Lawrence Fuchs set pace for books on isle politics

In March, Hawaii lost one of its best biographers, Lawrence Fuchs, who died at age 86 at his home in Canton, Mass.

The obituary focused on Fuchs as the founder of the Brandeis University’s American Studies Department and adviser to Presidents John Kennedy and Jimmy Carter, making only passing reference to Fuchs’ 1961 book called "Hawaii Pono."

The book was a cultural and ethnic exploration of Hawaii from the arrival of American missionaries to statehood in 1959. It looked at the relationships, ethnicities and motivations of the men and women who founded modern Hawaii.

When published, "Hawaii Pono" was political dynamite in Hawaii. Even Fuchs acknowledged in a 1983 preface to a paperback edition that it was a hot topic.

"Understandably, those who resisted change, many of whom loved Hawaii deeply, were angered by an analysis that showed their action to be guided not just by sincere devotion to Hawaii but also by self-interest," Fuchs wrote.

When I first started covering politics for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Tom Coffman was the newspaper’s Capitol bureau chief. His first recommendation was to buy a copy of "Hawaii Pono."

That was back in the 1970s. Covering the Legislature and City Hall when many of the characters in "Hawaii Pono" appeared in your news copy made you feel you were writing history.

Given what has happened since, are there new books we should be urging upon young reporters and those interested in Hawaii’s fascinating premise?

I asked Gov. Neil Abercrombie — who, like Fuchs, holds a doctorate in American studies — and our congressional delegation for recommendations. All responded except for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa all included Coffman’s first book, the 1972 discussion of the 1970 race for governor of Hawaii, "Catch a Wave."

"I don’t think there is any one book that captures the broad diversity of Hawaii or our political culture," Hirono wrote in an email, "but one of the first books I read when I got into Hawaii government was ‘Catch a Wave’ by Tom Coffman. It chronicles the political career of a great Hawaii governor, John Burns, and his legacy."

Hanabusa and Hirono, both attorneys, also recommended Coffman’s latest book "I Respectfully Dissent," the biography of Edward Nakamura, a labor lawyer and state Supreme Court justice.

"From my vantage point, it is the Eddie Nakamura book. That’s because of the labor component and the organizational structure of the Legislature," said Hanabusa in an email.

Schatz suggested "John A. Burns: The Man and His Times" by Dan Boylan and T. Michael Homes, and also "Land and Power: The Democratic Years," by George Cooper and Gavan Daws. Schatz cautioned that "there have been fewer seminal works in recent years."

Abercrombie agreed on the Burns book, but also had two other interesting suggestions.

The governor, a book lover and reader, could easily teach a course entitled "What you should read to know our state."

He suggested "Johnny Wilson: First Hawaiian Democrat" by Bob Krauss, which is a very approachable book about a fascinating, but now mostly forgotten, political leader.

The governor also urged readers to try "The Dream Begins: How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama" by Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris. The veteran local journalists came out with one of the first books about Obama and Hawaii; it is another good read.

"It is very interesting about Fuchs and Coffman and Hawaii politics," Abercrombie wrote in a note. "Has anything changed?

"Yes and no. Ethnicity has always counted, except when it didn’t," Abercrombie added.

Interestingly, there was no discussion of former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s autobiography, "Ben." Although it is about the feisty former governor, I would add it to the list because it also helps lift the veil on politics in Hawaii.

The best recommendation still is Coffman’s first suggestion: "Read ‘Hawaii Pono’" — now not so much for the names, but for the significance that our somewhat fragile state still holds for all.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.