Customer Reviews

So You Want to Live in Hawaii: The Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands (Second Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book is the model for what hopefully would be a book for every place. As a frequent traveler to Hawaii, I, too, can fantasize about living there. The book breaks down all the sorts of things people should think about in moving anywhere - What does it cost to live? What's the employment picture? What are the schools like? How much crime is there? What is it like to be retired there? What is it like to live on one island versus another?

This is a must read for anyone contemplating moving to Hawaii and is a tutorial for what anyone should think about before moving anywhere.

This is a really thorough compilation of information. Ms Polancy has done her homework. Like others, I found the book to be a bit negative, though, almost like the author was trying to convince her readers to look elsewhere for a place to live. The general ambiance of the book seemed to be well characterized by one reviewer, who said, "Hawaii's still lovely, but is fast becoming a crowded place for very rich people, leaving the rest of us to reconsider our options."

This reviewer, like Ms Polancy, speaks mainly about Maui and possibly Oahu. There is another option, where Aloha is still very much alive, people are friendly, employment opps abound and the whole Island is not on its way to being paved. It is covered in another book, "Affordable Paradise," that projects pretty much the opposite attitude from Polancy's book. Reviewers have said that they were disappointed in that it is mainly about the Big Island of Hawaii. Well, it's about "affordable" Hawaii, and that's the only part of Hawaii that still is affordable. Anyway, to read both books will give you a well-balanced view of the reality of living in Hawaii. The author of "Affordable Paradise" also devoted a whole chapter on reasons why not to move to Hawaii, pointing out that Hawaii is clearly not everyone's Paradise. We've seen enough recent transplants turn tail and return to the mainland to know that it's true.

Polancy's book includes lots of charts, statistics and other data you won't find in "Affordable Paradise."

If you add "Affordable Paradise" to your Hawaii collection, be sure to get the Third Edition. It has a lot more info and the real estate prices are fairly current.

This book covers all aspects of Hawaii and is an excellent general guide to the Islands. Two subjects that could have be covered in depth are the native customs, and where to say away from. Just like in any city there are places you should avoid...that is unless you like drugs, trouble, and prostitutes. Once you get there, you'll figure it out. If you are in the military, a few locals have a strong dislike of you, which is covered in the book. For the most part the Hawaiian people are the sweetest people I have ever encountered. I highly recommend this book.

I am reviewing this book after also having read Affordable Paradise, and How To Live in Hawaii on $1,000 a month. Of the three, So You Want To Live in Hawaii is the best, since it provides the most even-handed review of Hawaii, although mainly from an Oahu perspective. Also I feel that this book is geared more towards people buying a home on Oahu rather than renting an apartment. If you want to move to Lanai, Molokai, Maui, or Kauai, this book will contain some helpful pointers, but will generally be of less use to you since the author only devotes a small portion of this book specifically to these islands, though it is more space than any of the books I mentioned above give. Of all of the books on moving to Hawaii that I have read, this one gives the best discussion of reasons not to move to Hawaii, although it could be more detailed and throrough in this regard. For instance it makes no mention of seismic activity on the islands (particularly in the Big Island) or the fact that there are many fault lines around the islands. I have to applaud the author for mentioning tsunamis and hurricanes, as well as insect problems, although I wish there was more than just a few anecdotal accounts regarding these aspects. In summary, this is a fine book if you are considering moving to Oahu. I think a more appropriate title would have been, So You Want to Live in Oahu.

We bought this book about 2 months before we moved to Oahu in July of 2002. It gave us info on some things like the 3 inch flying cockroaches, and the information about crime statistics (yes car theft is high, and yes our Jeep Cherokee was stolen within 6 months of moving here so I guess that was accurate). But many of the things in this book I had already come across on other sites and through other sources (but then again I did a lot of research before our move).

The book is a few years old now and some things seem to need updated, that might be part of the problem. Food costs are similar to those listed in the book but information on housing is very misleading as the prices have skyrocketed.

I still recommend it to anyone considering moving here because it is so far the only book I've seen with a fair amount of information on the negative side of living here. I do enjoy living here but it's not all paradise.

After visiting Hawaii a couple of times, this book helps you look at the facts of life in Hawaii and not just the things you see as a tourist. I found the cost guide for moving expenses very helpful along with the names and phones numbers to use. I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of moving to the Hawaiian Islands and until I actually get to move, it helps me dream of the day go.

If you've ever wanted to move to Hawai'i, this is THE book to read. It gives basic information about each island plus the most valuable - but seldom printed - negatives...past the "it's expensive" excuse. The reviews of each island separately assists you in deciding which island, exactly, you'd be most comfortable. It also gives you what types of businesses are prominent for each island, the MANDATORY quarantine of pets information as well as excerpts from people who have "been there, done that". An excellent resource guide!