Born Again Uchinanchu:
The Hawaii Experience
were invited to Okinawa to learn about their ancestral homeland.
After two weeks in Okinawa, they returned to Hawaii
as “born again Uchinanchu.”
Born Again Uchinanchu: The Hawaii Experience is the working title for an Okinawan community book, whose publication is tentatively scheduled for summer of 2022. It is being written by Karleen Chinen, the longtime writer and editor of The Hawaii Herald, who retired recently to research and write this book.
The hardcover book chronicles the 20-year period from 1980 to 2000, which saw the renaissance of Okinawan culture and the rise of the Okinawan community in Hawaii.
for the Hawaii Okinawa Center involved a helicopter drop of thousands of flowers over the once-barren site in Waipio.
The book will be approximately 450 pages in length — 70% text, 30% photos, including color photographs. Pre-orders will get the book at-cost (price to be determined). After the book’s debut, the price will increase by $10 per copy.
Use the online pre-order form below to place your order today, or look for the pre-order form in the HUOA’s Uchinanchu newsletter and The Hawaii Herald. Any net profit from the sale of the book will be donated to an Okinawan non-profit organization.
Please send any questions to volunteer coordinator Ed Kuba at uchibook@gmail.com, or call him at 1-808-941-0586.
