Mookini Library
The READ Collection: Biography
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In the Biography section, there are over 60 books listed in alphabetical order by title. Scroll down the page and find the title that interests you. Permission to scan the cover of PARKER RANCH PANIOLO: YUTAKA KIMURA, by Jiro Nakano (United Japanese Society of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii Press, 1992) was granted by the University of Hawaii Press. No other use of this image, including electronic transmission, is allowed without express permission from the publisher. |
![[Image]](biography_sm.jpeg)
(last updated, 5-8-07)
Books about Hawai'i are
marked with a palm tree
- All God's Children Need Traveling
Shoes, by Maya Angelou. 1986.
another personal narrative by the Black American author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. - Almost Americans: A Quest
for Dignity, by Patricia Justiniani. 1997
a child of immigrant parents --Filipino father and Norwegian mother-- grew up in California where miscegenation laws discriminated against her birth and her parents' marriage - Aloha, Armine von
Tempski. 1946.
writer recalls growing up on the Haleakala Ranch - America is in the Heart;
A Personal History, by Carlos Bulosan. 1946, 1973.
confronting racism and discrimination against immigrant farm workers, a Filipino author writes about pursuing the American dream when it appears to be unattainable and hopeless - Anne Frank: The Diary of
a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. 1967 and 1993.
personal account of a girl and her family hiding from the Nazis during World War II - The Autobiography of Malcolm
X, with the assistance of Alex Haley. 1992.
before becoming a Black Muslim (Nation of Islam faith), the Black American activist was a drug dealer and a pimp. He was assassinated in 1965 at a young age; his life is the story of "a man whose work was never completed, but whose message is timeless" - Barrio Boy, by Ernesto
Galarza. 1971.
boy tells about his journey from a small village in northern Mexico to a barrio in Sacramento, California - Basketball Diaries, by
Jim Carroll. c1978, 1995.
a poet and musician looks back on his troubled high school years in New York when, as a promising athlete, he got involved with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs (Leonardo Dicaprio starred in the movie) - Becoming Anna, by Anna
Michener. c1998.
the sixteen year-old author articulately and courageously tells about the severe psychological abuse she suffered - The Best Cat Ever, by
Cleveland Armory. 1993.
story of a man's love for Polar Bear, his adopted stray cat - Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, as told by John G. Neihardt. 1932.
- Black Ice, by Lorene
Cary. 1993.
student becomes one of the first women and Black Americans to be admitted to a private prep school - Black Like Me, by John
Howard Griffen. 1976.
the author, a caucasian, temporarily "darkened his skin and set out to discover by personal experience the night side of American life." What he found is a shocking indictment against racism - The Book of Puka-Puka: A
Lone Trader On A South Sea Atoll, by Robert Dean Frisbie. 1928.
from Cleveland, Ohio, Frisbie moved to a tiny Cook Islands atoll in the 1920's - A Boy's Life, by Jack
Davis. 1993.
the author, a West Australian-born Aborginal, recounts his childhood, strengthened by his father's love until his father's death. In contrast, he soon discovered the realities of Aboriginal life in white Australia while living at the Moore River Native Settlement - Breaking the Surface,
by Greg Louganis. 1995.
Olympic Gold Medalist diver reveals that he is HIV positive - Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit,
a Biography, by Bruce Thomas. 1994.
Chinese martial artist who became an actor, shared kung fu with the world in his movies and died a tragic early death at age 32 - The Bruce Lee Story,
by Linda Lee. 1993.
martial arts expert who died an early death - By Royal Command: the
Official Life and Personal Reminiscences of Colonel Curtis Piehu Iaukea
at the Court of Hawaii's Rulers, by Curtis Piehu Iaukea and Lorna Kahilpuaokalani
Iaukea Watson (edited by Niklaus Schweizer). c1988.
biography of Hawaiian diplomat in the late 1800's - Child of Two Worlds: An Autobiography
of a Filipino-American or Vice Versa, by Norman Reyes. 1995
a child born of Filipino father and American mother recounts life in Manila during World War II when Japan invaded the Philippines. The author moved to the United States in 1953 and currently lives in Hawaii - Deng Ziaoping, by Wendy
Lubetkin. 1988.
after the death of Communist China's Mao Zedong in 1976, Deng became the ruler - Down These Mean Streets,
by Piri Thomas. 1997
a dark-skinned Puerto Rican boy found life in Spanish Harlem (New York) tough during the Beat era (1940-60's) - Duke: The Life Story
of Hawaii's Duke Kahanamoku, by Joseph L.Brennan. 1994.
