plans when she meets his best friend, a hotshot pilot with secrets of his own. 1965. Fledgling journalist Lu Freitas comes home to Hawai‘i to cover the grand opening of the glamorous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Rockefeller’s newest and grandest project. When a high-profile guest goes missing, Lu forms an unlikely alliance with an intimidating veteran photographer to unravel the mystery. The two make a shocking discovery that stirs up memories and uncovers an explosive secret from the war days. A secret that only a codebreaker can crack.
Pam Lowe ’86 Dolan
“Contemplative Gardening”
This book makes the connection between tending to the earth and tending to our own souls, between caring for the planet and caring for one another. Pam Lowe ’86 Dolan explores the myriad relationships between all living things that come to light when we dig in the soil. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or one just beginning, you will be fed by this intersection of food and faith.
Bonnie Traymore
“Little Loose Ends: A Psychological Thriller”
After a series of events that would have put anyone over the edge, all Victoria wants is for her life to go back to normal. In the aftermath of her husband’s infidelity, his lover’s murder, and the harrowing moments when her life flashed before her eyes, she just wants to focus on her perfect baby daughter, Lila, and live a simple, peaceful life. But given her family’s wealth and notoriety, a simple life has never really been possible for Victoria. And with a sensational murder case and their names splashed all over the media last year, a threat from her past has resurfaced.