A Conversation with Kamalani Hurley, Author of Kaho‘olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People

Photo: Courtesy of Kamalani Hurley

Kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) author and educator Kamalani Hurley has brought the story of Kaho‘olawe and her community to beautiful life in her debut nonfiction picture book Kaho‘olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People. Illustrated by fellow Native Hawaiian artist Harinani Orme, Kaho‘olawe is a powerful love letter to Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe and a tale of aloha ‘āina, depicting the capacity humans possess to hurt and heal the land. While the story of Kaho‘olawe can be read as one of loss and erasure, Hurley also reminds us how it’s a story of dedication, restoration and resilience.

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Committed to championing the urgent work of activists involved in the 40-plus year fight to protect and restore Kaho‘olawe, Hurley is donating all proceeds earned from the book to the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana (PKO), a moving gesture of solidarity with the activists and volunteers who continue to fight valiantly against social and environmental injustice.

Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, author and bookseller at Da Shop: Books + Curiosities, interviewed Hurley to discuss her inspiration for the book, her publication journey and the message with which she hopes to leave her readers.

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MKK: Huge congratulations to you and Harinani on the publication of Kaho‘olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People! I enjoyed this book so very much. What inspired you to write this important story?

KH: Mahalo nui! Like a lot of Native Hawaiians growing up in the 1960s, I didn’t know much at all about Kaho‘olawe. I believed the stories I had heard about it being a barren rock. It was the second Hawaiian renaissance of the 1970s that opened my eyes to our true history. The 1970s were a volatile time here, and those of us old enough to remember can recall the Hawaiian-led protests around Kalama Valley, Waiāhole-Waikāne and Kaho‘olawe. I am thankful for those Native Hawaiian activists who helped lead us back to our ‘ike kupuna (ancestral knowledge.)

MKK: Did you always see this as a nonfiction picture book for children? If so, why?

KH: Yes. Although my original plan was to write a book for middle graders, it was always going to be nonfiction. Kaho‘olawe is the true story of how young Native Hawaiians organized a grassroots effort that dared to face down the mighty United States military. Their resolve to risk everything for aloha ‘āina—a deep love of the land—is a beacon for the Hawaiian people and for people everywhere who fight against social and environmental injustice. There’s no more compelling story than that, I think.

MKK: The story of Kaho‘olawe is urgent, complicated, and in many ways very painful. What was it like navigating the story, particularly as a Native Hawaiian writer?

KH: It’s true: Kaho‘olawe was often difficult to write about. After all, the story is of loss and erasure and of cultural and environmental destruction. But the story is more than that. To me, Kaho‘olawe is about resilience and restoration of the island and her people. Hope—in oneself, in one’s community—is the real story I want my readers to take away.

Photo: Courtesy of Kamalani Hurley

MKK: How did your artistic partnership with Harinani Orme come to fruition?

KH: When I first signed with my amazing editor, Carol Hinz of Lerner, I asked that because of the deeply cultural and spiritual nature of the story that the illustrator be Native Hawaiian. Carol readily agreed. There are many talented ‘ōiwi artists and illustrators, and I’m so grateful to have had the chance to work with Harinani. She is an artistic genius.

MKK: In an interview for Leeward Community College, I read about how you also worked closely with the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana in putting this work together. Could you share more about what this partnership looked like?

KH: I decided from the very beginning that the book could only be created with the input and encouragement of PKO. To be pono, I have pledged 100% of my proceeds of sales of the book to PKO. Mahalo nui to Dr. Davianna McGregor and her leadership team, who vetted the drafts and provided feedback before the book went to publication.

MKK: What has the publication journey looked like for Kaho‘olawe? Would you be willing to share how the book found its publishing home?

KH: I had recently retired after over three decades of teaching writing and linguistics courses at Leeward Community College, and so this was my chance to focus on my own projects. I took a life-changing writing course from author Candace Fleming during the COVID lockdown. By the end of the six weeks, I had pivoted from writing a book for older readers to a manuscript for a children’s picture book. After months of queries to possible agents, I signed with New Jersey-based James McGowan at BookEnds Literary. In our first Zoom call, James surprised me by pronouncing both Kaho‘olawe and my name correctly. He had prepared for our meeting by learning the pronunciation! Right then, I knew he was the agent for me.

But even with James’ skills as an agent, we couldn’t get much interest in Kaho‘olawe. The one comment we’d heard several times was that the story was too small and niche for a national publishing house. Thankfully, Carol realized that, in reality, the story is epic.

Photo: Courtesy of Kamalani Hurley

MKK: Did you learn anything new or receive a new perspective on Kaho‘olawe in the researching and writing of the book?

KH: Oh, yes. The history of Kaho‘olawe is full and rich. What moved me most were the details about two particular events of the early years that helped shaped the Protect Kaho‘olawe movement.

The first incident centers on the two weeks in January 1976—the “First Landing”—that Hawaiian activists Emmett Aluli and Walter Ritte spent exploring the island while dodging military searchers. Their visceral reactions to the devastation they had witnessed were not given the attention they should have by the newspapers of the time. The second is the disappearance of George Helm and Kimo Mitchell under unexplained circumstances in March 1977. Their terrible loss continues to be profoundly felt not just by their loved ones but by the whole community. Both stirring incidents launched the Protect Kaho‘olawe movement and inspired me to try to tell the story.

When I think of all the obstacles and frustrations activists faced over the years, I am awestruck at the strength of their resolve. Honestly, the story of Kaho‘olawe could’ve turned out much differently without PKO’s unwavering commitment to aloha ‘āina and to nonviolence over the 50-plus year fight.

MKK: There is a beautiful, delicate balance to your prose, in which you make the story accessible to young readers without sacrificing the weight and depth of Kaho‘olawe’s historical context. Were you aware of this balance, and how did you navigate trying to achieve it?

KH: Mahalo for saying so. Because Kaho‘olawe is a relatively unknown topic, I use layered text to speak to my two audiences. The younger audience will find easier, more approachable language that narrates the story in few words. For older audiences, sidebars provide needed background info. Although sidebars are usually found in the backmatter of picture books, Carol and I knew that the story would lose its Hawaiianess without immediate access to the historical and cultural context.

MKK: What do you hope readers will come away with after reading this book?

KH: Two words: hope and persistence. This story proves any obstacle can be overcome through cooperation, dedication, knowledge, and faith.

But beyond my book, I hope readers will be enticed to read more of our stories told by our people. Because I’m a children’s author, I’m partial to Native Hawaiian, Polynesian, and Pacific Islander authors like Kealani Netane, Shar Tui‘asoa, Gabby Ahuli‘i, Kalikolehua Hurley, Tammy Paikai, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Malia Maunakea, and Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, whose varied and wonderful stories are intended for children and young adults. I hope readers will check them out!

MKK: I’d love to end with what you’re currently reading, or perhaps the last book(s) that had an impact on you.

KH: I love talking about books! I am currently rereading Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys in time for the movie release. Mostly, I read all kinds of nonfiction because nothing is more captivating than a true story. Released in October of last year, Princess Victoria Ka‘iulani: Last Heir of the Hawaiian Kingdom by the late UH professor Dr. Ralph Thomas Kam confirmed what I had always suspected: that our princess was more than the tragic hothouse flower earlier biographies made her out to be.

Photo: Courtesy of Kamalani Hurley

Mahalo nui to Kamalani Hurley for sharing her time, mana‘o, and creative insights. Kaho‘olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People is now available for purchase.

Da Shop: Books + Curiosities, 3565 Harding Ave., open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., (808) 421-9460, dashophnl.com, @dashophnl