Hawaii's ambassador of aloha, swimming and surfing - Eastern Sun, Winter Moon;
An Autobiographical Odyssey, by Gary Paulsen. 1993
"revealing war's horrors through a child's eyes, this autobiography by an award-winning author recounts his life in the ravaged Philippines of World War II, discussing his alcoholic mother, his absent father, and his burgeoning sexuality" - Eddie Would Go,
by Stuart Coleman. 2002.
Eddie Aikau, a legendary big wave surfer, lost his life when trying to save the crew on one of Hokule`a's first voyages when she floundered in heavy seas - Eleanor Roosevelt, by
Karen McAuley. 1987.
although the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she was best known for her work to improve conditions for blacks and women - The Farm on Nippersink Creek, by Jim May. 1994.
a boy grows up on a farm in rural Illinois - Ferdinand Marcos, by Gordy Slack. 1988.
his years as President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 were marked by scandal and corruption - Fifth Chinese Daughter,
by Jade Wong Snow. 1945.
a woman, born to poor Chinese immigrants, tells her story of growing up in San Francisco's Chinatown - The Flame Trees of Thika:
Memories of an African Childhood, by Elspeth Huxley. 1982.
an author recaptures memories of growing up in Kenya in the early 1900's - From Japan to Hawaii,
My Journey, by H.S. Kawakami told through Tom Coffman, 1976.
a first generation Japanese immigrant in Hawaii describes his struggles with the plantation system, beginning in 1912 when he landed on Kauai - Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography
of Chad Rowan, by Mark Panek. c2006.
Akebono, born in Waimanolo, Hawai`i, was Japan's first foreign-born sumotori (sumo wrestling champion) - The Girl With The White Flag,
by Tomiko Higa. 1995.
at age seven, the author was separated from her family but survived a battle on Okinawa during World War II - Go Ask Alice, by anonymous.
1971.
a fifteen year old girl searches for her identity but becomes a drug addict - Golda Meir, by Karen
McAuley. 1985.
for 40+ years, she actively worked to see a homeland for the Jewish people, ultimately the State of Israel, where she served as prime minister for 5 years - Growing Up, by Russell
Baker. 1984.
a journalist recounts his turbulent life with parents, siblings and relatives in rural Virginia - Hawai`i One Summer,
by Maxine Hong Kingston. 1998.
eleven essays about the author's life while living in Hawai`i and teaching high school - Hawaii's Incredible
Anna, by Ruth M. Tabrah. 1987.
Anna Lindsey Perry Fiske brought Anna Ranch in the Waimea/South Kohala area out of bankruptcy and made it a thriving cattle business - Her Mentor Was an Albatross: the Autobiograpy of Pioneer Pilot Harriet Quimby, by Henry Holden. 1993.
- The Hiding Place, by
Corrie Ten Boom. 1971.
a Christian woman who was sent to a Nazi concentration camp for helping the Jews, relies on her faith to get through the horror - The High Chiefess Ruth
Keelikolani, by Ruth Kristin Zambucka. 1992.
although it's debatable whether she was a direct descendant of Kamehameha the Great, she ruled as Governess of the Big Island, and is credited with stopping the lava from reaching Hilo in 1881 - Ho Chi Minh, by Dana
O. Loyd. 1986.
the president of communist North Vietnam was the primary force behind the liberation of his country from foreign domination - Holy Man: Father Damien
of Molokai, by Gavan Daws. 1984.
