Bradford and De Naie Book Review
At each Buy Back the Beach benefit event, Hawai’i Land Trust recognizes a person, group, or organization who have had a substantial impact toward land conservation in Hawai‘i. In 2022, Susan L. Bradford and Lucienne de Naie were honored for their lifetime of advocacy and activism for conservation on Maui and for their roles in founding Maui Coastal Land Trust - Hawai’i Land Trust’s predecessor. Aside from learning about their extensive achievements, I have been able to indulge in their latest work as authors.
Susan L. Bradford’s memoir, View From the Crow’s Nest, takes the reader on her journey of self-discovery. Through her own heartbreaking experiences of loss and breakups and also finding herself involved in a world of activism at Berkeley, she searches for her purpose within her travels and troubles. What I found most impactful was Bradford’s own self-reflection to us at the end of the book where she states, “Maybe many of us lose our lodestar sometime in our lives. Perhaps feeling divorced from one’s true direction is teaching unto itself, and once we reorient, we often do so with renewed vigor and passion. I did”. As a high school senior, I find myself often questioning my future and passions as I head off into the uncertainties of college and life as an adult. Yet, reading this book made me feel reassured that even when my life feels stagnant and confusing, I will be able to find that sense of direction.
Lucienne de Naie’s Mā’alaea (co-written with Rita Goldman) explores the historical significance and untold stories of Mā’alaea in Maui, spanning all the way from 1400 AD to present day. I especially loved learning about the history surrounding Mā’alaea’s harbor as I got to understand the environmental effects of the harbor development in the 1940s, while also learning more about why the construction of the breakwaters was controversial. As an O’ahu resident who has yet to explore much of the beauty and history that the rest of the islands hold, this book served as a great source of understanding the little nuggets of land that deserves to be learnt about. In addition, the book includes many archival photos and maps, and even English translations for Hawaiian terms making it a book for everyone, not just Hawaiʻi residents, to read.
– Aimee Okagawa, HILT Communications Intern
