Broken Trust - (Latitude 20 Books (Paperback)) by Samuel P King & Randall W Roth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was the largest landowner and richest woman in the Hawaiian kingdom. Upon her death in 1884, she entrusted her property--known as Bishop Estate--to five trustees in order to create and maintain an institution that would benefit the children of Hawai'i: Kamehameha Schools. A century later, Bishop Estate controlled nearly one out of every nine acres in the state, a concentration of private land ownership rarely seen anywhere in the world. Then in August 1997 the unthinkable happened: Four revered kupuna (native Hawaiian elders) and a professor of trust-law publicly charged Bishop Estate trustees with gross incompetence and massive trust abuse. Entitled "Broken Trust," the statement provided devastating details of rigged appointments, violated trusts, cynical manipulation of the trust's beneficiaries, and the shameful involvement of many of Hawai'i's powerful.

No one is better qualified to examine the events and personalities surrounding the scandal than two of the original "Broken Trust" authors. Their comprehensive account together with historical background, brings to light information that has never before been made public, including accounts of secret meetings and communications involving Supreme Court justices.

Review Quotes

Broken Trust is worth reading alone for its examination of changing understandings of Hawaiian persons and their place in an emerging American state through decisions about the shape of Hawaiian education, a penetrating cultural history of Hawai'i's society. . . . [It] should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the legacy of the interdependence of Hawai'i's educational, legislative, judicial and corporate institutions. King and Roth are at their best when laying out how trustees' constituting decisions once yielded lasting institutional tendencies, with unanticipated effects over subsequent generations.--Alexander Mawyer "Pacific Affairs, 79:3 (Fall 2006)"

While many other books of its kind pay marginal attention to character exposition, the players in Broken Trust jump off the page. . . . What makes Broken Trust so fascinating is that it works on multiple levels. It's a well researched book about Hawaii's history and culture; a dramatic story of judicial, political, and corporate corruption; and a cautionary tale for acting or future charitable trust board members on everything you shouldn't do if you want to respect your organization's mission and ensure the public's trust.--Christopher Quay "The Exempt Organization Tax Review, 52:3 (June 2006)"

Almost certainly Hawaii's book of the year, a morality tale for each and every one of us.-- "Spirit of Aloha"