When I heard the description of this book about a haole (white) girl growing up in a rural part of Hawaii, I knew I had to buy it. Instantly, I could relate to Toby’s childhood experiences with being bigger, taller, smarter, and whiter than basically everyone her age she encountered. Her experiences with bullying brought me back to memories of my own young life dealing with the same things. Toby’s raw description of her family’s dysfunctional home life and her desire to “get off the rock” were compelling and made for an engaging read.

The majority of the book takes place when the author, Toby, is very young. It is amazing how many formative experiences she is able to relate in this book that feels more like a series of vignettes than a true memoir. It makes a part of me wish that I had paid more attention to the things in my childhood that ended up shaping my growth. I know I had many similar experiences to Toby being a white kid who stood out in so many uncomfortable ways, but I can’t remember them in as great detail as Toby does in this book. If you want a glimpse into life as a haole in Hawaii (especially rural Hawaii), this book is the best I’ve found yet.

From selling mushrooms to a drug dealer, catching an octopus to feed her family, riding a raft pulled by a turtle, surfing naked, mothering her little sisters, and climbing trees to read and be alone, Toby’s adventures and misadventures in “Freckled” are well worth a read.

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Created Feb 23, 2020 at 10:11am • Submit your own review...