Every Grain of Rice: Portraits of Maui's Japanese Community

A Ka Palapala Po'okela Award of Excellence winner, Every Grain of Rice tells the story of Maui's Japanese community, from the arrival of plantation workers in the mid-1800's, to the years following World War II - when the courage and sacrifice of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry, proved on the battlefields of Europe, helped to break down the barriers of social injustice at home.

Here are individuals and families whose lives made a difference, and whose stories, wherever possible, have been told in their own words, and in recollections handed down to their children and grandchildren.

It would take a work many times larger than this to capture the myriad stories still waiting to be told, the lives, famous and obscure, deserving of recognition. Consider this a beginning, a reminder that every life story is important, and pass your own family stories along.