Na Lei Mālama Keiki

Na Lei Mālama Keiki
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In the tradition of the Hawaiian ‘ohana, family history is passed on from generation to generation through the telling of stories. In pre-contact times, those stories were shared orally. Today, stories are preserved in writing. Na Lei Mālama Keiki, written by ‘ohana caregivers in the Na Lei Malama Keiki group at the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center, Honolulu, is dedicated to the keiki for whom they care.

As part of the caregiver support group program, participants were asked to respond to simple writing prompts and share family histories and hopes for the future to preserve them for the the children in their care. Simple Q&A sections reveal the background and personalities of the writers, each of whom contributed several short items including essays, poems, drawings, photographs and family recipes. The project was intended to create a keepsake for the families and offer the children a link to their history to bridge the gap created by missing parental figures.

This type of book can be created with the Photo Legacy Package.

For more information on the Lili‘uokalani Trust program, visit their website.

Can, No Can!

Can, No Can! by Fred Hemmings
Can, No Can! Making Changes, Hawaiian-Style by Fred Hemmings
Softcover, 108 pp
Release Date: July 2020
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In Can, No Can! Making Changes, Hawaiian-Style, longtime Hawai‘i state senator and world champion surfer Fred Hemmings offers a calabash full of ideas for the future of the Islands, including a sprinkling of “random thoughts” and yes-or-no options from a local boy’s perspective. “A dear friend, Chubby Mitchell, was a graceful surfer and a man of aloha,” Hemmings explains. “Whenever I’d get frustrated by something, he would look at me and say, ‘Freddie, if can, can. If no can, no can.’ All these years later, I surmise that this pragmatic outlook on life contributed significantly to the aloha of bygone days.”

The book is compilation of Hemmings’s essays, letters, legislation, statements to the press and news clips spanning the years, including hot-button items still as relevant today as they were then. Says Hemmings, “I always have believed that there are good solutions to Hawai‘i’s problems and that there’s usually a better way to do things. Unfortunately, we in the Islands get caught up in the dilemma expressed by, of all people, Albert Einstein, in the mid-20th century. To paraphrase Einstein, ‘Doing the same thing and expecting different results defines insanity.’ Maybe it is time to do some things differently in Hawai‘i.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Can, No Can! Making Changes, Hawaiian-Style is available via our online store and at local bookstores

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Plantation Doctor

Plantation Doctor by T. David Woo

Plantation Doctor: A Memoir of Hawai‘i
by Dr. T. David Woo

Softcover, 132 pp
Release Date: August 2016
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Born on the Big Island just after the turn of the century, T. David Woo enjoyed a unique perspective on Hawai‘i’s booming plantation era. The twelfth of sixteen children, whose father was one of the first Episcopalian ministers in Hawai‘i, he left home at the age of fourteen to attend St. John’s School in Shanghai, China. After earning his medical degree in 1935, he returned to his island of birth to become a “cowboy doctor” at Parker Ranch, physician for the Hakalau, Pepe‘ekeo, Honomū and Onomea Plantations, and co-founder of the Hilo Medical Group—providing medical care for thousands of ranch hands, plantation workers and many other Big Island residents.

This posthumously published memoir shares rich anecdotes in Woo’s own words, as well as archival photos and detailed maps of Hakalau’s ethnic camps collected by Woo’s children—Diane (Woo) Soo Hoo, David Woo Jr. and Alden Woo.

Dr. Woo, say his children, “was an administrator and a leader among his associates, serving tirelessly on boards of numerous organizations. He believed in service, donating many hours to helping and bettering lives. He was a true renaissance man, always trying different things, always learning new things, always entertaining new ideas, failures did not deter him. As we age, we have come to more fully understand his life and appreciate his optimism and positivity in serving his fellow man, community and family. He wrote this autobiography before he died on September 30, 1991, and on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, we are finally getting it published.”

This type of book can be created with the ‘Ohana Package or Professional Package. The client initially started with a Professional Package + Distribution services, but transitioned to a print-on-demand model in order to keep the title in print but without having to maintain inventory.

Plantation Doctor: A Memoir of Hawai‘i is available via Amazon.

