Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Nikki

This book covers over 13 years in the young life of Jeff Gill, our narrator.  The setting shifts from the rural east end of Molokai island to the suburbs of Honolulu, just off the slopes of Diamond Head.  Jeff is a classic underdog in the mold of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE's Holden Caulfield, and, like Holden, struggles at school.  However,  Jeff musters the courage to challenge the school bully to a fight on the golf course, which leads to the ultimate conflict with Punahou School's class dean.  This book provides a great window into the school attended by President Obama, complete with multiethnic complexities.  Jeff is 'hapa haole,' which is a mix of white and Hawaiian blood, and he experiences the tricky matter of interracial dating when he takes a Korean girl to the Prom, much to the chagrin of the girl's mother.