Reader Around Town: Lee Tonouchi
Lee Tonouchi is one Hawaii-born writer and editor. Because of his strong advocacy for Pidgin, people like call him "Da Pidgin Guerrilla,” but his friends and fans just call him "Da Mastah of Comic Disastah." Also, he stay quite one performer – his goal always been for attract da kine new audiences to literature and, judging from da crowds he get, da bruddah been able for join da literary with da mainstream. Although he stay one educator at
What type of genre do you like to read for fun?
What book are you currently reading or have read most recently?
I wen jus pau reading The Magical Life of Long Tak Sam, which I guess is one combination of my favorite categories cuz it's one Asian American graphic novel. For people who cannot draw, but like make one graphic novel, dis one book dey should definitely check out.
What is your favorite children's book? Why?
Small kid time I used to like Encyclopedia Brown and da Five Minute Mystery series. Those books taught me how important it is for develop your powers of observation. Observation is one important skill for being one writer. I'd like for tink dat if I wuzn't one writer, maybe I'd be one detective.
Do you think that reading is important?
YEAH! If wuzn't for reading, den fo' why I writing?
How do you feel about the activity of reading aloud?
I see da performance aspect as one potential window to reaching new audiences for da literature. I had one faddah who told me his son absolutely refused to read. But da faddah took my book of Pidgin short stories, Da Word, and he started reading 'em to his boy. Da son wuz enjoying himself so much dat eventually he wanted for try reading da rest of da stories on his own. Da faddah wuz so grateful for my book. He said it opened up one whole new world for his boy who might oddahwise nevah would've discovered how reading can be one pleasurable experience.