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East Wind, Rain
December, 1941Off the lush coast of Kauai sits the almost unknown island of Niihau. Its inhabitants -- mostly Hawaiian natives -- lead a quiet, simple life. They work the ranch of the island's owner, Aylmer Robinson, an eccentric haole who insists that Niihau remain isolated from the outside world; no phones, cars, electricity, or other conveniences are allowed. According to Robinson's Christian view, his people must be protected from modern evils, and his island haven kept as pure as Eden before the Fall.Then a plane crash-lands on Niihau. The Hawaiians have no idea that it's a Japanese Zero, and that the pilot -- who survives the landing -- has just taken part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Concerned primarily with the fact that visitors aren't allowed, Niihau's residents await Mr. Robinson's monthly visit from Kauai. But unknown to them, the outside world is now at war.Only the island's one Japanese-American couple, Irene and Yoshio Harada, realize the significance of the downed soldier. Convinced that Japan has successfully invaded the United States, and pressured by the desperate pilot, the Haradas face a growing dilemma. Are they loyal to America, their country, but one that has bruised them with prejudice? Or should they help the pilot, betraying their Hawaiian neighbors but saving themselves? As the Zero smolders in the Niihauan soil, and the Niihauans slowly figure out that the modern world has encroached on their remote island whether they like it or not, the Haradas see cracks in their own shaky marriage beginning to widen. Paradise, once within reach, slowly falls victim to its own isolated innocence.Based on a little-known true event, East Wind, Rain is a provocative and compelling debut novel of people thrust unwittingly into a war -- not only of nations, but of American identity -- with devastating and irrevocable consequences for them all.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Caroline Paul
19 books141 followersCaroline Paul is an American writer of fiction and nonfiction. Trained as a journalist and documentary filmmaker at Stanford University, she instead pursued a career as a firefighter, as one of the first women hired by the San Francisco Fire department. She worked most of her career on Rescue 2, where she and her crew were responsible for search and rescue in fires. Rescue 2 members were also trained and sent on scuba dive searches, rope and rapelling rescues, surf rescues, confined space rescues, all hazardous material calls, and the most severe train and car wrecks.
Source: Wikipedia.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 21, 2022
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Based on an actual event, this is a very different view of Pearl Harbor. A Japanese pilot is forced to land on the isolated island of Niihau. This is a place run like a personal kingdom by an old white man, but is inhabited by a mix of native Hawaiian and nisei. As Mister Robinson, the local top guy, is off-island and there is almost no communication with the outside world, the islanders must decide what to do with the fallen pilot. Loyalty, ethnic identity, and personal character are all confronted in this moving, beautifully written story. The sadness of the tale is exceeded only by the skill of the characterizations. A good read, an excellent book club item.
June 29, 2015
"East Wind, Rain" was the code the Japanese used for the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. After being hit during the attack, a Japanese Zero crash landed on the small Hawaiian island of Niihau. The native Hawaiian people were kept very isolated by the owner of the small arid plantation, preventing unrest and disease transmission, but also shielding them from news about the second world war. The white owner of Niihau was away on business so the islanders had to deal with the Japanese pilot. There was only one Japanese man and a Japanese-American couple who were able to communicate with the pilot. He tells them that Japanese invaders will be on Niihau soon to rescue him so they should meet his demands.
This is a book about loyalties, prejudice, traditions, fears, and national identity. The book is based on a real incident on Niihau on Pearl Harbor Day. The author was not granted permission to visit Niihau by the owner that still keeps the workers isolated, so the account of the harrowing week following the December 7th bombing is partly a product of Caroline Paul's imagination. The author shows the reasons for each character's actions over the next seven days as the peaceful island changed into a place of terror. 3.5 stars.
This is a book about loyalties, prejudice, traditions, fears, and national identity. The book is based on a real incident on Niihau on Pearl Harbor Day. The author was not granted permission to visit Niihau by the owner that still keeps the workers isolated, so the account of the harrowing week following the December 7th bombing is partly a product of Caroline Paul's imagination. The author shows the reasons for each character's actions over the next seven days as the peaceful island changed into a place of terror. 3.5 stars.
