Page Turners

“A Sky Wonderful with Stars: 50 Years of Modern Astronomy on Maunakea”
By Michael J. West
University of Hawaii Press, $39.99

Just in time for the first international astronomers’ convention in Honolulu comes the release of a big book about the Mauna Kea telescopes. “A Sky Wonderful with Stars” by scientist Michael J. West previews the Thirty Meter Telescope, the construction of which has been delayed by Native Hawaiian protesters who believe it will desecrate a sacred mountain.

That sacredness shines through in photographs: Mauna Kea seen at sunrise above the clouds from Hilo Bay; Lake Waiau, a heart-shaped green alpine gem; Uu Wekiu, the summit, with a single sculpted curve in the snow. Photos taken through the telescopes show an eternally eventful universe: the birth, death and colorful silence of stars; the Horsehead Nebula swathed in crimson; sleek Saturn, stormy Jupiter and their moons. While astronomers will be stirred by the observatories, the shots of open mountain and sky, with West’s lyrical descriptions, will fill any reader with wonder and joy.

“Just Add Water: A Surfing Savant’s Journey with Asperger’s”
By Clay Marzo and Robert Yehling
Houghton Mifflin, $26

Since early childhood, Maui free-surf prodigy Clay Marzo felt awkward and hung-up on land. Withdrawn, intimidated by groups, he failed at school despite his family’s support. In the water, he was different: hyper-focused and fluent.

Of Marzo’s 10-hour sessions at Cloudbreak in Fiji, his idol Kelly Slater said, “And his last wave is just as good as his first.”

Sponsor Quiksilver was alarmed by Marzo’s perceived rudeness when he panned a pair of the company’s board shorts or left the dinner table to lie down with his earbuds on. Finally, at 18, a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome brought understanding and help.

“With Asperger’s, you have a lot more sense of feel with the one main thing you like to do, and my thing is surfing,” said Marzo, who starred in the award-winning 2008 documentary “Just Add Water” and today supports a charity for autistic youth.

Anyone who’s felt out of place or chased impractical dreams will appreciate Marzo’s book.

“Surf is Where You Find It”
By Gerry Lopez
Patagonia, $45

An updated edition of the 2008 memoir by “Mr. Pipeline” sports new galleries of gorgeous photos and seven additional chapters. Unlike too many celebrity athletes, Lopez can really write. With an ear for comic surf-speak that predates “Point Break,” he brings people, waves, scenes and whole eras to splashy life. So do photos of the teenage author and Rell Sunn at Ala Moana in 1965 and a mid-’70s beach lineup of local big-name surfers in short-shorts.

Fellow goofy-foot and wave-snaker Rory Russell razzes the famously laid-back-looking Lopez: Does he practice his moves in front of a mirror? Lopez stages his retort: Standing in a barrel while Russell watches, he combs his hair.

With cameos by “Uncle George” Downing, Miki Dora and other greats, plus rules such as “Don’t talk in the lineup unless you want to get caught inside,” Lopez’s book belongs in every surfer’s quiver.

Page Turners highlights books by Hawaii authors and books about Hawaii or of interest to Hawaii readers. To submit a book for consideration, send a copy and information to Features Department, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. Written by Mindy Pennybacker. For more information, email mpennybacker@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4772.