The Tattoo
by Chris McKinney
On This Page
Description
Two prisoners form a bond in this "powerful" novel that reveals the darker side of Hawaii (Time Out Chicago). Ken Hideyoshi is the new guy in Halawa Correctional Institute. He's tough looking, a hard case. His cellmate is Cal--the mute tattoo artist of the prison who murdered his own wife. Ken, already inked with a gang symbol and a Japanese emblem, eventually asks Cal to create an elaborate tattoo on his back, in kanji script, of Musashi's Book of the Void. While he is being worked show more on, he tells Cal his life story. Motherless, he was raised by a distant father, a Vietnam War veteran, in the impoverished hinterlands. In his teen years he hung out with the native Hawaiian gangs and was drawn into the Hawaiian-Korean underworld of strip bars and massage parlors. As Cal's artistry takes shape on Ken's back, the story of Ken's life takes shape as well--a tale of hardship and abuse, ambition and proud samurai spirit, and, ultimately, his downfall, in this gritty novel about "the other Hawai'i, the one tourists never get to see" (Ian MacMillan). show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
A graphic but realistic representation of life beyond the "little grass shacks." It's rare to find a book that does justice to "pidgin English." Raw and gritty, it's an interesting read that English teachers sometimes suggest to their students in Hawaii. Recommended for older teens only.
I tried to get into the book but it just didn't hold my interest.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
11+ Works 333 Members
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Ken Hideyoshi; Cal
- Important places
- Halawa Correctional Institute
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 72
- Popularity
- 435,207
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