April 24, 2014
I do not remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, I wasn't born until the following year, but the situations arising from it were very present in my childhood and later. There were no Japanese children in my elementary classes and when I moved to a small coastal village in the mid fifties there were two Japanese families in the high school, both of which had been interned during the war. We have lived with the need for apology, the settling of accounts with the government and finally an awareness of the contributions made by the nissei and sensei as well as the original immigrant families to the life of our coast. To go back to "the time before" is always difficult but Caroline Paul has given us a very good attempt.
Niihau is a good example of a culturally isolated population, a privately owned island a few sea miles away from Pearl Harbor, a place with no electricity or motor vehicles, no radio or newspapers, and the language is Hawaiian at a time when the native language was fading fast on the other islands. The Robinson family deliberately kept their island isolated to protect the people from the contamination of modern life.
There were only three Japanese living here alongside the 130 or so native people and they appear, according to Paul, to have been accepted as neighbours by the Hawaiians, although there were some local things about which they weren't told, things like the location of hidden water springs. The Japanese family appear to have been a little reticent and the wife fearful of rejection. The husband had wanted to come to the island because he had had very unpleasant experiences in California and felt there would be less rejection among the people of colour on Niihau.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked Niihau was not aware and they were also unaware of the war that had been sweeping Europe and parts of Asia for some time so when a Japanese Zero crashed on the edge of a field they didn't know what to make of it. Loyalties come immediately to the fore, the pilot's his military tie to his unit and the emperor, the Japanese couple to America, and the Hawaiians to Mr. Robinson (the owner) who will come and sort it all out. Everything becomes misunderstanding on top of misunderstand after that. The pilot doesn't speak English and cannot understand how apparently Japanese people could not have vital ties to the emperor, the Sun of Heaven. Yoshio Harada and his wife were born in Hawaii and a generation away from Japan so they are initially American in their reactions. They shift to a pragmatic view that if the Japanese have invaded they should be alright as being obviously Japanese speaking and Japanese in appearance so they should help the pilot, as well as Yoshio hoping to regain self respect in his wife's eyes. The Hawaiians are bemused by what they see as strange responses to their offers of shelter - offers colored by their fear of "what Mr. Robinson will say" about an outsider being allowed onto the island.
The cultural and linguistic misunderstandings become more and more complex with no one completely honest with the others. The Hawaiians revert to earlier faith practices, the pilot doesn't say anything about his determination to commit suicide once he's destroyed his plane and documents, and Yoshio and Irene are not honest with either each other or anyone else.
These misunderstandings can only end badly, although not as badly as they might have, but I don't agree with those who blame this incident for the interning of the Japanese. The incident is indicative of the American attitude toward Asians certainly, but I don't imagine the Canadian government was aware of events on Niihau when they created our own internment camps. This was a fascinating and thought provoking book and while it is properly a novel, so much of it is exactly what happened that it can be read almost as history.
Niihau is a good example of a culturally isolated population, a privately owned island a few sea miles away from Pearl Harbor, a place with no electricity or motor vehicles, no radio or newspapers, and the language is Hawaiian at a time when the native language was fading fast on the other islands. The Robinson family deliberately kept their island isolated to protect the people from the contamination of modern life.
There were only three Japanese living here alongside the 130 or so native people and they appear, according to Paul, to have been accepted as neighbours by the Hawaiians, although there were some local things about which they weren't told, things like the location of hidden water springs. The Japanese family appear to have been a little reticent and the wife fearful of rejection. The husband had wanted to come to the island because he had had very unpleasant experiences in California and felt there would be less rejection among the people of colour on Niihau.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked Niihau was not aware and they were also unaware of the war that had been sweeping Europe and parts of Asia for some time so when a Japanese Zero crashed on the edge of a field they didn't know what to make of it. Loyalties come immediately to the fore, the pilot's his military tie to his unit and the emperor, the Japanese couple to America, and the Hawaiians to Mr. Robinson (the owner) who will come and sort it all out. Everything becomes misunderstanding on top of misunderstand after that. The pilot doesn't speak English and cannot understand how apparently Japanese people could not have vital ties to the emperor, the Sun of Heaven. Yoshio Harada and his wife were born in Hawaii and a generation away from Japan so they are initially American in their reactions. They shift to a pragmatic view that if the Japanese have invaded they should be alright as being obviously Japanese speaking and Japanese in appearance so they should help the pilot, as well as Yoshio hoping to regain self respect in his wife's eyes. The Hawaiians are bemused by what they see as strange responses to their offers of shelter - offers colored by their fear of "what Mr. Robinson will say" about an outsider being allowed onto the island.
