"Rick Bonus has provided us with important insights into what it might take to transform colleges and universities so that those who have been historically underserved can thrive in higher education. By placing the experiences of Pacific Islanders at the center of his analysis, Bonus brings incisive critique and profound authenticity to a subject that has bedeviled the efforts of educators for many years. For educators and others who seek to ensure that access to academia is available to marginalized and disadvantaged students, this book will be an eye-opener."
- Pedro A. Noguera, coeditor of (Race, Equity, and Education: Sixty Years from Brown) “In The Ocean in the School, Rick Bonus eloquently shows how indigenous and minority students mobilized against the colonialisms and racisms of higher education. With his focus on the Pacific Islander students of the University of Washington, he demonstrates how they forged a collective identity, protested administrative negligence, developed study groups, and conducted outreach programs. Clearly, Bonus brings much compassion, insight, and rigor to the interplay between Pacific Islander students, multiethnic coalitions, and public education. This book is thus essential reading for anybody who studies the decolonization of modern institutions.”
- Keith L. Camacho, author of (Sacred Men: Law, Torture, and Retribution in Guam) "A well-written depiction of a particular group of students within a particular institution, … the book is a worthwhile read for higher education administrators who are considering how to enact policies and programs that support marginalized students from a diverse range of backgrounds, as well as for educators and scholars who are considering questions of how to act in solidarity with students seeking to create meaningful learning experiences."
- Paulina Haduong (Harvard Educational Review) "A must-read for all aspiring and current university faculty, leaders, and staff who genuinely wish to decolonize their practices and model inclusive excellence at various levels for Pacific Islander students and others who are underrepresented at PWIs."
- Rachel Endo (Journal of Asian American Studies) "The Ocean in the School is a valuable resource for scholars working and researching in higher education and related fields. It champions Pacific Island students' success and initiatives in the face of rigid educational systems, and challenges universities and their faculty to do the hard work of true transformation to cultural responsiveness for them, and other minority students."
- Michelle Ladwig Williams (Pacific Affairs) “[The Ocean in the School] makes a much-needed intervention in the fields of multicultural education and American ethnic studies. It points to the need for institutions to go beyond the current rhetoric of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to tackle instead the hegemony of white supremacy. . . . This book [is] captivating and accessible.”
- Bader Alfarhan (Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology)
