Dr. Patricia Brown is launching her book, “FILIPINAS! Voices from Daughters and Descendants of Hawaii’s Plantation Era.”
Dr. Patricia Brown is launching her book, “FILIPINAS! Voices from Daughters and Descendants of Hawaii’s Plantation Era.”
The book is a rare collection of 67 statewide storytellers and collaborators sharing details about their early immigrant ancestors and themselves. These storytellers shed light on cultural habits, spiritual beliefs and roles Filipinas continue to play in Hawaii’s history.
There will be five free book readings highlighting the featured Big Island storytellers:
• 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, Keaau Public Library, 16-571 Keaau Pahoa Road in Keaau.
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 19, Kulaimano Community Center in Pepeekeo.
• 4-6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, Papaikou Community Center.
• 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Akiko’s Buddhist B&B, Highway 19 at the 15 mile marker in Wailea/Hakalau (park at the baseball field and walk into the village).
• 3-6 p.m. Sunday, March 22, North Hawaii Education and Research Center, 45-539 Plumeria St. in Honokaa.
The book will be available at each event for $35.
“This path-breaking book by Dr. Patricia Brown deals with the fascinating lives and times of the first Filipinas in Hawaii,” wrote Dr. Belinda Aquino, professor emeritus of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “It is a landmark addition to the relatively scant history of Filipina- and Filipino-Americans in the islands and will certainly enrich the existing literature on this particular topic.”
Jeffrey Higa, executive director of Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu, Oahu, said Brown “has gathered these voices and names from the past and has presented them in this important collection.”
“Recording the stories of the first-generation Filipinas, she presents a tapestry of experiences that have rarely been heard and yet forms an important part of Hawaii’s historical record,” Higa said.
“Some stories are funny, others touching — but all will give readers an accurate account of the lives of pioneer Filipinas in Hawaii,” wrote Dr. Dorothy Cordova, founder and executive director of Filipino American National Historical Society.
Brown has spent 20 years as a psychologist and educator working with K-12 students in California and counseling graduate students at Chaminade University of Honolulu. She currently is working with women and her community. Her interests in women, ethnic studies, cultural habits and spiritual beliefs are reflected in her work and her books, “FILIPINAS! Voices from Daughters and Descendants of Hawaii’s Plantation Era” and “KULA SAN — Maui’s Healing Place.”