I’m excited to share this new memoir from Sara Kehaulani Goo called Kuleana. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook so you can capture the full experience of Hawaiian and Pidgin language!

In college, I spent a January-Term studying in Hawaii on the islands of Oahu and Kauai. While taking a course on inter-cultural communications in diverse organizations, my classmates and I wrestled with enjoying our time in paradise while becoming aware of the complexities of Hawaii’s history and current issues. Since then, I have felt my own haole version of Kuleana (responsibility) and I’ve never looked at the Hawaiian islands the same way.

I think anyone with an interest in Hawaii or native territories of any kind will be intrigued by Goo’s personal stories. As an experienced journalist, she writes in a well-researched and engaging way. Shoutout to my local St. Paul Pioneer Press (where Goo previously worked)! It’s a small world we live in.

I loved the vivid imagery throughout the book, which made feel me like I was stepping off the plane at the Honolulu airport and breathing in the humid, floral sent of the island air. If Hawaii has captured your heart too, I recommend this memoir for your continued education, as well as “Hawaii’s History” by Queen Lili’uokalani.

Kuleana is a beautiful story of identity, family, responsibility, connection and cultural preservation in Hawaii. I hope you all check it out on June 10th when it’s officially published!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Colleen Chi-Girl
Goodreads: 5 STARS
Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i
by author and award winning journalist, Sara Kehaulani Goo
Not yet published Expected 10 Jun 25

SO MUCH to LOVE about this heartfelt memoir. Sara Kehaulani Goo shares some of the history of Hawaii as well as some of her own family's story in such a beautiful way. She is also the narrator of this memoir and she performed well. It was much more intimate and real-life because of her easy and fluid narration. Who else can share their personal events and so many important issues better than one who wrote the memoir? And in this case, it was realistic and easy to listen to her....bravo! It transported me right into the setting of the Hawaii islands, which I've fortunately visited many times and hope to continue into the future.

Why should you read this particular memoir? If you enjoy a good family history, probably unlike any other, on top of beautiful Hawaiian history, and/or have an interest in past and present Hawaiian events, it's a MUST read. As a non-native, Caucasian, it's almost unfair to go to Hawaii as a tourist without knowing how hard life has been for many Hawaiians to live there.

When I visited and did a triathlon on L'anai a number of years ago, I found out about a windmill issue, fire issues, cats, turkeys, canoes, beautiful and warm people, nice hotels, as well as environmental problems. With Maui catching fire a couple years ago, it came to the forefront of my mind, that Hawaii is not just another pretty place to enjoy, although, yes, why not enjoy it if you can. But knowing some of the history of the islands and the people make it that much richer.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

PUBLISHER'S BLURB:
Set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, Kuleana is the story of award-winning journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo’s family saga to hold on to her family’s ancestral Hawaiian lands—and find herself along the way.
Along the rugged shores of Maui’s east coast lies Hana, one of the last remaining stretches of Hawai’i untouched by hotels or billionaire retreats. The 60 acres of the author’s family lands, extending from mountain to sea, were given in 1848 by King Kamehameha III.

Although the the non-linear storytelling was a little jarring at times, I understood the connective thread. It's a beautifully written memoir and reflection on identity, heritage, family and what cultural practices, family legacies and stories we are responsible for passing on to keep our history alive. Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to this audiobook - it was an enjoyable audiobook.

'Kuleana' is beautifully written and narrated. I love Hawai'i, history, and authors who dig into real issues. Sara Kehaulani Goo does this thoroughly and expertly. However, I am currently not as interested in a length memoir at this time, so I won't continue with the story. I do recommend this to anyone curious about beloved Hawai'i written by a talented journalist and descendent of native Hawai'ians. Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.