"No Makou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation," by Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a re-seeing of Hawaii history and the role of alii from an indigenous perspective, has won the Samuel M. Kamakau Award for book of the year, bestowed by the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association at its annual awards ceremony April 23.

The judges called Beamer’s book "one of those rare texts that could leave even the most jaded of readers feeling like a seemingly immovable tide might actually be turning."

"No Makou ka Mana" also won in the Hawaiian language, culture and history category, and received an honorable mention for nonfiction.

The winner in the nonfiction category was "Sovereign Sugar: Industry and Environment in Hawai‘i," by Carol A. McLennan. The judges cited the author’s "quality and depth of its research" and said the work is "important for what it reveals about the manipulation of the land, water, resources and people of Hawaii for the benefit of an elite."

A memoir, "The Red-headed Hawaiian," by Chris McKinney and Dr. Rudy Puana, won the top award for literature. The telling of Puana’s life story, from his Kahaluu childhood to medical school on the mainland and practice in Hilo, was "full of humor and determination … an inspiring tale of never giving up, never taking ‘no can’ for anything but a challenge to do better," the judges said.

Fifty books in all were nominated across 10 categories. For a full list of nominees, go to hawaiipublishers.org.

2015 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards

>> Samuel M. Kamakau Award: “No Makou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation,” by Kamanamaikalani Beamer (Kamehameha Publishing)
>> Children’s literature: “Honu and Hina: A Story of Coexistence,” by Patrick Ching and friends (Island Heritage Publishing)
>> Hawaiian language, culture and history: “No Makou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation.” Honorable mention: “North Shore Place Names: Kahuku to Ka‘ena,” by John R.K. Clark (University of Hawai‘i Press)
>> Literature: “The Red-headed Hawaiian,” by Chris McKinney and Dr. Rudy Puana (Mutual Publishing). Honorable mention: “The Sum of Breathing,” by Brenda Kwon (Bamboo Ridge Press)
>> Illustrative or photographic: “ ‘Io Lani: The Hawaiian Hawk,” photography by William S. Chillingworth (William Chillingworth). Honorable mention: “Hawaiian Plant Life: Vegetation and Flora,” by Robert J. Gustafson, Derral R. Herbst and Philip W. Rundel (UH Press)
>> Natural science: “Hawaiian Plant Life: Vegetation and Flora.” Honorable mention: “The Watersmart Garden: 100 Great Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape,” by Fred D. Rauch and Paul W. Weissich (UH Press)
>> Text or reference: “Tropical Pacific Island Environments,” by Christopher S. Lobban, Maria Schefter, Frank Camacho and John Jocson (Bess Press). Honorable mention: “Practical Folk Medicine of Hawaii,” by Likeke R. McBride (Petroglyph Press)
>> Cookbooks: “Ocean to Plate: Cooking Fish with Hawai‘i’s Kusuma Cooray,” by Kusuma Cooray (UH Press). Honorable mention: “A Portuguese Kitchen: Traditional Recipes With an Island Twist,” by Wanda A. Adams (Mutual)
>> Special interest: “Writing the Hawai‘i Memoir: Advice and Exercises to Help You Tell Your Story,” by Darien Gee (Watermark Publishing). Honorable mention: “The Hawaiian Survival Handbook,” by Brother Noland (Watermark)
>> Nonfiction: “Sovereign Sugar: Industry and Environment in Hawai‘i,” by Carol A. McLennan (UH Press). Honorable mention: “No Makou ka Mana: Liberating the Nation.”
>> Design: “He Puke No Na Pepe: Hawai‘i Baby Book,” by Paige Bradbury (Bess Press). Honorable mention: “The Hawaiian Survival Handbook,” design by Jen Tadaki Catanzariti (Watermark)