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Local: A Memoir Hardcover – January 1, 2023

by Jessica Machado (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,367 ratings
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A powerful, lush memoir about a Hawaiian woman who ran away from paradise to discover who she is and where she belongs.

Born and raised in Hawai‘i by a father whose ancestors are indigenous to the land and a mother from the American South, Jessica Machado wrestles with what it means to be “local.” Feeling separate from the history and tenets of Hawaiian culture that have been buried under the continental imports of malls and MTV, Jessica often sees her homeland reflected back to her from the tourist perspective―as an uncomplicated paradise. Her existence, however, feels far from that ideal. Balancing her parents’ divorce, an ailing mother, and growing anxiety, Jessica rebels. She moves to Los Angeles, convinced she’ll leave her complicated family behind and define herself. Instead, her isolation only becomes more severe, and her dying mother follows her to California. For Jessica, the only way to escape is a reckless downward spiral.

Interwoven with a rich and nuanced exploration of Hawaiian history and traditions, Local is a personal and moving narrative about family, grief, and reconnecting to the land she tried to leave behind.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    236 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Little A
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1542027322
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1542027328
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. Mana wahine is the understanding that women hold a multitude of skills and knowledge; they are resilient; they are a spiritual force. And they are strongest when they support each other.
    Highlighted by 227 Kindle readers
  2. Before Western contact, up to a million Kānaka Maoli were believed to live in the islands; a century later, only fifty thousand remained.
    Highlighted by 95 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

"...a luminous coming-of-age portrait" - Publishers Weekly

"...a book that shatters the colonial gaze too often cast on the Pacific." -T. Kira Madden

Necessary reading for anyone who has ever wanted to understand Hawaii, their families, or themselves

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] memoir about loneliness, loss, and finding a cultural identity…[that] gorgeously portray[s] the complexity of Machado’s spiral into despair…Machado’s rich descriptions and frank voice make the book worth reading.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Machado movingly excavates notions of identity, family, and Native culture in her debut, a memoir…[Her] narrative hums with raw emotion...Her depiction of Hawaii is far from the carefree paradise shaped by tourists and Western colonialism and instead offers a sharp consideration of class distinctions and the islands’ history. The result is a luminous coming-of-age portrait.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Mixing in Hawaiian history and folklore throughout her memoir, Machado offers a heady and enticing read.” ―Booklist

“At long last, a book that shatters the colonial gaze too often cast on the Pacific; here, Jessica Machado brings the islands to life with incendiary dynamism and pitch-perfect prose. A mesmerizing portrait of a woman, her ‘ohana, and the ancestral knowledge deep within ― I never wanted this to end. Local is an unforgettable debut and a triumph for Kanaka and APIA literature.” ―T. Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of the Fatherless Girls

“Machado is a ferociously talented writer who blends insight, compassion, history, and love into this breathtaking story of home, family, and belonging. This book is necessary reading for anyone who has ever wanted to understand Hawai’i, their families, or themselves.” ―Lyz Lenz, author of Belabored

“A deeply moving memoir about navigating pain―both personal and systemic―through the complex history of Hawai’i. By revealing her own story, she also reveals the stories of the Kanaka, and the result is both heartbreaking and uplifting.” ―Samhita Mukhopadhyay, author of the forthcoming The Myth of Making It

About the Author

Jessica Machado is an editor at NBC News. Previously, she was a staff editor at Vox, the Daily Dot, and Rolling Stone. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Cut, BuzzFeed, Vice, and Elle, among others. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit www.jessica-machado.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little A (January 1, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 236 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1542027322
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1542027328
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,367 ratings

