Another Book Review: Kolea

I enjoyed reading Kolea and felt the story, although simple, was interesting enough to hold my attention all the way through the short read. I thought it best for a Junior High audience; a joyful history lesson taught in an artful manner.

Because of my years of outrigger paddling experience I challenged the plausibility of three individuals paddling a canoe against the horrendous current running from Kahului to Maliko and on around the island in that direction. It is a very difficult task for 6 paddlers. So much so, there has never been an organized race running in that direction.
There were a few other inconsistencies in terminology concerning rigging of canoes and materials. The term “gunwale” is not used with outriggers, rather, “gunnel.” Perhaps the author simply chose words the general reading audience would understand. On page 65 a reference was made to a nose flute made from bamboo. Bamboo is not indigenous to Hawaii and I would rather doubt made from bamboo in the days captured in this writing. I gave up being nit-picky about noting these details and relaxed into just enjoying the book after a while.

Not a bad read, just not remarkable to me.

Book Review by: Janis Casco, Sept. 2015

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