Volcanoes, Palm Trees, and Privilege: Essays on Hawai‘i - Liz Prato

"Volcanoes, Palm Trees, and Privilege: Essays on Hawai'i" is a thought-provoking and compelling book that delves into the complex relationship between tourists and the Hawaiian islands. Liz Prato combines personal narrative, research, and humor to explore the author's role as a white tourist in a land shaped by outsiders. This book, a New York Times Top Summer Read Finalist and Oregon Book Award winner, masterfully weaves together Hawaiian history, pop culture, contemporary affairs, and the author's own experiences of loss and survival. Prato's essays offer unique insights into the touristic ideal of Hawai'i and its core identity, providing a powerful rebuke to cultural appropriation while paying tribute to the place she loves. With praise from the New York Times Book Review and Publishers Weekly, this book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of Hawai'i beyond the surface. FINALIST for the Oregon Book Award  Best Travel Memoirs of 2019 - The Great Big Story 224 PAG