Author Kamalani Hurley attended Kamehameha Schools in the 1970s, at a time she said Hawaiian language and culture weren't emphasized.
“I grew up thinking, believing that Kahoʻolawe was just this rock,” she recalled.
Going to college during the Hawaiian Renaissance, she learned that wasn't true.
Now, she's written a book for keiki that helps educate them about an important, but difficult history of Kahoʻolawe.
“I wrote the book from the island's point of view, that the island is thirsty, that it's sad, that it's happy, to try to make it more approachable to younger kids.”
The book spans Kahoʻolawe's history and the aloha ʻaina efforts that are helping to restore the island, both culturally and ecologically. One of those groups is the nonprofit Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana.
“I think all kids can learn about the story of the island, the sacrifices, the non-violent resistance of the activists, particularly PKO, and how they were able to change the world,” she said.
Hurley found a way to make that history both accessible for young readers and detailed for older audiences.
“It's a difficult story. I mean, if you know anything about the history of Kahoʻolawe, you know it's not an easy story to tell. So I decided that I was going to have two types of narration in the book.”
There's large font with simple language, along with sidebars that give historic and cultural information.
“In the very first spread, it says, ‘In the middle of the Great Pacific Ocean, is a little island. Her name is Kanaloa Kahoʻolawe. She rises from fire. Kahoʻolawe is born,’” she read from the book. “That's the text meant for younger readers. The sidebar says “Named for Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the sea, the island is a kinolau, or physical form….’ See what I mean? So it connects to both a younger reader and an older reader.”
The text is accompanied by rich illustrations by Native Hawaiian artist Harinani Orme.
Hurley and Orme are both donating 100% of book proceeds to the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana.
“It is the pono thing to do,” said Hurley. “It just doesn't seem right to make money personally from the sale of the book, and so it's important for me, that the proceeds go to PKO, because they are the ones who did the heavy lifting [on Kahoʻolawe].”
“The True Story of an Island and Her People: Kahoʻolawe” has been recognized nationally on five “best of” book lists, including the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children for 2026 and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, and most recently, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books of 2025.
"It's a hard story, it's generational trauma. But it's a beautiful book, and it's a hopeful book," Hurley said.
Hurley is a retired University of Hawaiʻi professor emerita at Leeward Community College for nearly 40 years. This is her first book, and she has several more in the works.
To purchase the book, click here.
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