{"title":"Mark Panek","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into Mark Panek's gripping narratives, exploring themes of resilience and human connection. Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with emotional depth. Browse the collection and find your next read.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"big-happiness-book-mark-panek-9780824834685","title":"Big Happiness","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eBig Happiness\u003c\/i\u003e is extremely important to our community. Mark Panek's biography of Percy Kipapa speaks to the consequences of the destruction of Hawai'i's rural neighborhoods, unchecked development, the ice epidemic, the failures of government, sumo, intricate family and neighbor relationships, and more. What is most impressive is Panek's ability to weave all of these complex topics together in a seamless narrative that connects all the dots. Part mystery, part investigative journalism, part poignant Island portrait, this work contains an emotional element that binds the reader to the subjects in a dignified yet touching way, showing compassion and even affection for people while revealing their flaws and shortcomings. This book will resonate with an Island audience and with anyone interested in Hawai'i.\" --Victoria Kneubuhl, Hawai'i writer and playwright\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"This book tells of personal triumphs and failures, and also the triumphs and failures of families, communities, organizations, agencies, governments, and churches dealing with the multiple consequences of 'progress' in contemporary Hawai'i. There have been heroes and villains at all levels--frequently, the same individuals and agencies are both at the same time. The story of Percy Kipapa is especially poignant because professional sumo gave him a unique opportunity to transcend Hawai'i's culture of colonialism, racism, poverty, and drug addiction, which in the end all brought him down anyway. Mark Panek has done a masterful job of weaving these strands together.\"--Reverend Bob Nakata, former Hawai'i state senator\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Spanning the history of Waikane and the brutality of Japan's national sport, Big Happiness is a remarkably ambitious piece that links one man's murder to the ice epidemic, land development, and political corruption in Hawai'i. Mark Panek's meticulously researched, skillfully written, heartbreaking story, filled with voices that ring true, is an indictment of an entire system that crushed a gentle giant. While other Hawai'i writers dwell in 'take me back to da kine' nostalgia, Panek tells it like it really is.\" --Chris McKinney, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Tattoo\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMililani Mauka\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50110295474449,"sku":"CIN0824834682G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0824834682.jpg?v=1762596905"},{"product_id":"gaijin-yokozuna-book-mark-panek-9780824830434","title":"Gaijin Yokozuna","description":"At the age of eighteen, Chad Rowan left his home in rural Hawaii for Tokyo with visions of becoming a star athlete in Japan's national sport, sumo. Five years later, against the backdrop of rising U.S.-Japan economic tension, Rowan became the first gaijin (non-Japanese) to advance to sumo's top rank, yokozuna. His historic promotion was more a cultural accomplishment than an athletic one, since yokozuna are expected to embody highly prized Japanese values such as hard work, patience, strength, and hinkaku, a special kind of dignity thought to be available only to Japanese. Perhaps the defining moment of the gaijin's unique success occurred at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, when Rowan, chosen to personify \"\"Japanese\"\" to one of the largest television audiences in history, performed a sacred sumo ritual at the opening ceremony. \"\"Gaijin Yokozuna\"\" chronicles the events leading to that improbable scene at Nagano and beyond, tracing Rowan's life from his Hawaii upbringing to his 2001 retirement ceremony. Along the way it briefly examines the careers of two Hawaii-born sumotori who paved the way for Rowan, Jesse Kuhaulua (Takamiyama) and Salevaa Atisanoe (Konishiki). The author shares stories from family members, coaches, friends, fellow sumo competitors, and of course Rowan himself, whom he accompanied on three Japan-wide exhibition tours. The work is further informed by volumes of secondary source material on sumo, Japanese culture, and local Hawaii culture.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51008551846161,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51008554729745,"sku":"NIN9780824830434","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52599873700113,"sku":"NLS9780824830434","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53224261845265,"sku":"CIN0824830431VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0824830431.jpg?v=1751265586"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-mark-panek.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}