Rosana Pinheiro-Machado Livres

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.

Exploring the interplay between global intellectual property discourse and national responses, this book examines how nation-states either resist or endorse the framing of piracy as a crime. It delves into the implications of these actions on everyday life, highlighting the tension between global norms and local interpretations. Through this lens, the text reveals the complexities of how intellectual property affects societal organization and individual experiences across different cultures.