Perhaps your high school classroom library needs at least one novel set in Hawaii. I know mine did. Hakes’ book Hula will transport you to the beautiful islands, just as it educates you on Hawaii’s culture and politics.

Title: Hula​

Author: Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Genre: Realistic fiction

Age range: 13+ (target age: 16-20)

Summary: Hi’i, daughter of Laka, is proud to be part of the Naupaka family, a family with a deep interconnected legacy with hula and Hilo, Hawaii. But Hi’i, with her red hair, freckles, and pale skin, does not look like her mother or legendary grandmother and Laka won’t reveal her father’s identity.

While Hi’i feels deeply connected to her land and culture (especially hula), her physical features cause a rift in her family. But the rift is less about her family and more about Hawaii’s relationship with the United States government—how to ensure that the land, air, and water continue to nurture the people who have lived here forever? This is a story of mothers and daughters just as much as it’s a story of Hawaii’s history and ongoing struggle to remain at home in its land.

How to teach Hula

Independent Reading

First and foremost, representation. Hula is a beautiful depiction of Hawaiian culture, with stories of myths and history woven into the narrative. It’s an ode to the land, both as a stunning landscape as well as a provider of sustenance and harmony. Your Native Hawaiian (and likely Polynesian) students will see food, traditions, and dialects transferred from their homes to this book’s pages.

How much Hawaiian history is taught in schools outside of Hawaii? If you find yourself going “eek, not much” then this book can be an intro, a teaser. Think about handing it to a student before they travel to Maui or O’ahu with their families—their trip will feel a bit different the more they see it as a place and not a destination.

Whole Class Novel Study

As I was reading it, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon kept coming to mind. They’re both sweeping, multi-generational narratives that somehow capture a whole era of history by focusing on the love and conflicts within one family. So I think Hula can stand alongside Song of Solomon as a whole class novel study. Not to replace it but to be read in addition to it. Students who need a challenge can read both while others just read one. Or, read both as a whole class for a comparative literature unit.

Want to give such a unit a try? Reach out and let’s chat.

Learn more

Nothing compares to hearing an author talk about their book—their process, their struggles, their hopes. This article offers insight on what it was like for Hakes to write Hula.​

If the above article whets your appetite, definitely listen to Hakes on episode 841 of the Otherppl podcast. She’s upfront in discussing her position of writing this novel even though she herself is not Native Hawaiian.

Final two cents: Hula is wonderful and I highly recommend it, but let’s also share stories of Hawaii written by people who are Native Hawaiian. I’m doing my best to add such titles to this blog. Stay tuned.

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