concrete raiNbow
A Novel by Jason Quinn
When—the crystal meth epidemic
In the late 1980s / early 1990s, Hawaii was ground zero for the crystal methamphetamines (meth) epidemic in America. Called by the locals as “ice” or “batu”, crystal meth wrecked havoc on the islands of Hawaii. You will not find a local family in Hawaii that did not experience the firsthand effects of crystal meth in the past 30+ years. The drug is still omnipresent today in Hawaii, but tourists are typically shielded from witnessing its tremendous affects on the islands.
where—oahu, Hawaii
From a bird’s eye view, Honolulu, Oahu, the only vast metropolis in Hawaii, seems like a mesmerizingly beautiful and cosmopolitan city. But just outside the million dollar condos and gated communities, are pockets of slums birthed from the crystal meth epidemic. These slums serve as fertile ground for the crystal meth dealers from the west side of Oahu that turned entire city blocks into tent cities populated by ice zombies.
Westside meth dealers in the 90’s on Oahu referred to Honolulu as the “Concrete Rainbow”.
who—byron & kimo
Concrete Rainbow focuses on Byron, an angry bi-racial fifteen-year-old poet, and Kimo, a native Hawaiian felon who is part crime boss, part philosopher. From a broken home in California, his father safely away in prison, Byron finds himself dropped in the poor and rugged west side of Oahu when his mother moves to Hawaii to remarry a local man. Along with his new local crew, a rebellious Byron assimilates to local island life and eagerly starts down a path of fighting and selling drugs.
Kimo, fresh off a fifteen-year prison stint, believes meeting Byron is no chance encounter. Kimo becomes Byron’s boss and mentor and teaches him hard, violent, and morally-questionable rules about life. As Byron gets caught deeper into Kimo’s criminal web, it becomes increasingly clear that there is something dark and dangerous inside of Byron. And he can’t control it.
Together, Kimo and Byron become entangled in a deadly power struggle involving Honolulu’s skin peddlers, illegal gambling houses, and meth dealers. As Kimo’s penchant for violence escalates, Byron slowly unravels under the pressures of Oahu’s criminal underworld and starts to realize that Kimo may be taking advantage of the dark violence living inside of him.
Chapter by chapter we journey with Byron through the breathtaking beauty of Hawaii's lush waterfalls and into the horror of the west side's tent city storm drains.
Ultimately, Kimo and Bryon are forced to confront each other and the inner demons that are eating them alive from within. Concrete Rainbow’s climax is a collision of unspeakable trauma and unfathomable violence.
how—audiobook, e-book, and print novel
Concrete Rainbow has been brought to you digital, print, and audio formats.
The audiobook is narrated by Jason Quinn who has leveraged his more than twenty years as a professional screen and stage actor and music producer / recorder when creating the profound storytelling of Concrete Rainbow in audio format. The central character Byron is a poet and the audiobook includes many instances of authentic and deeply impactful hip hop performances that nourishes the soul, questions the normal, and bobs the head. The audiobook includes musical performances by Grammy-nominated singer Yoza Allen, Po’okela award winning artist Maili Holck, Po’okela award winning artist Jonathan Sypert, Renowned local singers Gavin Vinta and Angelica Quinn, New York Hip Hop artist Mega Watt, with music Production by Music & Money from Los Angeles, Watts Ink in New York City and BlindSight Production in Hawaii..
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Performed by 7 time Po’okela award winner actor Jason Quinn with musical appearances by some of the best performers in Hawaii. It is an audible experience like you have never heard.
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Read it for free during promotions. Buy it for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
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Nothing is more powerful than the written word. This book will grace your shelves for years to come, or become the latest novel that you give to friends and family.
what—under the current
On the surface, the novel Concrete Rainbow is the coming-of-age story of a troubled boy caught up in the horrors of drugs and crime. But underneath, it is a meditative study of human behavior, the nuances of cultural identity, and the effects of trauma and abuse on children in a callous society.
Through Byron's poetry, humor, violence and gut-wrenching honesty, author Jason Quinn vividly describes the dark underbelly of Hawaii that tourists rarely see and, in the process, sheds light on the darkest parts within us all.