Blue Skin of the Sea (Paperback)

~ Graham Salisbury (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Eleven interlinked stories tell the tale of Sonny Mendoza--a boy coming of age in a Hawaiian fishing village. Sonny is a little different from the rest of the men in his family--not as brave, perhaps too sensitive. What do you do if your biggest fear surrounds you? Indeed, what if that which you fear brings life (and death) to those you love? It's the sea itself that fills Sonny with dread. In wrestling with its powerful force, though, he just might reach the doorway to adulthood. Graham Salisbury's luscious, well-crafted prose will haunt and delight the mind long after the last page is turned. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This first novel, which takes place on Hawaii between 1953 and 1966, strings together a collection of short stories to form a rare and exquisite narrative necklace. At its center sits Sonny Mendoza, descendant of Portuguese fishermen living in the tiny village of Kailua-Kona. As the book begins, he lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin Keo, since his widowed father is too busy to look after a young son. The unifying thread running through Sonny's youth is his inexplicable fear of the sea, which is finally resolved when he confronts a buried memory of near-drowning. Learning to swim, seeing death firsthand, exchanging a short-lived but passionate series of love letters, facing a bully--Sonny's adventures defy encapsulation without sounding diminished. The incidents together, however, create an extraordinary mood, distilling the most powerful and universal experiences of adolescence. Salisbury's focus and control in presenting events that punctuate young lives is reminiscent of Margaret Mahy, Cynthia Voigt and Jill Paton Walsh--but with a boyish twist that seems particularly timely given the popularity of current titles on masculinity. Salisbury draws on his own youth in the Hawaiian islands to locate these seminal moments in a landscape that, even as the action progresses, disappears in the face of encroaching resort development. While the exotic setting and rites of passage may remind readers of Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John , Salisbury writes in a less rarified style. His fluid, unobtrusive command of language never soars above the intended audience: "She looked exactly like the old pictures of Hawaiian queens, tall and wide, draped in full-length muumuus, with huge bare feet tough as coconut husks." Salisbury's notable debut is sure to garner him many fans who will eagerly await forthcoming works. Ages 10-up. (June) .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (May 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440219051
• ISBN-13: 978-0440219057
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #430,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars removes the myth that young adult books are not worthy lit, July 30, 1998

By A Customer

Graham Salisbury's book, "Blue Skin of the Sea" is an intriguing account of the life of Sonny Mandoza and his cousin, Keo. It has received many awards in the young adult literature category, but is such an exquisite book that it could be taught on the college level. The book contains many mythological archetypes and could easily be applied to what Joseph Campbell called the "monomyth". This book dispells all inclinations that young adult literature is not worthy literature for adults. Young adults will appreciate the story in the way it relates to them and the things they are facing in their lives, but adults can appreciate the story for the peice of literary art that it is. This is one book that in one night will transport you to the islands of the pacific and engulf you with the culture. Through reading this, you will find yourself coming in contact with your childhood fears and overcoming them with "adult" insight. Read the book. ! Read it to your kids. Be fascinated.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue Skin of the Sea, September 26, 2003

By	Sam Wetstone (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Skin of the Sea (Library Binding)

The book Blue Skin of the sea is a great book. ... This book is about a young Hawaiian boy who grew up on the ocean but does not like it. Sonny goes through many obstacles, which include meeting mean people, being made fun of, and losing a girlfriend. During the book you hear about Sonny's whole family including his mother who just had passed away. "Don't ever do that again", this was a quote that Sonny always remembered but never knew who said it and why. Overall this was a very well written novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars youll see, May 30, 2004

A Kid's Review

Blue skin of the sea is the best book i have read that involved things that actually happened to me when i was there. like in chapter 10 when rudy was calling sonnie "fah-king haole sheshe pants" I definatly related to that because not only was Rudy doing thatto sonnie but to me to and all the other haoles in the world not trying to be racists. i gotta hand it to sonnie boy because i would never get in to a fight with anyone for a stinken girl just for speech