plantybooklover 's review for:

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

5.0

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Worth reading. It is a tiny bit long, but, honestly, it's an easy read, and I likely took a long time finishing because I was busy with work.

So my company recently got a contract with a company in Hawai'i and I saw this book on Barak Obama's list and decided it would be great to learn more about Hawai'i.
The author tells the story of a family in Hawai'i that centers around the middle son, Nainoa who was rescued from a fall off a boat by sharks at a young age. Nainoa is seemingly blessed with many gifts after this experience. This experience and his gifts of music and healing eventually overshadow his siblings achievements. I was completely sucked in to the magical moments in the story- I've seen a lot of weird in the world so a small boy rescued by sharks- in a place with quite a special history- didn't actually seem that odd. The aftermath of the event was amazing and kept me reading. I feel like the author was able to cram so much into that story- family dynamics, first generation college students, Hawaiian experiences on the mainland, healing powers and how to use them, first loves, deep and profound loss, finding your place - you name it. It is all in these 300 plus pages and it all actually makes sense.
I was- as I often am, slightly disappointed in the ending. It was satisfying and did bring some closure, regarding some of the main characters, but not all of them. In a way, I suppose it was a bit like the life we all live...not everything gets wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow.
I feel I definitely learned more about Hawai'i and even though my work is generally analytical -I still feel this has helped me to better understand the work I'm given.

One thing that stuck in my craw though- Dear Author, if a man falls off a ladder with brittle bones and he breaks a bone- that's a regular fracture. A pathological fracture- which you describe in the book- (as a man with cancer ridden bones falling off a ladder and getting a fracture) is actually a fracture that occurs with no obvious trauma at all. It's a weird little detail but I remember it being so jarring for me that I suddenly - for most of the rest of the book- wasn't able to see/imagine Nainoa as a real person anymore- it interrupted my flow as I knew in that moment that this was a story concocted by an author. It's a tiny error- but it really made the reading less good. Thankfully, I know less about basketball and engineering so if there were flaws in those descriptions- I missed them.
So 5 stars. I don't even really know how to review it,I feel like I could discuss any one of the chapters for hours with another reader.