not only a biography of Father Damien, but also "a social history of leprosy in the late nineteenth century" - Honor Thy Children:
One Family's Journey to Wholeness, by Molly Funia. c1997.
the Nakatani family struggles with but accepts the deaths of their sons--two died from AIDS and the third died from a violent encounter - I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings, by Maya Angelou. 1969.
black writer's painful youth. Also wrote All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes - I Married a Prince: A Cinderella
Story From Hawaii, by Myrtle King Kaapu. 1977.
the author, born in Oregon and an avid canoe paddler, met Prince David Kaapu in Hawaii where they got married and lived - The Illustrated West With the Night, by Beryl Markham. c1994.
an English woman led an exciting life as a pilot in Africa in the mid 20th century - In Pharaoh's Army: Memories
of the Lost War, by Tobias Wolff. 1994.
author tells how his service in the Vietnam War affected his growing up and his views of America, love and family - In Search of Tiger: A Journey
Through Golf With Tiger Woods, by Tom Callahan. 2003.
covers the first 20 years of the life of Tiger Woods, a very private but talented young professional golfer - In the Land of Giants: My
Life in Basketball, by Tyrone "Bugsy" Boques and David Levine.
a 1994 high school basketball player who, barely five feet tall, overcame poverty, his size and other obstacles to become a college then a professional player - Ishi: Last of His Tribe,
by Theodora Kroeber. 1964.
the last man of a California Indian tribe shares the story of how his culture was violently wiped out - It's Always Something,
by Gilda Radner. 1990
the popular comedienne of the early Saturday Night Live years, describes her rise to fame, her marriage to Gene Wilder and how her life changed when she was diagnosed with cancer - John F. Kennedy, by Marta
Randall. c1988.
although the young president was assassinated in 1963, he left a lasting legacy of civil rights and welfare reform - Journey Toward Freedom: the Story of Sojourner Truth, by J. Bernard. 1967, 1990.
- Kamehameha II: Liholiho
and the Impact of Change, by Julie Stewart William and Suelyn Ching
Tune. 2001.
the son of Kamehameha I succeeded his father to the throne in 1819. During his era (1819-1824), the sandalwood trade depleted one of Hawai`i's most precious plant resources to near extinction - King Hussein, by Matusky
and John P. Hayes. 1987.
he became the king of Jordan in 1953 at the young age of 17 and led it into tense relationships with the United States, Israel and the United Arab Republic - Lakota Woman, by Mary
Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes. 1990.
young woman is one of the leaders of the American Indian Movement's stand-off at Wounded Knee where a battle in the middle 1800's resulted in a massive slaughter of Indians - Lee Boo of Belau: A Prince
in London, by Daniel J. Peacock, 1987.
a 1783 shipwreck on the reefs of Palau opened the door for Lee Boo, a 21 year-old prince, to return with the ship's captain to London - Lincoln: A Photobiography,
by Russell Freedman. 1987.
America's Civil War President - Mango Days: A Teenager
Facing Eternity Reflects on the Beauty of Life, by Patty Smith. 1993.
Honolulu high school student faces her own mortality after discovering she has cancer - Margaret Thatcher, by
Bernard Garfinkel. 1990.
in 1979, she became Britain's first woman prime minister; her leadership abilities were challenged during the British invasion of the Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina - Martin Luther King, by
Nancy Shuker. 1985.
black civil rights activist practiced nonviolence to protest racism but was assassinated in 1968 - Memoirs of a Buddhist
Woman Missionary in Hawaii, by Shigeo Kikuchi, translated by Florence
Okada. 1991.
she spent a lot of time on the Big Island in addition to the other islands - Memoirs of Henry Obookiah,
A Native of Owhyhee, and a Member of the Foreign Mission School; Who Died
at Cornwall, Connecticut February 17, 1818, Aged 26 Years. by Edwin
W. Dwight. 1990.
Henry Opukahaia was born on the Big Island and at 15, left Kealakekua Bay on a trip that took him to Connecticut. He learned English, became a Christian, and encouraged the first Christian missionaries to come to Hawaii. His remains were recently returned to the Big Island - Memories of Duke: the
Legend Comes to Life, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, 1890-1968, by Sandra Hall
and Greg Ambrose with a forward by Nadine Kahanamoku. c1995.
