Picture Bride, the debut novel from Mike Malaghan, chronicles the life of Haru, who flees from her life in in turn-of-the-century Japan to the unfamiliar islands of Hawai'i as a picture bride. There, she finds herself with a husband who doesn't want her and surrounded by a widespread distrust of Japanese immigrants. As Haru's marriage flourishes then falters, she emerges as a strong-minded community leader. Having once pledged to produce sons to fight for the emperor, she dedicates herself to raising American children loyal to the Stars and Stripes. From the shrines of Kyushu to the shores of Territorial Hawai'i, Picture Bride is the sweeping saga of Japanese immigrants who survived-and thrived-against great odds.

Meet author Mike Malaghan and learn about the real people, incidents and places that inspired this epic novel, the first of a planned trilogy, at his events on Oahu and the Big Island.

Plantation Doctor: A Memoir of Hawai'i is a look at Hawai'i's booming plantation era from the unique perspective of Dr. T. David Woo. The twelfth of sixteen children, whose father was one of the first Episcopalian ministers in Hawai'i, he left home at the age of fourteen to attend St. John's School in Shanghai, China. After earning his medical degree in 1935, he returned to his island of birth to become a "cowboy doctor" at Parker Ranch, physician for the Hakalau, Pepe'ekeo, Honomu and Onomea Plantations, and co-founder of the Hilo Medical Group-providing medical care for thousands of ranch hands, plantation workers and many other Big Island residents. Through rare photos, rich anecdotes in Dr. Woo's own words and detailed maps of Hakalau's ethnic camps, Plantation Doctor provides a fascinating look at the days when sugar cane was king.