New Samoa books

Have just been reading a couple of new books about Samoa that I thought might interest some of you.

The first is " Samoa: A historical novel." by J. Robert Shaffer. a huge book that is similar to Michner's Hawaii.....a novel but very much based on history. Very well done by a person that has lived in Samoa off and on over many years. Ithaca Press 2011

The other is another book by Lani Wendt Young. She wrote the wonderful non-fiction book gathering Tsunami in Samoa stories called "Galu Afi". She has now published a novel called" Telesa". Rather like a Twilight type story but set in Apia with Samoan culture and lifestyle. Not my usual read but this one is fasinating because it is set in Samoa. About a half Samoan girl returning to Samoa to discover her roots and finding out that her mother and now her are both Telesas......with wierd magical powers.....a love story included and a book that is wowing Samoan young women everywhere. There is a follow up one coming out soon.

Aloha