So You Want to Live in Hawaii [Paperback]

Toni Polancy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

Here's the first practical book about day-to-day life in Hawaii. A warts and wonders look at the jolts and joys of Paradise including 105 survival tips; 15 professions in search of workers now; charts,information and resource guides on schools, housing, business, retirement and even romance. Includes overview of life styles of each island. Over 100 photos and 16 pages of color photos. Concise and thorough, it's designed to help decide whether paradise is for you.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hawaii. Paradise. Gentle breezes, sunshine, coconuts and bananas falling into your lap, beautiful scenery, great recreational opportunities. All true (well, almost all), and all there for the tourist. But what about permanent residents? Polancy's guide is essential for anyone seriously contemplating relocation. A Kauai entrepreneur learned only after the fact that her home-operated business would be severely hampered by the limit of only one telephone line in her condo and the absence of home postal delivery, with a year-long wait for a P.O. box. While a military assignment can be considered a transfer to paradise, the financial realities, including higher rent, insurance, utilities, and food, may cause a plunge into personal bankruptcy. Polancy provides useful information on the pluses and minuses of each island, facilities for children, and such delights as tsunamis and hurricanes, rats, head lice, roaches, crime, and DUI penalties. Read this first if you're thinking of moving to paradise. Highly recommended for large public libraries.?Thomas K. Fry, Penrose Lib., Univ. of Denver
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Awesome! Polancy strips away many stereotypes and provides meaningul information and specific assistance without destroying the romance and opportunity that still is Hawaii. The book is a must for visitors and kama'aina alike. -- State Senator Sam Slom, director,Small Business Hawaii

It hs beena blessing to us to read such a resourceful book. The information gave us much insight into our possible move the islands. -- Sandra Schmidt, Malibu, California

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Publishing (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966625307
• ISBN-13: 978-0966625301
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Hawaii

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not for tourists, and no feel-good hit for new residents either..., February 22, 2006

By 

C. Diersen "sculptoratlarge" (Outside Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So You Want to Live in Hawaii: The Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands (Second Edition) (Paperback)

On its front cover, this book touts that it was the winner of an honorable mention "Ka Palapala Po'okela Award" from the Hawaii book publisher's assn. One can only assume that is because the judges for this award are tired of seeing so many malihini.

Read this book for the downside of moving to Hawaii. That's the only real reason to read it. DO NOT read this book if you're planning to visit the islands for a first (or even second) time, as it will make you nervous about the crime and resentment toward mainlanders that this book harps on over and over, and which you will probably never see as a tourist. Again, if you want to just enjoy a visit to the islands, buy a travel guide, NOT this book.

That said, if you are reading this book with the true intent of moving to Hawaii, you should still do so with a few things in mind. First of all, don't even bother reading this book if you're intent on moving to the islands and currently live in "Small Town USA." All the talk of high prices, general unfriendliness toward "haole," and crime will have you running, not walking away from your plans. Which might be a good thing, since the cost of living alone will be a major shock (Take a look at realtor.com for honolulu, or even kona and hilo before you entertain the first dream of moving to Hawaii).

If you live in a major metropolitan area (especially one with massively inflated housing, like LA or NYC) then reading between the lines in this book makes it seem a lot more reasonable. All the cautionary tales are put into a more realistic perspective by doing so. Even in this overstated book, how bad does the crime seem to me? Not very, considering I enjoy living outside LA, where crime is a much bigger problem (I work in San Bernardino, a town of 150k where 60 people were murdered last year). How unfriendly could your neighbors really be??? The book dwells on locals' unwillingness to accept new arrivals, but that's true anywhere! I've experienced it in a number of places. People in Wisconsin for example (where I lived for 4 years) harbor quite a hatred for people from Illinois. I moved there from outside Chicago, and learned to tell people that I was from Pittsburgh (true) so I wouldn't have to deal with their pre-concieved ideas about where I'd moved there from. Where I live now my neighbors are friendly but we don't spend a lot of time together, so unless my neighbors in Hawaii are throwing rocks at me and slashing my tires, who cares?

That's an exaggeration, of course, but my point is that the people I've met in Hawaii couldn't be bad neighbors. They're just too damn nice. There's bad people, crime, and discrimination everywhere. Your decision (and this book does help you understand some of the obstacles you'll face) will eventually come down to whether or not you're willing to accept the expense (primarily) and whether you'd like to face life's obstacles where you are now, or on an island where it's always spring or early summer, people live longer, strangers are ready to jump to your aid, and the culture requires you to leave the freeway pace behind.

104 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shows A Bit Of Truth, March 24, 2006

By 

Betty (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So You Want to Live in Hawaii (Paperback)

I've lived in Hawaii for almost four years as a young "haole" woman, and I have to say that at least the author tries to convey some truth about what it is like to live here, whether you believe the truth or not. If you're just visiting, you'll probably have no problems and have a ball. A tourist doesn't have the knowledge to tell others what it's really like to live here, so I'll attempt. Like all places, there is good and bad. The good is obvious, the beauty of the landscape and the ocean, the weather, and there are good people here. Economic concerns are a big factor, and unless you have a job lined up already or work for the government, be prepared to take a job or two in the service industry just to make ends meet. Many people have to work two jobs just to survive here, as the wages are low, and rent, food, gas and utilities are high, compared to most of the Mainland (not including New York and San Francisco, whose prices are offset by higher wages and more economic opportunities.) My boyfriend and I are both professionals, which doesn't matter here, because regardless of your skills or background, chances are you will end up working in the service industry in some regard for paltry wages. There are better opportunities, but they are hard to come by; perhaps you will luck out.

I don't find the folks here all that friendly in general, but you'll find that in a lot of places. There are racial tensions to be sure, although I wouldn't call it an everyday occurrence. I have known a few people who have been attacked at random, who were doing nothing other than just standing where there were. Do people get punched in the face just for being white in other places? Probably. The irony is that the people I knew who were attacked would be the first ones to stand up for the locals, because they know the history and the exploitation that is happening to the islands and have been contributors to various local causes. There's also racism against African Americans and others and plenty of homophobia (again, that you can find other places, too.) They're not fond of Canadians, either. These are just general trends I've noticed; I'm not stating that every local is like this, but it's enough to give one pause. It's pretty xenophobic all the way around.

There's also the seven million tourists that come here every year and the unchecked growth that doesn't bode well for retaining the islands' peace or beauty.

It comes down to what you want at this point in your life. If you don't mind what you do for a living and are willing to work very hard to be in a place that's warm and pretty and can shrug off occasional insult, then you may like it here. I have mixed feelings about my experience here. Hawaii's still lovely, but is fast becoming a crowded place for very rich people, leaving the rest of us to reconsider our options.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So you HAVE to move to Hawaii:, October 2, 2003

By 

J. Nehal "~ Jason ~" (Seven Hills, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So You Want to Live in Hawaii (Paperback)

This book is somewhat outdated in some regards. The housing section is definitely out of date. Expect to pay rents exceeding 3000 a month if you need space for a family and you want to live within 15 miles of 'Town'. The crime is bad as the book points out (lost my truck right before christmas) and the bugs and the groceries are about right. Read this book for very general things but for your lifes necessities do more research. I've been here a year and I like living here - it is beautiful - but it ain't no paradise.