Morales: When the Shark Bites by Rodney Morales

by Rodney Morales

Henry Rivera, one-time activist and now full-time construction worker, has just been evicted from his home in Waikiki and is forced to move to the Wai'anae coast. While in the midst of moving, Hank and his wife, Kanani, are approached by a young man who is researching the early years of Hawai'i's modern civil rights movement, which culminated in the rigorous protests surrounding the bombing of Kaho'olawe in 1976 and 1977. Hesitant at first, Henry and Kanani agree to talk about the past and their role in the movement. Vivid and sometimes painful memories surface, causing both to question their feelings of love and loyalty--not only for each other, but for their complex and sometimes competing heritages. Through the voices of Henry, Kanani, and the many others who populate this sprawling, passionate novel, Rodney Morales tells a thoroughly contemporary story of Hawai'i--one that addresses the realities of asserting one's culture in a multicultural world. "Rodney Morales tells old-fashioned stories in a new way, or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, his stories are funny and sad at the same time, and those are the best kind of stories." --- Sherman Alexie

"Rodney Morales has written a compelling mo'olelo of a family's twenty-year struggle to protect the 'aina. He breathes vividness into Hawaiian characters who risked their lives to save Kaho'olawe, but whose real triumph was to retain their souls amid the steady betrayals of modern Hawaiian life." --- Jonathan K. Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio

Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Wanna dance? · Rating 2 out of 5]

The seeds of this tale are there; Morales edited a beautiful book called “ Hoihoi Hou A Tribute To George Helm And Kimo Mitchell”, published (1984) by Bamboo Ridge Press in Hawaii.

I see how “The Shark” blossomed from the seeds in “Hoʻi hoʻi Hou”. I say seeds because I see so much potential in the story, it doesn’t seem to ripen like a summer mango, tempting you to pick it from the greedy neighbor’s front garden each time you pass the mango tree.

I found the chapters featuring different characters a bit confusing, it didn’t move the story forward. One reviewer mentioned the first half moved slowly, then it picked up momentum in the second half. The story could have been told in two hundred pages.

[Laurie]

This novel tells the story of the hawaiian renaissance of the seventies, and how the hopefulness of those times led to the mysterious death of a sovereignty activist and the less idealistic eras that ensued. It sent me to the music of George Helm (one of the models for Keoni) Iz, Jon Osorio and Olomana. The characters in the novel are conflicted but just trying to do their best: the young surfer Makena, his father Henry and mother Kaunani, who are all haunted by events of the seventies. The beach, cramped houses in Waikiki, and other local venues are described vividly with a seventies soundtrack.

[Erra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars. Even though I was born and raised in Hawaii, it was difficult to relate to the events that gave the background to the story, i.e. the bombings of Koho'olawe. Probably because I wasn't alive yet, but I digress. The book was fine and finally got more engaging a little after the halfway mark, but there were some extraneous details that I wasn't sure mattered to the plot in the end, and the title is still disconnected for me. However, once it finally got more intricate and didn't just rely on history, it got so much better. And the pidgin dialogue was fantastic.

[Laurie Tomchak]

Haven't read yet, though I think I read it a few years ago. It's about the birth of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, and one of my english students is writing a paper about it so I'm rereading it. My book club is reading it as well, and the author is coming to an april reading festival organized by a friend. Looking forward to reading again.

[SonyaB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read it for class. I love the history, the local hawaiian narrative and point of view, but all the sex escapades were tiresome and the way the author bopped around back and forth between the narrators confused me. I found it unnecessary to hear from all the characters in the story. However, it is a great critique of the cultural issues that still go one today.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club read. Enjoyed reading about familiar places.