The cultural and linguistic misunderstandings become more and more complex with no one completely honest with the others. The Hawaiians revert to earlier faith practices, the pilot doesn't say anything about his determination to commit suicide once he's destroyed his plane and documents, and Yoshio and Irene are not honest with either each other or anyone else.
These misunderstandings can only end badly, although not as badly as they might have, but I don't agree with those who blame this incident for the interning of the Japanese. The incident is indicative of the American attitude toward Asians certainly, but I don't imagine the Canadian government was aware of events on Niihau when they created our own internment camps. This was a fascinating and thought provoking book and while it is properly a novel, so much of it is exactly what happened that it can be read almost as history.
October 29, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much. I went to my local library looking for something good and different; East Wind, Rain lived fit the bill nicely. What caused me to pull the book off the shelf was the title. Then, the story itself, based on a real life incident: the tale of a Japanese Zero pilot who crash lands on a small Hawaiian island after participating in the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that killed 3,000 American servicemen on December 7th, 1941.
The island NishiKaichi puts his plane down on, a small one in the Hawaiian chain, called Niihau, was owned by Alymer Robinson, a Christian landowner who insisted that the Hawaiians that lived and worked on his island, live in a primitive and Christian state. There were none of the modern conveniences available in 1940 (jeeps, two way radios, refrigerators, radios, etc.) on the island. So the workers were pretty much ignorant of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, an event which precipitated America’s entry into WWII. As the pilot sat, strapped unconscious in his downed Zero, he was rescued and ‘taken into custody’ by one of the Hawaiian bosses on the island, Howard Kaleohano. Howard, the only Hawaiian on the island that could read English, was vaguely aware of the rising tensions between Japan and America, having on occasion read some news articles on the old newsprint used to wrap supplies sent to the island. He was immediately suspicious about the pilot but, per his orders, decided to wait the return of Mr. Robinson who had gone to the neighboring island of Kauai to get supplies. The other major players in this drama are the Haradas, a Nisei couple who eventually join up with the Zero pilot to ensure the victory of the Japanese forces they were sure would soon arrive.
The book is compelling and very well written. I admire Caroline Paul for tackling a touchy subject for her novel and making it all work. My only criticism is that none of the characters stand out memorably. There is no Scarlett O’Hara (Gone With the Wind), no Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, (From Here to Eternity). The incident itself stars in this tale. And it all works.
The island NishiKaichi puts his plane down on, a small one in the Hawaiian chain, called Niihau, was owned by Alymer Robinson, a Christian landowner who insisted that the Hawaiians that lived and worked on his island, live in a primitive and Christian state. There were none of the modern conveniences available in 1940 (jeeps, two way radios, refrigerators, radios, etc.) on the island. So the workers were pretty much ignorant of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, an event which precipitated America’s entry into WWII. As the pilot sat, strapped unconscious in his downed Zero, he was rescued and ‘taken into custody’ by one of the Hawaiian bosses on the island, Howard Kaleohano. Howard, the only Hawaiian on the island that could read English, was vaguely aware of the rising tensions between Japan and America, having on occasion read some news articles on the old newsprint used to wrap supplies sent to the island. He was immediately suspicious about the pilot but, per his orders, decided to wait the return of Mr. Robinson who had gone to the neighboring island of Kauai to get supplies. The other major players in this drama are the Haradas, a Nisei couple who eventually join up with the Zero pilot to ensure the victory of the Japanese forces they were sure would soon arrive.
The book is compelling and very well written. I admire Caroline Paul for tackling a touchy subject for her novel and making it all work. My only criticism is that none of the characters stand out memorably. There is no Scarlett O’Hara (Gone With the Wind), no Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, (From Here to Eternity). The incident itself stars in this tale. And it all works.