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If the Shoe Fits


If the Shoe Fits: A Newsei’s Guide to Japanese Wisdom
by Rev. Clarence Higa

Softcover, 100 pp
Release Date: May 2020
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In If the Shoe Fits: A Newsei’s Guide to Japanese Wisdom, Rev. Clarence Higa offers a loving, light-hearted look at the rich backstory of Japanese-American culture. As a Buddhist minister in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Rev. Higa often finds himself asked the meaning behind customs passed down through the generations: Why is it bad form to poke your chopsticks into a bowl of rice? Why do we eat mochi at New Year’s? Why shouldn’t you cut your fingernails at night? With an incisive sense of humor, Rev. Higa unravels the hows and whys of Japanese traditions for the benefit of what he calls “Newsei”—the generations of Japanese Americans born after their Issei and Nisei forbears.

Throughout Rev. Higa’s youth, his father often received omiyage (gifts) of anpan, although years later he confessed that he hated the sweet bean pastries. “Why didn’t my father tell people that?” Rev. Higa wondered. “His answer lived with me forever: ‘It isn’t the gift that is cherished, but the thought behind it.’ And it was that bit of legacy that encouraged me to write this book. I had a compulsion to compile my own wayward wisdom for the benefit of others—so that one day you can explain to your own children why you do things in that idiosyncratic way.”

This type of book can be created with the ‘Ohana Package or Professional Package. Illustrations were provided by the author.

If the Shoe Fits is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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Educating with Aloha

Educating with Aloha by Jan Iwase
Softcover, 176 pp
Release Date: August 2021
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In Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning—her second book drawing upon the wisdom of 45 years as an educator—Jan Iwase offers fresh insights into creating caring school communities. Packed with succinct advice and thought-provoking anecdotes, Educating with Aloha is Iwase’s follow-up to Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office, her 2019 book that laid the groundwork for filling schools and classrooms with happy students, empowered teachers and involved parents. A longtime Hawai‘i public school teacher and principal, she envisions a system of learning in which teachers and students alike develop a passion for education. For Iwase, “Educating with Aloha” is more than a catchphrase; it embodies her career-long method of cultivating the best in adults and children through respectful interaction and cooperative effort.

A one-time district elementary principal of the year, Iwase rose through the ranks of Hawai‘i’s educational system, beginning in the Head Start program and ending her teaching years as principal of Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School. “After Leading with Aloha, I was often asked when I would write a second book,” Iwase recalls. “Frankly, I had not given it any thought, but when COVID-19 hit, I found myself with the time to think and reflect. As a retired educator, one of my major concerns was how this pandemic would impact our students, teachers, school leaders, and schools in general. This is the perfect time to discuss how to make schools more relevant in the 21st century.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Educating with Aloha is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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Beyond the Game


Beyond the Game: Coaching for Peak Performance in Business, Sports, and Life
by Rusty Komori

Softcover, 128 pp
Release Date: April 2020
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Beyond the Game: Coaching for Peak Performance in Business, Sports, and Life builds on the lessons outlined by championship coach Rusty Komori in his first book, Beyond the Lines. In Beyond the Game, Komori provides a toolbox for those who aspire to lead successful teams. Coaches, he says, strive to improve themselves first, to provide a foundation for instilling greatness in others. Smart coaches pay attention to what Komori calls the Three Cs of Leadership—Choices, Communication and Culture—and apply the Six Keys for Peak Performance—areas of focus to achieve the most and excel in life. Komori offers advice in direct, straightforward terms and draws examples from his decades as a successful, championship-winning tennis coach.

Rusty Komori is a motivational speaker, leadership consultant, and tennis professional based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. From 1994 through 2015, he was the head tennis coach at Punahou School, where his boys’ varsity teams won an unprecedented 22 consecutive state championships, a national record in all sports that still stands. His books are a component of his speaking engagements, providing lasting lessons and a reminder of Komori’s consulting services.

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Beyond the Game is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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A Question of Loyalty


A Question of Loyalty
by Mike Malaghan

Softcover, 440 pp
Release Date: April 2020
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A Question of Loyalty celebrates the “no retreat” Japanese Americans who fought the war on two fronts—from the heroics of the famed 100th Battalion on the battlefields of Italy to the bitter struggle against dishonor and humiliation at home. In this sequel to his novel Picture Bride, Mike Malaghan continues the story of Haru Takayama, the proud Japanese immigrant who makes Hawaii her home and raises her children as loyal Americans. But Haru’s world changes forever when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, her husband is arrested and a son is discharged from his ROTC unit simply for wearing the face of the enemy, and two other children find themselves trapped in Japan.

