A review by thelovelylibrarylady
Local: A Memoir by Jessica Machado

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

I try to read at least one memoir a month. When picking the title for each month, I look for stories of people who have lived differently than I have. For this month, Local caught my eye as the author was born and raised in Hawai‘i. From her father’s side, she has ancestors who are indigenous to the land while her white mother moved to the island in her young adulthood. With this mixed identity, Machado struggles with feeling like she is a “local” to the islands. I learned a lot about the history of colonialism in  Hawai‘i and its indigenous culture and spirituality from this book. I also enjoyed reading the personal stories Machado shares, even though they dealt with more serious topics. Local is a memoir unlike any other that I’ve read and is a must read for anyone interested in learning about Hawai‘i from a native’s perspective. 

(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW) 

(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)