December 15, 2012
I suppose I'd rate this 2 1/2 stars. It was better than okay, but I can't say I liked it very much. The only reason I've recalled having read the book is that my mother informed me that she is currently reading it.
I think this is a re-imagined event. I hesitate to put much credence on the events happening as described. Others my disagree and I wasn't alive in the 1940s, so what do I know?
Ni'ihau is an island that prohibits outsiders, so it's interesting to read about what their lifestyle was like and how they spoke. But still, a lot of what is told may be conjecture. I think the most troublesome part of the book for me was some of the dialogue. I have met people from Ni'ihau and something about the way they are portrayed in the book doesn't feel exactly aligned.
The whole idea of this incident (a Japanese plane crash in Dec. 1941) is intriguing and a reason to delve into the book for the story - a story that was not very well told. There is an incident concerning a submarine coming ashore on Oahu (windward side, opposite Pearl harbor side and still a military property) which may provide background for another tale of the period.
I think this is a re-imagined event. I hesitate to put much credence on the events happening as described. Others my disagree and I wasn't alive in the 1940s, so what do I know?
Ni'ihau is an island that prohibits outsiders, so it's interesting to read about what their lifestyle was like and how they spoke. But still, a lot of what is told may be conjecture. I think the most troublesome part of the book for me was some of the dialogue. I have met people from Ni'ihau and something about the way they are portrayed in the book doesn't feel exactly aligned.
The whole idea of this incident (a Japanese plane crash in Dec. 1941) is intriguing and a reason to delve into the book for the story - a story that was not very well told. There is an incident concerning a submarine coming ashore on Oahu (windward side, opposite Pearl harbor side and still a military property) which may provide background for another tale of the period.
July 25, 2014
At a charming bookstore in the town of Hanapepe on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, I asked the owner if he carried books about the islands or written by local authors. He offered me this book and said it's like nothing he'd ever read.
I am so glad to have found this spare story set on the mysterious island of Niiihau in the days following The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Paul has taken a true event not known to many and brought the residents of the island community to life. She also introduces us to Aylmer Robinson, the largest landowner on Kauai & owner of the entire island of Niihau. The Robinson name is legendary on Kauai - not necessarily in a favorable way. He has demanded the Niihau residents and all his employees follow his beliefs and remain in isolation on the island.
So what happens when a Japanese Zero pilot crashes on their island and survives. The residents await Robinson's visit to no avail as the military has restricted any water traffic between islands. Loyalties are tested & lives are changed.
This was a tender rendering of just one of the too many casualties of war and provides great insight into the blended cultures if native Hawaiians.
I am so glad to have found this spare story set on the mysterious island of Niiihau in the days following The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Paul has taken a true event not known to many and brought the residents of the island community to life. She also introduces us to Aylmer Robinson, the largest landowner on Kauai & owner of the entire island of Niihau. The Robinson name is legendary on Kauai - not necessarily in a favorable way. He has demanded the Niihau residents and all his employees follow his beliefs and remain in isolation on the island.
So what happens when a Japanese Zero pilot crashes on their island and survives. The residents await Robinson's visit to no avail as the military has restricted any water traffic between islands. Loyalties are tested & lives are changed.
This was a tender rendering of just one of the too many casualties of war and provides great insight into the blended cultures if native Hawaiians.
May 7, 2021
Wow I loved this book! At first I was put off by it and just couldn’t get into it because it wasn’t what I typically read.
I pushed through and I’m so glad I did. Looking more at the actual storyline I was so fascinated about learning so much about Niihau, I grew up on Oahu and still didn’t know all that much. This book made me discover a “whole new world” that I want to deep dive into and learn all about!!
The story follows a true story of a Japanese fighter plane crash landing on the small and isolated island which creates so many ripple affects. The islanders begin questioning everything, as the reader you’re torn between who to follow and trust.
The book is not sugar coated and really emphasizes how difficult it was to be Japanese in America during WWII. The author mentions that she stuck to the truth as much as possible but the characters actions were fictitious.
Such a good book, maybe I’m biased because of my degree in History with a focus on Hawaiian history. Oh well, I loved it.
I pushed through and I’m so glad I did. Looking more at the actual storyline I was so fascinated about learning so much about Niihau, I grew up on Oahu and still didn’t know all that much. This book made me discover a “whole new world” that I want to deep dive into and learn all about!!