About the author

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Jessica Machado

Jessica Machado

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Jessica Machado is an editor at NBC News. Previously, she was a staff editor at Vox, the Daily Dot, and Rolling Stone. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Cut, BuzzFeed, Vice, and Elle, among others. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, visit www.jessica-machado.com.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
1,367 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ALLshop
4.0 out of 5 stars Raw and heartbreaking
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
The author is a good writer, which is one reason I found parts of this book hard to read. She does not shy away from sharing many sad, ugly, violent, and troubling experiences, as well as taking on the tragic treatment of the indigenous Hawaiians (and to a lesser extent other immigrant groups). It reads as very truthful and open, but also so sad and for most of the book rather hopeless. Not for the faint of heart! It's a book I can say is a story well told, but not necessarily that I enjoyed reading. Rather remarkable for the author to not only have survived her young adulthood, but thrived!
7 people found this helpful
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White Cloud
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt and relatable
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
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I couldn’t put the book down. Such a beautiful and vulnerable story. I devoured the book in one sitting. .
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Kūlia m.
3.0 out of 5 stars whoʻs the audience?
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
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The book is well written, and well paced other than the Hawaiian history interludes that bog it down. The author knows nothing about her Hawaiian genealogy, yet somehow it becomes, in addition to her mother, a reason (justification?) for her anger and dysfunctional behavior. She cites well-known and well-respected Native Hawaiian intellectuals and authors. Learning history from books and university academics but no offering personal experience about growing up with cultural practices explains why her history lessons are so empty. How is exploiting her Hawaiian ancestry to legitimize herself to a non Hawaiian audience who wonʻt question her authority different from what the colonizers have done? My friends who knew her mother vouch for her being beloved by her students, and so sorry she turned off the charm when she got home to make her daughter so angry and self- destructive. I thought by the end of the book I would understand the source of her anger but I didnʻt. She had an entitled upbringing with all the love and material things she could ask for including an education at one of the best private schools in the state, Christian or otherwise. Whereʻs the beef? Glad for her that she turned out so successfully.
7 people found this helpful
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jodiann d.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
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It was refreshing. It had intrigue and also fascinating native stories. I also learnt so native words! I only wanted a little more on her life after her mom passed.
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Angie in Montana
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and intriguing book by a very talented author.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
This was my choice in the Prime Free book of the month, and I mostly chose it because I too spent some years in Hawaii and have always been enamored with it. I was passing through as a military brat, and I am about 17 years older than the author, but I love reading a fresh tale of the history and also the happenings in the years since I left there.
The author is a very skilled writer (English class in Hawaii didn't generally create great writers, and I can still remember telling my high school English teacher there that it wasn't actually Troy that captured Helen and took her to Paris!) and that was immediately apparent as I started reading last night. I was amused when I discovered how she'd been raised with proper English in a state where that was rare!
I've not yet finished the whole book, but I will tonight, and I'm immensely enjoying it. The snippets of life, of history, and the skill with which they're woven together has me in love with the book, and eager to pass along a well-earned 5-star review. Thank you, for the sentimental journey through what was once my home, and for the added insights that I'd not seen before. I'm sure this book will succeed!
12 people found this helpful
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M Habrych
2.0 out of 5 stars It's like reading a story without a point
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2023
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I have read a lot of memoirs in the past year and a half. Unfortunately this one cannot stand up next to any of them. The author shares a lot about her past and a lot about Hawaiian culture and history, but it is disjointed. There are many missed opportunities for connections to help the reader follow along. This reads more like a diary mixed with a research paper. So many times I wanted the author to get to the point. And there were so many unnecessary details, especially regarding her drinking and sexual escapades. If there had been connections, it would have made sense, but it felt as if they were just there because they happened.
2 people found this helpful
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Goth Gone Grey
3.0 out of 5 stars Hawaii first, author second.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
And I'm quite ok with those proportions.

The sections on the language, culture, history, and quite frankly brutalization of Hawaii were interesting, graceful, and informative:

"Aloha is a very real, very powerful thing—a force of love and gratitude you can feel in the breeze, in the ocean, and as you bite into laulau made by a friend. In fact, aloha ‘āina, or love of the land, is at the heart of sovereignty. Aloha ‘āina is what guided Pele, Hi‘iaka, and the many other akua and mortal Kānaka who did not just play nice and allow things to happen, who instead stood up for the land. Aloha should be reserved for what gives you sustenance, what grounds you, what provides you with connection and healing. Unlike what the tourist industry would have you believe, aloha should not be watered down to a pleasantry granted to anyone who stumbles upon cheery Natives. It should not be equated to a blanket niceness. Niceness isn’t an effective solution for when situations get complicated or when the sacred gets disrespected."

The rest of the book is a mix of her life growing up into an angsty, often inebriated young woman amid divorced parents, step parents, and step siblings. It often makes it hard to have empathy for her situation, due to her actions. Do I see the parallels drawn between her and the timing for the scattered information about Hawaii? Yes. Am I completely unsympathetic? No, we were all young and foolish at one point.

She also uses the book to talk about her family history, including a secret her mother kept until she passed away. This feels uncomfortable and intrusive, and makes me very sad for her mother in ways I doubt the author intended.

I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this one, but that last part is deeply unsettling on so many levels...
97 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Dorma G.
2.0 out of 5 stars Much about Nothing
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
I found this book tedious. I expected to learn about Hawaii. I just read about a spoiled child who couldn't grow up. Her childhood was ordinary. Her post adolescence was mostly silly. Not a good read.
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