Tahleen reviews: "Night of the Howling Dogs" by Graham Salisbury

Title: Night of the Howling Dogs
Author: Graham Salisbury
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2009 (print available from Laurel Leaf)
Narrator: Robert Ramirez

Rating: 4.5 stars

Dylan and his scout troop from Hilo, Hawaii are psyched to be camping out at the base of a volcano in Halape during the summer of 1975. But when he finds out tough, older Louie, with whom he has a history, will be joining them, his enthusiasm is dampened. They start off the camping trip on a rocky start, with Dylan struggling to assert himself as senior patrol leader with the other boys. Then disaster strikes, and the beach paradise they started camping in turns into a nightmare when an earthquake causes rockslides and a tsunami. Dylan, Louie, and the rest of the troop must put aside their differences, rely on their wits, and on each other to survive.

This book might be short, but it's a true tale of survival that is based on actual events. As soon as the earthquake hits, we as readers are never sure who will survive, or when they will be rescued. Tensions were high to begin with, but it goes through the roof once the natural disaster hits and people go missing.

At first I didn't really like Dylan. He was kind of irritating and petulant. But I warmed to him once he started showing what he was really made of. I liked Louie much more than Dylan from the beginning, mostly because it was clear there was more to him than Dylan seemed to see. He just had a huge chip on his shoulder, and an attitude to go with it. Plus he was not friendly toward white people, or haole.

The setting and culture are one of my favorite aspects of all of Salisbury's books. He really infused the Hawaiian mythology into the story; one of the characters says that one of the howling dogs of the title is Pele, the volcano goddess, and a shark is a spirit watching over the island. The dialogue is often in pidgen, creating a strong sense of character and place.

Robert Ramirez did a good job on the narration. At times he sounded like he was accenting words a bit too much, but it was not something that took away from the storytelling. I've listened to him narrate before, and I would have no issue with listening to him again.

Ever since visiting the beautiful islands of Hawaii on my honeymoon, I've loved traveling back through novels. Salisbury is one of the best authors I've found for this. His authenticity in writing for young people is unparalleled in this regard, and I look forward to reading his other works. (I've already read a number of his Calvin Coconut books, and he also wrote the Scott O'Dell Award–winning Under the Blood Red Sun.)

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen takes a literary trip to Hawaii

Ever since my honeymoon, I've been kind of obsessed with reading books set in the beautiful islands of Hawaii. I've read fiction and nonfiction, adult books and children's literature. Anything that takes me back to that place and its people and culture. I've found a good number of books that are not only set there, but are also great reads. Or movies.

Me, on a catamaran tour of the Napali Coast of Kaua'i

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

I watched the movie before reading the book, and I have to say I did enjoy the former better than the latter. Though I must say, never have I seen a movie that lifted so much of the dialogue right out of the book it's based on. Both are good.

The Descendants the movie

The movie is much richer visually, for obvious reasons, and thus gives a much stronger sense of place. It also developed the land issue that Matt King must figure out (he is the head of a trust that owns a huge piece of land on the island of Kaua'i and must decide whether to sell or not). I just think the visual medium is a better way to tell this story, and I like the characters better in the way they are portrayed here.

The Calvin Coconut series by Graham Salisbury

 

I love this series, which is aimed at children ages 7-10. It is set on Oahu, and follows the life of 4th-grader Calvin Coconut (yes, it's his real name; his dad is a famous singer who legally changed their name to Coconut before leaving them). I love that the stories are things that aren't about Hawaiian "issues," they are just about Calving getting into trouble or situations and trying to solve them on his own. And yet the Hawaiian culture is such a part of everything regardless, it doesn't need to be explained to readers who might not be familiar with it. And that might be the thing I love the most about this series.

Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport

This rich and poignant novel tells the story of Hawaii's history over the course of the lives of seven generations of women. It's a long book, but well worth it—it taught me about the lives of the people of Hawaii during America's seizure of its lands, its annexation, the leprosy plague, and in the late 20th century. It is eye opening and beautiful.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

This is a fantastic nonfiction book about Hawaii's history and culture. I listened to this on audio, and Vowell was great, though she did take a little getting used to.

And now I'm going to leave you with a few pictures from when I was in Hawaii.

At Waimea Canyon

Tunnels Beach

Waipi'o Valley

Do you have any places you like to visit in books?

Tahleen reviews: "Unfamiliar Fishes" by Sarah Vowell

Title: Unfamiliar Fishes
Author: Sarah Vowell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2011 (print available from Riverhead Trade)
Narrator: Sarah Vowell

Rating: 4.5 stars

Have you ever wondered how the United States came to acquire Hawaii? Do you know anything about the history of the last state to join the country? Sarah Vowell, in her typical sarcastically funny and intelligent fashion, takes us through the history of this chain of islands that have been through so much. From the ancient Hawaiians, to the missionaries that first stepped on the shores, to President McKinley making Hawaii officially part of the United States, Vowell tells us all about the dynamic history of Hawaii.

How have I made it this far in my life without reading one of Sarah Vowell's books? This book is fantastic. I loved Vowell's voice; she puts herself into the story as much as all of the historical figures and events, and the story is richer for it. We start with her contemplating her plate lunch, and how all these different cultures are together on one plate in Hawaii. She launches into the history and culture, both past and present. Her biting comments, quirky choice of words, and funny asides kept me listening and eager to hear more.

I picked up this audiobook because my fiance and I are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and I wanted to know more about it. Plus, I've heard great things about Vowell. I wasn't disappointed. Not only did I learn a great deal about the history and culture, but I was entertained throughout it with Vowell's unique style of writing. I was kind of surprised at how much I didn't know about the islands, though I suppose I shouldn't have been. We don't learn this stuff in school, and I had no reason to learn about it before this. Not that that's an excuse, but my interest was piqued when I learned I'd actually be going there.

A note on the audio edition: At first I was completely turned off by Vowell's voice. It was whinier than I was expecting. But I got used to it, and eventually started to really like how she narrated her writing in deadpan and in a conversational way. I would definitely listen to another one of her audiobooks, and most likely will. I can't wait to get my hands on Vowell's other work.

Disclosure: I got this from the library.