The story follows a true story of a Japanese fighter plane crash landing on the small and isolated island which creates so many ripple affects. The islanders begin questioning everything, as the reader you’re torn between who to follow and trust.
The book is not sugar coated and really emphasizes how difficult it was to be Japanese in America during WWII. The author mentions that she stuck to the truth as much as possible but the characters actions were fictitious.
Such a good book, maybe I’m biased because of my degree in History with a focus on Hawaiian history. Oh well, I loved it.
March 12, 2009
This is a quick read, but a very interesting fictionalized account of a little know fact in WW II History. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the Japanese bomber pilots crash-landed his plane on Ni'ihau, a small private island off the coast of Kauai'i, where the Native Hawaiian residents still live in the old ways. With beautiful language, the author brings the characters to life, while exploring the moral ambiguity of conflicting loyalties during this difficult time.
August 19, 2024
When I lived on Kauai, I could see Nihau floating on the horizon 15 miles away. I was told only native Hawaiians could live there, that they were totally isolated and living in the old ways I was shocked to learn how far from the truth that was. The crash landing of a Japanese pilot in 1941 turned the residents comprised of some Hawaiians and a few Japanese world upside down. I had no idea that in 1941 half of the 35,000 people living on Kauai were Japanese. Not to steal from what the story reveals about the truth of Nihau, I just want to say it was a surprise. The author did a fine job fleshing in the characters and what might have happened on the Island on that fateful day when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. It is obvious she did a great deal of research and tried to remain true and authentic to the people and the times. However, I take exception with the statement that Kamehameha ended the 2,000 year old Kapu system in 1819. It was his favorite wife Ka’ahumanu who was responsible for the burning of the gods. I know because my novel Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawai’Ii is inspired by her powerful personage.
February 9, 2019
For everyone who gave this five stars, good for you. I just didn't love it. There were a whole lot of characters and the names got confusing because most of them weren't really fleshed out and memorable. The history was interesting indeed, but it got to be a tad cumbersome. The book plodded and I honestly couldn't wait to get to the end of it. Normally I can read a book sitting on the floor in the middle of a million people, but this one didn't hold my attention enough for me to concentrate on it. Just not my fave.
May 13, 2021
Just a little noble savage-y... hard to take seriously a story of racism between Hawaiians and Japanese when the author is just some white lady? And I guess she did a lot of research for her story, but she didn't even get permission to visit Niihau. Seems like my last n reviews are all about not trusting the author to not be racist, which is a really boring critique. But I also thought the book was boring and I didn't feel any real connection with the characters. All their feelings seemed way too spelled-out, and nothing really drew me in.
May 11, 2023
Great historical novel about a Japanese bomber from Pearl Harbor landing on Nihau, a private island off Hawaii, and the aftermath. I found the whole episode to be completely astounding--an island owned by one family, hardly anyone there even aware of a world war, the terrain and weather of a Hawaiian island that is not tropical (sadly, never visited Hawaii yet), and all of the resulting events that followed. (Yes, I wikipedia-ed it afterwards and all of the facts are true). Great read.
June 18, 2023
I was totally unaware of the historical event that prompted this story. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese pilot lands his plane in an emergency landing on a small Hawaiian island. The residents of the island are a sheltered group with limited knowledge of the outside world. They are anxious about how to handle the pilot and his plane and want the advice of the island's owner. When the owner doesn't come, some residents decide to take matters into their own hands.
August 14, 2023
Historical fiction leaves the question how much was fiction? It was interesting to learn about this island and it’s owner with slave plantation mentality. The fabrication of what happened in the week following Pearl Harbor results in a sad tale of ethnic loyalty and the tragic repercussions of that day in 1941.
February 22, 2024
Fascinating literary fiction about a true event in a tiny island off of Kauai after the Pearl Harbor attack. Very detailed story of the inhabitants and a fallen Japanese plane and the pilot who had participated in the attack. I felt parts of the writing too detailed but then again, the writing helped me understand the reactions and actions of the island people. I learned a lot.
