The Love Life of MICHELLE WIE?
December 01, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Entertainment News
Is the Korean American girl who falls in love with the narrator in the novel PUNAHOU BLUES based on the real lifeMichelle Wie?
Is the Love Life of Michelle Wie exposed in this highly acclaimed Hawaiian novel?
"It's purely coincidental Jeff's love interest goes to the same school as Michelle Wie and also happens to be Korean American," says author Kirby Wright.
Still, the similarites between Michelle Wie and Laura Kwon are uncanny. Besides being Korean Americans and Punahou students, both are star athletes, brainy, sexy, and super achievers in a highly competitive Honolulu high school. Here's more on Laura from PUNAHOU BLUES:
She wore sleeveless dresses with Mandarin collars and her hair fell like a shiny black river down to her waist. She had a jade bracelet set in gold around her wrist. Whenever she walked, she held out her shoulders like wings and that made me think she would do great things with her life. She was a sprinter on the girls' track team and had smashed Hawaii State records for the 100-yard dash and the 440. Her independent nature sent the message that not only could she survive not being popular, but that she preferred it. She usually had a wry smile on her face whenever she walked through campus.
"Stuck up chick," said Coop.
Wesley nodded. "She needs it."
The Jocks didn’t like Laura because they were threatened by her record-breaking performances. Her aloofness made
her unpopular with the Surfers and the Druggies. The Brains didn’t like her competitive nature. Even boys at the rock bottom of the social totem pole considered her distant and unapproachable. The girls didn't like her much either. She'd run twice for class president and lost both times. But Laura wasn't concerned with the politics of popularity. She cultivated detachment while her peers pursued acceptance and approval. Failing didn't bother her—it just rolled off her like water.
PUNAHOU BLUES: a Hawaiian Novel
ISBN 0974106712