Tom Coffman’s recent biography of Edward Nakamura, I Respectfully Dissent, is enjoying great press in the Hawai‘i media. In addition to Richard Borreca’s piece “New book makes it clear why Nakamura mattered,” the Honolulu Star-Advertiser covered the book in a review by Dave Shapiro:

“If your idealism needs a reboot, read political historian Tom Coffman’s new book I Respectfully Dissent. . . . The book provides a history of the times as well as a biography of the man, following Nakamura through his service in the 442nd, his career as a top labor lawyer, his time as a University of Hawaii regent, his term on the Supreme Court and his ‘retirement’ years as perhaps the most influential critic of the Democratic revolution that had given way to greed and malfeasance. Nakamura was defined by personal modesty, an immense intellect, a true ethical compass and an unwavering belief in democracy in its broadest sense.” (Star-Advertiser subscribers can read the full review here.)

Honolulu Civil Beat’s Chad Blair calls the biography “reverently, warmly and revealingly told”:

“[I]t is a remarkable story. . . . What Coffman has done is to share Nakamura’s story in a fresh, instructive way that reminds Hawaii of, as Lincoln put it, the better angels of our nature. . . . Coffman makes history seem less distant and gives life to a man who may have been forgotten by many.” (Read the full review here.)

Legendary sax man Gabe Baltazar will be performing tonight (Friday, July 6, 6 pm) in the Hawai’i State Art Museum’s A Star-Studded Evening of Jazz. Baltazar will also be signing copies of his autobiography If It Swings, It’s Music:

“Open it on almost any page and it will be difficult to stop reading. Written in conversational style with assistance from music fan Theo Garneau, Baltazar’s book will appeal to several distinct audiences, including jazz fans and longtime Baltazar admirers. His stories of life here in the ’30s and ’40s will fascinate anyone with an interest in what things were like ‘back in the day,’ while another section of the book shares an insiders’ look at the national jazz scene of the ’50s and ’60s.” (Read the full Honolulu Pulse (Star-Advertiser) article here.)