Hawaiʻi’s history is filled with inspirational wāhine who fought fearlessly to preserve Hawaiian culture and secure rights for women and minority groups across the Islands. They broke down barriers and empowered other women in Hawaiʻi and beyond.
READ MORE: 14 Extraordinary Women in Hawaiʻi History Everyone Should Know
From incredible aliʻi to impressive athletes, memoirs and biographies chronicle some of these pioneering wāhine. Their stories are fascinating and stirring, and at times, heartbreaking.
In honor of International Women’s Month in March, these are a just a few books that celebrate some of the remarkable women that helped shape politics and culture in Hawaiʻi.
1. “Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen” by Queen Liliʻuokalani
Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In her autobiography, she paints a vivid picture of her life, from her childhood and experience in the royal court to the overthrow of the monarchy and her imprisonment in her own palace.
She is remembered for her resilience, fighting to tirelessly to restore the Hawaiian Kingdom until her death in 1917 at age 79. “Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen” is must-read for anyone interested in Hawaiian history.
You can find a copy from Native Books here.
2. “Kaiʻulani Hawaiʻi’s Tragic Princess” by MaxineMrantz
Victoria Kawēkiu Lunalilo Kalanikuiahilapalapa Kaʻiulani Cleghorn was the princess who might have become queen. She was the only child of Princess Miriam Likelike, sister to both King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani. Kaʻiulani’s father was Archibald Cleghorn, a prominent Scottish businessman.
Raised with the expecation that she might one day rule, Kaʻiulani was sent to school in England at age 13. By 15, she was proclaimed the Crown Princess of Hawaiʻi by Queen Liliuʻokalani, who had ascended the throne after King Kalākaua’s death in 1891.
Kaiʻulani lived through the kingdom’s struggle against foreign powers. This biography offers insight into the life of this wise young woman and life in Hawaiʻi as the kingdom was overthrown and the Islands became a U.S. territory.
You can find a copy from Native Books here.
3. “Princess Pauahi,” by Julie Stewart Williams
This children’s book introduces young readers to Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I. With deep love and concern for her people, she dedicated her lands to the education of Native Hawaiian children. Her legacy continues today through Kamehameha Schools.
You can find a copy from Native Books here.
4.“In Haste with Aloha” by David W. Forbes
Married to King Kamehameha IV, Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke was queen of Hawaiʻi from 1856 to her husband’s death in 1863. She is regarded as a humanitarian, having established Queen’s Hospital in 1859, as the Native Hawaiian popular rapidly declined. The hospital provided services to those suffering from foreign-introduced illnesses like smallpox and influenza. She also founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls in 1867.
This volume by scholar David W. Forbes includes a collection of previously unpublished letters and two diaries from Queen Emma. The biography illustrates the last five years of her life and shows what royal social life and customs were like at the time.
You can find a copy from Native Books here.
5.“Fierce and Fearless” by Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink
“Fierce and Fearless” is the first biography of the remarkable woman who was elected to Congress in 1964, where she served for 24 years. Her story is told by historian Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink, her daughter. Gwendolyn Mink is a noted political science scholar and witnessed the many challengers her mother overcame.
Born and raised on Maui, Patsy Takemoto Mink was a trailblazer in both local and U.S. politics. She was the first woman of color and the first Asian American elected to Congress.
As a strong advocate for girls and women, Mink is credited with leading and defending Title IX, the landmark legislation that transformed education in America. She helped make it possible for girls and women to participate in school sports—and education more broadly—on equal footing with boys and men.
You can find a copy from Da Shop Books + Curiosities here.
6.“Paddling My Own Canoe” by Audrey Sutherland
Wilderness adventurer Audrey Sutherland shares her Molokaʻi adventures in her memoir, “Paddling My Own Canoe.” She embraced the philosophy, “Go simple, go solo, go now,” as she pursued her goals.
In the late 1950s, she defied societal norms and broke down gender barriers by kayaking and swimming the treacherous Molokaʻi channels.
You can find a copy from Da Shop Books + Curiosities here.
7.“Surfing Sisterhood Hawaiʻi” by Mindy Pennybacker
Local writer Mindy Pennybacker shares legends, historical accounts and interviews with modern female waveriders in “Surfing Sisterhood Hawaiʻi.” She explores how female surfers have long been pushed to the margins in a male-dominated industry.
Surfers from Hawaiʻi —including five-time world champ and Olympic-gold medalist Carissa Moore—are making their own waves in the sport. In 2022, local surfer Moana Jones Wong won the first women’s World Surf League Championship Tour event at Banzai Pipeline. Until 2022, the WSL didn’t hold a women’s event at the break, deeming it too dangerous for female competition.
This book celebrates the women who are taking the sport to new levels while creating a more welcoming culture and preserving surf tradition in the Islands.
You can find a copy from Da Shop Books + Curiosities here.
Grace Maeda is the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.
