Roads of Oku: Journeys in the Heartland is a collection of seven essays on Japanese history, culture, and literature, based on the author's research and travels in his ancestral homeland. Pat Matsueda writes in her review, It's a revelation and a pleasure to travel with Kawaharada on his journey from Hawaii to homeland and heartland. (Literary, personal pilgrimage comes to life in new book, Pat Matsueda, Honolulu Star Advertiser, May 10, 2015). Excerpts from Matsueda's review: After summarizing how his grandparents immigrated to Hawai'i from Japan], were affected by World War II and...

From a review of by Ragnar Carlson, Honolulu Weekly, Vol. 9, June 8-14, 2005: In this collection, Dennis Kawaharada, a noted chronicler of native Hawaiian literature, explores the historical and contemporary terrain of his beloved Hawai'i. From a memoir of boyhood days in Kane'ohe to a travelogue from a recent expedition to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, each of these essays weaves Kawaharada's experience into something larger, creating a remarkable tapestry of cultural, personal and natural history. Kawaharada is a gifted essayist--in his hands, the book's title piece becomes in equal parts...