Coconut Ratz & Kung Fu Cowboys: Tales of a Pacific Islander's Childhood Paperback – November 20, 2018

This book is a wonderful review of the author's childhood in Micronesia.Would recommend for all ages.

I'm so happy this book got published. Thank you Jojo and Jim. I actually read the book a few months ago, then left for a trip and forgot to do this review. So, first, full disclosure both Jojo and Jim are friends. And more disclosure, I had no clue about most of the childhood Jojo related; I didn't know about or recall Typhoon Pamela, an epic event in the life of Jojo and his island home. When I met Jojo, in the early 2000s, we immediately connected as wheelchair users and advocates. I learned an amazing amount about Micronesia, Chuuk and life in the Pacific from Jojo. But as I found out when I read the book, not a lot about his amazing early life. There are a lot of reasons to read this book: Jojo is a persistent advocate, from a culture where advocacy is not necessarily encouraged; few of us in the U.S. know much about the Pacific Islands culture, let alone what it's like to be from a tiny island then to have a spinal cord injury at a time when the majority of Pacific Islanders would have spent the rest of their lives after such an accident at home. Why Jojo didn't have this fate is a part of the story of this book. Jojo became a college student, and so much more. He is a legend in his time in his homeland. And there are good reasons for this. And kudos to Jim, too, for ensuring this story got published. I'm happy to know these 2 amazing individuals and even happier this book is here!

I loved this book. I teach on Guam and have ESL (English as a Second Language) students from Chuuk. As a requirement of a Pacific multi-cultural course that I took, I recently taught some simple lessons on Chuuk since most of my 1st and 2nd grade students are from Chuuk or are of Chuukese ancestry. I bought a Kindle version of Chuukese legends and illustrated the simplest one since the book had no illustrations. Then Amazon suggested "Coconut Ratz & Kung Fu Cowboys: Tales of a Pacific Islander's Childhood." While honestly acknowledging Chuuk's severe economic poverty and hardships, he shared his rich cultural and family experiences, his boyhood adventures and mishaps as well as humorous episodes. His account filled in a lot of gaps in my limited knowledge about Chuuk that I have learned about from my young students. I also rejoiced to hear of all his positive relationships with the Catholic priests. We currently have the revered Jesuit priest, Fr. Fran Hezel, S.J. on Guam who is mentioned in the book. It's wonderful the author's family and priests encouraged him to achieve educationally, even and especially after an accident in his teens resulted in the author becoming severely disabled. That the author had a hard yet idyllic childhood and then a disabling condition and was able to overcome all obstacles is truly an inspiration. I wish my young 1st and 2nd grade students could read this book, be inspired and aim high.

JoJo Peter's story starts off quietly with his upbringing in the outer islands of Chuuk. But eventually the story becomes one of a young man dealing with becoming a paraplegic--a pretty dramatic turn! That his disability opens him up to the modern western world via Hawaii only makes the story more interesting. This is a good book for anyone in disability studies, including healthcare workers who work with Micronesians. Jojo Peter's story is, I imagine, the story of many Micronesian and Marshallese who find themselves in urban Hawaii for healthcare. The book is made all the more poignant given that it was published at about the same as Dr. Peter's untimely death in 2019.

Dr. Peter’s book is well written and fun to read with a message of determination and resilience. As I read the book, I felt as if I could see the coral reefs of Etall and the old Japanese buildings of Xavier High School. I could feel the wrath of his Papa when he was in trouble and the love they shared on their fishing trips.This is a story of coming of age from the eyes of a young boy whose only experience beyond his island of 500 people was limited to cowboy and kung-fu movies. His adventures of discovering a new world away from his family at boarding school in Chuuk, and the bonding of new friends, left me with a desire to keep turning the pages.After his accident, the story becomes a study of cultural attitudes towards people with disabilities and the systemic barriers of assimilation and acceptance in the U.S. and Micronesian Islands. Peter’s ability to meet these challenges and achieve things people thought he could not do is inspirational.This book is an excellent choice for anybody who is looking for inspiration in dealing with hardship and life’s struggles. Coconut Ratz & Kung Fu Cowboys is suitable for readers who wish to learn more about life in the outer islands of Micronesia. It also provides an exploration of the social bonds and the meaning of family and friends. Of course, this is a must read for people with disabilities or those who provide services to the disabled.

This collection of short stories and memories gives the reader a great view of growing up on an outer island and transitioning to a main island and then to Hawaii. It’s a path rarely understood or contemplated by outsiders. All of this while dealing with a life altering accident in high school that kept the author wheelchair bound. Through his life trials and tribulations, the author became a leading figure in representing the people of Micronesia for their rights as citizens and humans in the islands, Hawaii and abroad. RIP JoJo

I purchased this for my Dad for Father's Day and he loved it. He is very well read and is quite snobby about books so I take his opinion about the book very accurately. Evidently it is well worth the read.

Couldn't put it down until I finished reading.