A review by gina_readsbooks
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

“We are not here for you. We were here before you came and will be here when you leave.”

Thank you to partner Bibliolifestyle and Harper Via Books for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a really beautiful story of family, tradition, and history that flows through three generations of women. There is a focus on relationships between mothers and daughters,  but also the history of Hawaii. It captures the rage and unrest of the Hawaiian people as their land and culture was stolen. The history provided throughout is so important, and it wasn’t something I knew anything about before. 

These characters are so fascinating, especially Hi’i, the youngest. She struggles with her identity as she doesn’t look the way she’s expected as a Hawaiian. But she so desperately wants to participate in hula and prove that she is just like her mom. There is so much rich culture and detail in this book, juxtaposed with this anger at the way their identities were appropriated. 

This is a really fascinating read, and it was so great to get to read something out of my comfort zone.