a biography of the father of modern Hawaiian surfing - Menachem Begin, by Richard
Amdur. 1988.
in 1977 he was elected primer minister of Israel and began a series of precedent setting negotiations with Egypt's Anwar Sadat which culminated in the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty - Morning Glass: The Adventures
of Legendary Waterman Mike Doyle, by Mike Doyle. 1993.
the former surfing champion rowed 15 miles offshore, hooked two "big ones" then discovered he lost an oar as the wind and swell picked up. Facing the challenge of getting back alive, he reflects on his life - The Morning the Sun Went
Down, by Darryl Babe Wilson. c1998.
a California Native American tells his story of his people, the Achomawi and Atsugewi - My Samoan Chief, by Fay
Calkins. 1962.
an American doctoral student marries a Samoan chief and describes her new life with his family - My Story About Cancer
by Charles B. Wolford and Faye Wolford. 1999.
a fourteen year-old battles cancer and loses but leaves behind a wealth of inspiration, assisted by his mother - Nahienaena, Sacred Daughter
of Hawaii, by Marjorie Sinclair. 1976.
she was born about 1815 near Keauhou, to Kamehameha I and his wife, Keopuolani. According to Hawaiian custom, she was to marry her brother but was banished to Maui by the missionaries to prevent this union - A Necessary End, by Nick
Taylor. 1994.
man mourns the aging and eventual death of his parents - Nelson and Winnie Mandela,
by John Vail. 1988.
South African Nelson was jailed in 1962 for his South African anti-apartheid actions while Winnie continued the fight; Nelson was released in 1990 - Nigger: An Autobiography,
by Dick Gregory. 1964.
in high school, the author "led a march against conditions in segregated schools and set a state record in track... As a star comedian in the early 1960s, he used biting racial satire and shunned the stereotypes of early black comics. Prompted by Martin Luther King, Jr., he became a civil rights and anti-war leader, running for president in 1968 and fasting for human rights both here and abroad." - On a Wave, by Thad Ziolkowski.
2002.
a young boy escapes step-father troubles by hanging out at the beach and learning to surf. - Paddling My Own Canoe,
by Audrey Sutherland. 1978.
solo canoe paddler braves the rugged, isolated Molokai coastline - Parker Ranch Paniolo:
Yutaka Kimura, by Jiro Nakano. 1992.
life of a paniolo working on the Big Island's Parker Ranch - Pigman and Me, by Paul
Zindel. 1991.
author recalls his teenage years in New York when he met the Pigman and found out his secret to life - A Place to Stand, by Jimmy Santiago Baca. 2001.
autobiography of a poet and writer who was illiterate before he went to prison for selling drugs but used his time in a maximum security prison to learn to read and write - Princess Kaiulani: The
Last Hope of Hawaii's Monarchy, by Kristin Zambucka. 1982, 1984.
- Profiles in Courage,
by John F. Kennedy. 1955.
Senator Kennedy wrote about "a handful of Americans who at crucial moments in history had revealed a special sort of greatness" - Queen Emma: A Woman
of Vision, by Miriam Rappolt. 1990.
life of the wife of King Kamehameha IV - Rain of Gold, by Victor
Villasenor. 1991.
three generations of the Villasenor family are depicted in this biography beginning in 1911 in northwest Mexico - Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir
of the Cultural Revolution, by Ji Li Jiang. c1997.
the author, a graduate of UH Manoa, had her loyalty and love for her family challenged by Chairman Mao's followers in China - Red Sky in Mourning,
by Tami Oldham Ashcraft. 1998.
"The true story of a woman's courage and survival at sea." The author, when rescued, was brought to Hilo - Richard Nixon, by C.