Following a decades-long career as a businessman in Asia, Malaghan found inspiration in The First Battle, a 2006 film about a group of multi-ethnic civilian and military leaders who monitored race relations in Hawaii during World War II and lent support to the Japanese community. “Only 2,000 of Hawaii’s 140,000 Japanese were imprisoned or interned,” Malaghan says, “rather than all of them, as in California. But why? I knew that was my story. A Question of Loyalty is the second book of my ‘Picture Bride’ trilogy, but it’s really where I started, with the idea of following the young men of the famous Nisei 442nd Regiment.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

A Question of Loyalty is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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Soular Rainbows

Soular Rainbows by Shay Bintliff
Softcover, 76 pp
August 2019
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Soular Rainbows, a collection of poetry by retired Hawai‘i physician Shay Bintliff, is a prismatic refraction of the author’s life—reflections and colorful bursts of light manifested in poetic expression. Doc Shay, as she is known to her patients and friends, grew up in a household crowded with dominant males, feeling that what she said was not heard. Inspired by a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems given to her by a great-aunt—and advised to “find your voice in writing”—she taught herself to speak up using the power of her pen. Soular Rainbows is a follow-up to her first book of poetry, Soular Energy (Ho‘onanea Publishing, 2008).

While Bintliff is known for her sense of humor—she was a childhood vaudevillian and writes the weekly humor column “Laughter Therapy” for West Hawaii Today—her poetry explores not just the joyful aspects of life and love, but the sadness, pain and fear of missed opportunities, absent loved ones and aging, as well as introspective musings on questions without easy answers. Both of her books were inspired by and dedicated to the memory of her granddaughter, Ilieana, who lost a four-year battle with cancer at age eleven. Bintliff donates the proceeds from book sales to Camp Ānuenue, a summer camp on O‘ahu for children with cancer.

This book is a custom-quote project, largely based on the Photo Legacy Package, including four-color art on each page.

Soular Rainbows: A Collection of Poetry is available via our online store and at local bookstores

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Today’s Thought


Today’s Thought—Rev. Paul Osumi: The Man & His Message
by Norman H. Osumi

Softcover, 272 pp
Release Date: September 2013
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For more than 35 years, Rev. Paul S. Osumi inspired generations of readers with his daily newspaper column, “Today’s Thought.” Thousands of copies of his simple aphorisms were clipped and saved. After the pastor’s death in 1996, his son Norman Osumi received many inquiries about publishing a new collection of “Today’s Thoughts.” Because three small volumes had already been published by Rev. Osumi himself, Norman felt that any collection “would need something more.” Thus began a decade-long project to research his father’s life, with the goal of including a biography to add context to a new collection of “Thoughts.” In addition to the biography and hundreds of favorite “Thoughts,” Norman included select inspirational speeches delivered by Rev. Osumi throughout his years of ministry as well as photographs and letters from the family’s personal collection in his softcover book Today’s Thought—Rev. Paul Osumi: The Man & His Message.

“My father’s words had a great impact on my life,” Norman says, “and on so many others’ too. People needed guidance in their lives and he tried to provide that. Father’s daily sayings gave people in Hawai‘i a set of values for living happy and meaningful lives. If by reading this book, they can gain some insight to live a better life, I will be happy.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Today’s Thought—Rev. Paul Osumi: The Man & His Message is available via our online store and at local bookstores, as well as select churches and hospital gift shops.

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The Society of Seven


The Society of Seven: Last of the Great Show Bands
by Frances Kirk

Softcover, 368 pp
Release Date: December 2013
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For five decades—from their early years in Hong Kong as the Fabulous Echoes to standing-room-only performances in clubs and concert halls around the world—the saga of the Society of Seven has been one of the most enduring success stories in show business. After encouragement from friends, the group’s longtime confidante and manager, Frances Kirk, sat down to recount her personal journey with the band, which happens to be deeply enmeshed with the history of the group itself. In her memoir, The Society of Seven: Last of the Great Show Bands, Kirk recounts the wild ride of a revolving cast of world class entertainers, who overcame dramatic turnover and personal tragedy to build a unique legacy in the rough-and-tumble world of showbiz.

A savvy businesswoman born and raised in Hong Kong, Kirk joined the family business, Diamond Music Company, in 1960 when her father fell gravely ill. She went on to establish the company’s recording department and concert promotion arm, building Diamond Music into a major player in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, Singapore and Southeast Asia. In 1980 Kirk was appointed entertainment director at Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, where her duties included promoting and booking talent at the Outrigger Main Showroom and later the Polynesian Palace.

The Society of Seven is a 362-page softcover book with black-and-white photo insert sections.

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

The Society of Seven: Last of the Great Show Bands is available via our online store and at local bookstores, as well as select churches and hospital gift shops.

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