July 5, 2024
It’s been years since I read this book, but I remember appreciating the unique perspectives in the story. We always want you to make war a battle of good vs evil, but in reality it is more complicated. Finding where loyalties lie - heritage, culture, bias, government, society, democracy, fear, love, community and family - all weigh in on the choices we make each day.
December 30, 2025
A book written in 2006, left behind at a Hawaiian Airbnb, gave me a history lesson as well as insight as to xenophobia hysteria that WW2 brought about. The narrative based on a real event pursues the accompanying phobia in a way that seems reminiscent of the “Lord of the Flies”…that had me drawing parallels to many current situations…
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December 22, 2024DNF at 96 pages. There was a LOT of internality and not a lot of interaction between characters… it just didn’t grab me and I never wanted to pick it back up. Maybe another time, but I want something really readable and grabby right now.
May 9, 2017
A Japanse pilot, who had just bombed Pearl Island, lands on a remote Hawaiian island where the inhabitants are completely unaware that WWII is happening.
December 20, 2017
Interesting historical event. Worth reading.
January 23, 2019
I liked it; it was a personal perspective of a historical event. Very enlightening.
August 10, 2020
Fictionalized historical story from the bombing of Pearl Harbor... incredible true incidents of a crashed bomber pilot and the people who lived on the island of Nihau.
June 17, 2021
It’s a very interesting story, based on real-life events around a Hawaiian island after Pearl Harbor. It has been worth my time but it took me a long time to get through it.
November 1, 2022
I’d give this book 3 1/2 stars. A very interesting story of the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and how it affected the island of Niihau & it’s residents. It is a novel based on a true story.
July 4, 2023
Thank you to the author for giving us a glimpse of the island that few, author included, know and ever will. A delicate balance between research and imagination brings to life Niihau with a quirky event in WWII. Unfortunately, the characters come across as rather one-dimensional, or not that engaging.
There are much better accounts elsewhere of the plight of Japanese US citizens during that very dark period in Hawaii.
Still, it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in all Hawaiian Islands.
There are much better accounts elsewhere of the plight of Japanese US citizens during that very dark period in Hawaii.
Still, it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in all Hawaiian Islands.
October 16, 2016
The story concept is a good one. The author creates some very interesting characters, although I had a hard time feeling for them until the end, but then one would feeling for any series of characters who there innocence destroy by war. I kind of wish I had gotten to know the pilot and one or two islanders a little better.
July 8, 2015
On my recent visit to see family on Kauai I returned to a favorite spot on the island, Talk Story Bookstore, the furthest west independent bookstore in the U.S. located in the historic section of the town of Hanapepe. I headed straight to the shelves displaying books about Hawaii or written by Hawaiian authors. East Wind, Rain by Caroline Paul was on display directly at eye level. I read the back cover and headed straight to the cash register.
This historical fiction about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the intentional grounding of his Zero by a young Japanese pilot on the isolated private island of Niihau brings the reader into a world unknown to most. We meet the native Hawaiian and Japanese American inhabitants who know nothing of the outside world. What unfolds as the pilot is taken captive and the islanders engage with him over the week following the bombing is a history that emanates from a culture intentionally created by the islands owner, Mr. Robinson, and the 130 people he allowed to live there.
The historically accurate tensions between Christianity and native religion, immigrant and American, islander and mea mai ka 'aina 'e are revealed through the very real figures that Paul brings her creative fiction to their character and actions. For many of us who where born a couple decades distant from these world events, the week we spend with Paul's characters on the island of Niihau let's us gain greater access to the actions and the repercussions of a nation drawn reluctantly into a second world war.
I felt both the harshness of the island and the routine, but not simple, lives of the those who called Niihau home. Paul's writing helps us feel the blowing sand and leaves us sweating under the baking sun. It's almost as if the book had been intended for me. An excellent read.
This historical fiction about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the intentional grounding of his Zero by a young Japanese pilot on the isolated private island of Niihau brings the reader into a world unknown to most. We meet the native Hawaiian and Japanese American inhabitants who know nothing of the outside world. What unfolds as the pilot is taken captive and the islanders engage with him over the week following the bombing is a history that emanates from a culture intentionally created by the islands owner, Mr. Robinson, and the 130 people he allowed to live there.