Peter Ripley. 1987.
impeached President who was later pardoned for the Watergate scandal - Riders on the Storm: My Life
With Jim Morrison and the Doors, by John Densmore. 1990.
the Doors' drummer shares his personal insight about the group and its troubled leader - Rise and Walk: the Trial
and Triumph of Dennis Byrd, by Dennis Byrd with Michael D'Orso. c1993.
in a 1992 pro football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Jets' defensive end becomes paralyzed after a collision with a teammate - The Road From Coorain,
by Jill Ker Conway. 1990.
"from the shelter of a protective family, to the lessons of tragedy and independence, this is an indelible portrait of a harsh and beautiful country and the inspiring story of a remarkable" woman who moved from Australia to America to further her college education - Separating Sickness,
Ma`i Ho`oka`awale , by Ted Gugelyk and Milton Bloombaum.
"Interviews with Exiled Leprosy Patients at Kalaupapa, Hawaii" - Shaq Talks Back, by Shaquille
O'Neal. 2001.
the 7 foot 1 inch center for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team tells about his childhood and how his dream became a reality - Six Months in the Sandwich
Islands : Among Hawaii's Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, and Volcanoes, by
Isabella L. Bird . c1998.
an English woman visited Hawai`i in the early to mid 1800's and sent letters to her sister describing the beautiful surroundings and people - Soul on Ice, by Eldridge
Cleaver. 1968.
autobiographical essays by a black Civil Rights activist - Spiritwalker: Messages
From the Future, by Hank Wesselman. 2000.
an anthropologist's dreams lead him on a quest to find out what knowledge Nainoa, a Hawaiian Kahuna, has to teach him about myticism - The Story of James Dole,
by Richard Dole and Elizabeth Dole Porteus. 1990.
the "pineapple king" builds his business from his Wahiawa plantation - The Story of My Life,
by Helen Keller. 1976.
"blind and deaf at two, Helen Keller's story of courage and determination and her remarkable relationship with her beloved teacher Ann Sullivan is an inspiring one for any generation" - Surfing the Himalayas: A
Spiritual Adventure, by Frederick Lenz. 1997.
a young American snowboarder seeks enlightenment in the Himalayas and becomes an apprentice to a Buddhist monk. This is his fictionalized version of his adventure - Sweet Summer: Growing up
With and Without My Dad, by Bebe Moore Cambell. 1989.
African American girl lives in the North but spends summers with her paraplegic father in the South - This Boy's Life: A Memoir,
by Tobias Wolff. 1989.
a stepfather's abusive relationship destroys his stepson's identity - This is My Word (Ngay Janijirr
Ngank), by Magdalene Williams. 1999.
stories about the culture and lives of the Nyulnyul people, Aboriginal Australians in the Beagle Bay area, are told by an older woman who learned from her elders - Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges. 1999.
this 6 year old girl was one of the first black children to enter an all white elementary school, making history in the 1960's as segregation became illegal - Tisha: The Story of a Young
Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness, as told to Robert Specht. 1977.
a 19 year old woman begins her Alaska teaching career in 1927 - Tsunami Man: Learning
About Killer Waves With Walter Dudley, by Anthony Fredericks. 2002.
a personal account of a UHH professor made famous by his research on tsunamis - Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia
and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher. 1998.
the author "describes in shocking detail her lifelong quest to starve herself to death, to force her short, athletic body to fade away" - When I Was Puerto Rican,
by Esmeralda Santiago. 1998.
the author's childhood begins on the island of Puerto Rico but abruptly changes when the family moves to New York - Winston Churchill, by
Judith Rodgers. 1986.
although not a strong student in his early years, he became an important 20th century British statesman; during his second term as prime minister, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 - Woman Warrior: Memoirs
of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, by Maxine Hong Kingston. 1976.
author tells how her Chinese heritage affected her while growing up in Honolulu - Yamsi: A year in the life
of a wilderness ranch, by Dayton Hyde. 1996.
the author's love of animals and appreciation of the environment contributes to his revolutionary ideas and practices about cattle ranching in South Central Oregon.
This ends the Biography section of the READ Collection.
If you have found a book you like, check its status through Hawai`i Voyager. If
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