IZ

IZ depicts how a local Hawaiian boy rose to unrivaled celebrity on the strength of his one-in-a-million voice and a four-string ‘ukulele. It is a story about fame and celebrity and triumph over adversity, about a boy who rose from humble origins, overcame drugs, youth gangs, and the loss of his parents and his only brother to give hope to others. It is the story of a man who stood up for his people at a critical junction in Hawaiian history to demand justice and sovereignty and became the voice of a nation. It is the story of the Hawaiian singer who attracted a worldwide audience with a single song about a rainbow. Featuring many never-before-published photos and based on scores of personal interviews, articles and anecdotes from family, friends, recording artists and fans, this definitive chronicle examines the life and times of Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole, one of Hawai‘i’s greatest musicians. Author and travel writer Rick Carroll is a former daily journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He later covered Hawai‘i and the Pacific for United Press International with a Nikon and a notebook. Carroll’s other books include the Hawai‘i's Best Spooky Tales series and Hawai‘i: True Stories of the Island Spirit. After 20 years in Hawai‘i, Carroll and his wife Marcie live in a nearly 300-year-old seaport village on an island with no name near Cape Lookout, North Carolina.