Lost Generations: A Boy, a School, a Princess

By J. Arthur Rath

Book Overview

"I learned who I was ... at Kamehameha."

In 1944, J. Arthur Rath, a part-Hawaiian boy from a broken home, entered the Kamehameha School for Boys as an eighth-grade boarder. Thus began Rath's love affair with an institution that he credits with turning his life around, with giving him and other disadvantaged children of native ancestry--Hawai'i's "lost generations"--the confidence and support necessary to make something of themselves. This is the story of that love affair. It is also the story of Rath's recent battle, together with other alumni, for the integrity of his beloved Kamehameha against the school's trustees and their organization, the powerful Bishop Estate.

In a lively talk-story manner, Rath reminisces about campus life and his classmates, many of whom became lifelong friends and influential members of the Hawaiian community. Years later Rath, a successful retired businessman, would call on these same friends to hold Kamehameha's trustees accountable for their mismanagement of Bishop Estate's vast financial holdings and ultimately their failure to carry out founder Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's mandate to educate Hawaiian children. Rath draws on his many personal ties to the school and the estate to provide surprising revelations on the trustees and the "Bishop Estate Scandal," which made headlines daily throughout the mid-1990s.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824830105
• ISBN13: 9780824830106
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Engaging personal story of Paradise lost and redeemed

"Lost Generations" is a personal and engaging story of how the charitable mission of the Bishop Trust to provide educational opportunities to native Hawaiians was corrupted by political appointees and greed but redeemed by the perseverance and resolve of the graduates and friends of Kamehameha Schools. It is a grassroots thriller told in a conversational style of why the mission went awry and the determination of the Schools beneficiaries to save the mission.

Hawaii,,The islands the way we never knew them

A fascinating history/memoir. Charming, entertaining, and a revelation. It covers a side of life and the culture of Hawaii one would never know from the colorful images of TV, movies and tourist attractions. When Hawaii became the 51st state, it was heralded as a mirror of the world of the future. A true rainbow of races, cultures, etc. Mr. Rath's book tells a story of a life that saw little of this future judgement. It is charming in its details of one boy's life, the influence of the missionaries, the repression of the native culture and the power of the Bishop Estate--the good, the bad, and everything in between. Especially interesting were the stories of the Japanese attack and life during World War 2.

True Story Page Turner Thriller

From the foreword to the last page, this amazing true story is a page turner thriller. J. Arthur Rath's beautifully told personal tale intertwined with that of his classmates from Kamehameha Schools and the Bishop Estate scandal is a heart warming and equally wrenching story of reluctant heroes and unscrupulous villains. Although the events take place in Hawaii, the story and its conclusion are universal. The heroes of this book are proof that high integrity and strong personal conviction can overcome even the most overwhelming odds. In an era seemingly devoid of both, this book is a refreshing read.

Move over Lord of the Rings - Here come Pauahi and Oz

Pulitzer worthy non-fiction complete with heros, villans, true love and loves lost, family secrets, forgiveness, pride, and overflowing with the true spirit of Aloha! A book that quite simply will compel you to be the best person you can possibly be and to treat others as all should be treated. A true story that continues to live even in this week's headlines. The hero's are real. The history is amazing. Learn of old Hawai'i, new Hawai'i, and learn again how your heart sings out loud when good vanquishes evil and the common man rises quietly and with great dignity to do what is right. Princess Pauahi and Oz Stender - non-contemporary partners - committing all they have and all of their love for the children of Hawai'i, eternally! This book belongs in every household. Give it to a child and that child will grow to make you proud. Give it to an adult and you might change the world. Imua.