THE WORLD IS AFLAME WITH POLARIZATION AND VIOLENCE—in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and now Minneapolis, which is having its own “Mauna Kea moment” of nonviolent protesters risking arrest against armed government forces. All this amplifies the timeliness of my nationally award-winning novel Mauna Kea and makes its themes more urgent than ever:
Finding courage in the face of adversity.
Forging hope amid disillusionment.
Facing personal and societal truths honestly.
Confronting the sorrow and fear that often underpin anger and hostility.
And the transformational power of aloha in an age of polarization and violence.
That the backstory of the contemporary tale takes place in Minnesota—including poignant references to that state’s progressive heritage—only adds to the novel’s current relevance. In fact, those chapters will help readers better understand why so many Minnesotans are standing firm in defense of their community during this frigid winter of 2026.
Indeed, as many readers have told me, the novel provides solace—and real hope—in these stormy times. The story, at a deeper level, is about much more than just the telescope controversy on Mauna Kea and the conflict over Hawaiʻi’s post-statehood militarization (including the controversial Pohakuloa military compound just below the mauna).
By telling a tale that illuminates those perpetually hot (and widely reported) topics, the deeper themes at the heart of the novel are revealed.
The novel’s themes and relevance garner national literary recognition
Perhaps this is why Mauna Kea has received national honors, including a Nautilus Gold Award for Fiction. Founded in 1998, the prestigious Nautilus Awards are given to “better books for a better world,” to “honor books that support conscious living & green values, wellness, social change & social justice, and spiritual growth.”
Previous Nautilus Award winners include Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Julia Cameron, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thom Harmann, Amy Goodman, and the 14th Dalai Lama, among others.
The novel also received three honors from the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Awards, including being shortlisted as a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize — the highest honor in their panoply of annual awards. The novel also received an Honorable Mention in the Hoffer General Fiction category, as well as being a da Vinci Eye Finalist for the book’s stunning cover art and design.
LITERARY HONORS AWARDED TO MAUNA KEA: A NOVEL OF HAWAIʻI:
WINNER: 2024 Nautilus Gold Award for Fiction (small press fiction category)
FINALIST: 2024 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize
HONORABLE MENTION: 2024 Eric Hoffer Award for Fiction (general/mainstream fiction category)
FINALIST: 2024 Eric Hoffer da Vinci Eye Award (for best cover art and design)
Reviewers recognize ‘Mauna Kea’ as more than just a good read about Hawaiʻi . . .
“In this age of countless battles, whether over indigenous resources in the Americas or territory in Ukraine, here’s a novel that offers a deeper way to think about conflict, a hopeful book sorely needed in these often-disheartening times.”
Michael Osmera PhD, retired cultural anthropologist from Linfield University in Oregon
Michael Osmera PhD
Susan Najita
“In the world we live in, one in which social struggle is our only hope for a new world, Peek’s novel provides a timely and new vision about what is at stake in the struggle: nothing less than how to sustain relationships across and in spite of the kinds of differences too often used to justify all manner of violence through colonization.”
Susan Najita, University of Michigan Associate Professor of Literature and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies
“A compelling, entertaining story that encompasses ancient Hawaiian concepts and American thought patterns. The authentic characters are perfect. It’s a Hawaiian cultural primer, a gift that lifts the spirits high! ʻIolanaʻoe! (You soar like a hawk!)”
Kaluna West, Native Hawaiian artist, educator, and former Kahoʻolawe activist
Kaluna West
Mary Porter Kerns
“A compelling story that drew me into the power of the spirit of Aloha . . . This novel draws many threads of our modern world and juxtaposes them with Native Hawaiian traditions and beliefs in a compelling way. A page-turner I couldn’t put down that also fed my spirit and gave me hope.”
Mary Porter Kerns, Substack blogger and author of The Flowers Are Speaking oracle cards
“This novel is medicine for the world.”
Arnie Kotler, editor of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peace Is Every Step
Arnie Kotler
Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawaiʻi is available at bookstores and online and in all e-book formats.
Mauna Kea kiaʻi (mountain protectors) at their 2019 roadblock, guarding their sacred mauna from further desecration. Here they honor the mountain at the start of a day that would bring a flood of armed riot police to break up their gathering and arrest 34 revered elders who nonviolently refused to budge from the road. After many months, state officials finally withdrew the police, a victory for nonviolent civil disobedience and aloha heralded by people all across the globe. (Photo by Tom Peek)
