"Honolulu" by Alan Brennert - Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Alan Brennert

Early Life:

Alan Brennert was born on May 30, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.

Education:

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with honors from California State University, Long Beach.

Writing Career:

Alan Brennert has had a diverse career as a writer, with contributions to literature, television, and film.
He initially gained recognition for his work in television, with writing credits on popular shows such as "L.A. Law," "The Twilight Zone," and "Fantasy Island."
Brennert's novel "Moloka'i" (2003) brought him critical acclaim and commercial success. The historical novel tells the story of a young Hawaiian girl diagnosed with leprosy and exiled to the island of Moloka'i.
"Honolulu" (2009) is another well-received novel by Brennert, exploring the life of a Korean picture bride in early 20th-century Hawaii.
His works often incorporate historical elements and cultural themes, reflecting his interest in exploring diverse human experiences.

Awards and Recognition:

"Moloka'i" received numerous awards and nominations, including the Bookies Award for Book of the Year and the Book Sense Book of the Year Award.
Brennert's writing is known for its emotional depth, historical accuracy, and exploration of cultural and social issues.

Other Works:

In addition to his novels, Brennert has written short stories and contributed to anthologies.
He has continued his involvement in television, serving as a writer and producer on various projects.

Personal Life:

Information about Alan Brennert's personal life, beyond his professional accomplishments, is not extensively available in public sources.

Synopsis

Honolulu is the rich, unforgettable story of a young "picture bride" who journeys to Hawai'i in 1914 in search of a better life. Instead of the affluent young husband and chance at an education that she has been promised, she is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his frustrations out on his new wife. Renaming herself Jin, she makes her own way in this strange land, finding both opportunity and prejudice. With the help of three of her fellow picture brides, Jin prospers along with her adopted city, now growing from a small territorial capital into the great multicultural city it is today. But paradise has its dark side, whether it's the daily struggle for survival in Honolulu's tenements, or a crime that will become the most infamous in the islands history...

Discussion Questions

The novel is set in early 20th-century Hawaii. How does the historical and cultural context of the time shape the characters and their experiences?
Discuss the character of Jin, the protagonist. How does her journey as a picture bride reflect the challenges and opportunities faced by immigrant women during that era?
The novel addresses themes of cultural identity and assimilation. How do characters in "Honolulu" grapple with their Korean heritage while adapting to the diverse culture of Hawaii?
Explore the portrayal of the immigrant experience in the novel. What are the common challenges faced by Jin and other immigrants, and how do they overcome or navigate these challenges?
The book depicts the multicultural society of Hawaii. How does the melting pot of cultures contribute to the richness of the narrative, and how do characters from different backgrounds interact?
Discuss the role of women in "Honolulu." How do female characters navigate societal expectations and gender roles during a time when opportunities for women were limited?
Jin's experiences include working as a "picture bride" and later pursuing education and a career. How do these aspects of her life contribute to the broader theme of female empowerment in the novel?
Family is a central theme in the book. How do family dynamics and relationships evolve throughout the story, and how do characters navigate the balance between tradition and individual aspirations?
The novel also explores the impact of historical events, such as World War II and the Japanese occupation of Korea, on the characters' lives. How do these events shape the narrative and influence the characters' choices?
Consider the significance of the title, "Honolulu." How does the setting play a role in the story, and how does the city itself shape the characters and their experiences?
"Honolulu" touches on issues of discrimination and prejudice. How do characters respond to these challenges, and what messages about tolerance and acceptance does the novel convey?
Reflect on the ending of the novel. How does Jin's journey come full circle, and what messages or themes are conveyed in the resolution of her story?

MLN Materials

book
large print book
spoken CD

Audiobook Versions

hoopla

The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies
Call Number: FICTION Davies
Sly, funny, intelligent, and artfully structured, The Fortunes recasts American history through the lives of Chinese Americans and reimagines the multigenerational novel through the fractures of immigrant family experience. Inhabiting four lives--a railroad baron's valet who unwittingly ignites an explosion in Chinese labor, Hollywood's first Chinese movie star, a hate-crime victim whose death mobilizes Asian Americans, and a biracial writer visiting China for an adoption--this novel captures and capsizes over a century of our history, showing that even as family bonds are denied and broken, a community can survive--as much through love as blood. Building fact into fiction, spinning fiction around fact, Davies uses each of these stories--three inspired by real historical characters--to examine the process of becoming not only Chinese American, but American.
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Call Number: FICTION Hosseini
Presents a story inspired by human love, how people take care of one another, and how choices resonate through subsequent generations. Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and step-mother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari, as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named, is everything; there is an unparalleled bond between these two motherless siblings. What happens to them, and the large and small manners in which it echoes through the lives of so many other people is an example of the moral complexity of life. In this multigenerational novel revolving around parents and children, brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, the author explores the many ways in which family members love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Call Number: FICTION Lee
A new tour de force from the bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires, for readers of The Kite Runner and Cutting for Stone. PACHINKO follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan. So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

*ebook & audiobook on Libby
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Call Number: FICTION Otsuka
In eight incantatory sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces their extraordinary lives, from their arduous journey by boat, where they exchange photographs of their husbands, imagining uncertain futures in an unknown land; to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; to their backbreaking work picking fruit in the fields and scrubbing the floors of white women; to their struggles to master a new language and a new culture; to their experiences in childbirth, and then as mothers, raising children who will ultimately reject their heritage and their history; to the deracinating arrival of war. In language that has the force and the fury of poetry, Julie Otsuka has written a singularly spellbinding novel about the American dream.
Diamond Head by Cecily Wong
Call Number: FICTION WONG
At the turn of the nineteenth century, Frank Leong, a fabulously wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. The parable of the red string of fate, the cord that binds one intended beloved to her perfect match, also punishes for mistakes in love, passing a destructive knot down the family line. When Frank Leong is murdered, his family is thrown into a perilous downward spiral. Left to rebuild in their patriarch's shadow, the surviving members of the Leong family try their hand at a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past. Still, the island continues to whisper--fragmented pieces of truth and chatter, until a letter arrives two decades later, carrying a confession that shatters the family even further. Now the Leongs' survival rests with young Theresa, Frank Leong's only grandchild, eighteen and pregnant, the heir apparent to her ancestors' punishing knots.