The historically accurate tensions between Christianity and native religion, immigrant and American, islander and mea mai ka 'aina 'e are revealed through the very real figures that Paul brings her creative fiction to their character and actions. For many of us who where born a couple decades distant from these world events, the week we spend with Paul's characters on the island of Niihau let's us gain greater access to the actions and the repercussions of a nation drawn reluctantly into a second world war.
I felt both the harshness of the island and the routine, but not simple, lives of the those who called Niihau home. Paul's writing helps us feel the blowing sand and leaves us sweating under the baking sun. It's almost as if the book had been intended for me. An excellent read.
September 30, 2011
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese Zero, its gas tank hit, crash-lands on the small island of Nihau. The Hawaiians who live there know nothing of the outside world, unaware even that a war is going on. Although they are only a few miles from Kauai, the paternalistic haole owner of the island, Aylmer Robinson, carrying on his father’s tradition, has forbidden newspapers, telephones, radios and visits from the outside world. He even discourages literacy and the English language in an attempt to protect the islanders, childlike and innocent in his view, from the wickedness of the outside world.
Therefore, the Hawaiians welcome the young pilot, patching his wounds and singing for him, though Howard Kaleohano, the man who found him, has, almost accidentally, removed the pilot’s gun and papers. While they fear his anger at finding a stranger on Nihau, they want only for the godlike Mr. Robinson to come and deal with the intruder. In mutual incomprehension, the pilot and the islanders crowded into Howard’s house talk past each other, until the elderly Japanese beekeeper, Shintani, is fetched. He listens to the pilot speak, but backs away saying that he does not understand the dialect.
Read more at http://bmorrison.com/blog/297/east-wi...
Therefore, the Hawaiians welcome the young pilot, patching his wounds and singing for him, though Howard Kaleohano, the man who found him, has, almost accidentally, removed the pilot’s gun and papers. While they fear his anger at finding a stranger on Nihau, they want only for the godlike Mr. Robinson to come and deal with the intruder. In mutual incomprehension, the pilot and the islanders crowded into Howard’s house talk past each other, until the elderly Japanese beekeeper, Shintani, is fetched. He listens to the pilot speak, but backs away saying that he does not understand the dialect.
Read more at http://bmorrison.com/blog/297/east-wi...
September 14, 2010
A Japanese pilot crashes his plane on a rural Hawaiian island during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The island he crashes on is run by a wealthy man who keeps the inhabitants of the island isolated from technology, news, and most things modern.
The islanders first welcome the pilot as a guest, as they know nothing about Pearl Harbor. Things turn ugly when the owner of the island doesn't return and the islanders are forced to decide what to do with the Japanese soldier. And, a Japanese couple is forced to choose sides - side with their countryman who promises them safety, or with the islanders who don't even know a war is going on?
The prose in this story is beautiful. I can imagine myself baking in the intense, dusty heat with the islanders. Where this story stalls is that she takes us into the heads of the characters for too long. The longest chapters are the most uninteresting, and felt like the story dragged. Then, story picks up considerably in the last 50 pages so much that I couldn't put it down.
The islanders first welcome the pilot as a guest, as they know nothing about Pearl Harbor. Things turn ugly when the owner of the island doesn't return and the islanders are forced to decide what to do with the Japanese soldier. And, a Japanese couple is forced to choose sides - side with their countryman who promises them safety, or with the islanders who don't even know a war is going on?
The prose in this story is beautiful. I can imagine myself baking in the intense, dusty heat with the islanders. Where this story stalls is that she takes us into the heads of the characters for too long. The longest chapters are the most uninteresting, and felt like the story dragged. Then, story picks up considerably in the last 50 pages so much that I couldn't put it down.
April 6, 2008
Would really rate as 3.5 stars. As someone who has quite a bit of knowledge regarding WWII I was very surprised to learn of this event (a Japanese fighter crash landing on a small Hawaiian island in which the pilot survived). The author gives a fictional account of the incident but includes the actual names of the people involved. She had intended to write a non-fiction book on the subject but there was very little info available resulting in a fictional account instead. She did a very nice job. I enjoyed the story but the novel is truly driven through the characters. It was a little slow in the middle but she rounds it up nicely. I think it would also make a good discussion book for book clubs as she touches on many different issues."
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