Open Access for Broken Trust Book
News Release from Prof Randy Roth October 2, 2017
Thanks to support from University of Hawaii Press and Kamehameha Schools, the public now has free access to the bestselling book Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement & Political Manipulation at America’s Largest Charitable Trust.
Broken Trust chronicles scandal at Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate during the late 1990s, which involved all three branches of Hawaii’s government and attracted front-page coverage in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. CBS’s 60 Minutes called it, “the biggest story in Hawaii since Pearl Harbor.”
Local and national publications praised Broken Trust; Hawaii Book Publishers Association named it Book of the Year; and numerous high schools, colleges, and law schools have used Broken Trust in courses such as Modern Hawaiian History, Participation in Democracy, Trusts & Estates, Nonprofit Organizations, Federal Taxation, Fiduciary Administration, and Professional Responsibility.
The book’s surviving co-author, Randall Roth, explains in the open-access introduction that he and Judge Samuel P. King wrote Broken Trust to help protect the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. They assigned all royalties to local charities and donated thousands of copies to libraries and high schools. Source documents, legal issues, discussion questions, and lesson plans are available at www.BrokenTrustBook.com.
Roth added: “Judge King, would be delighted, as am I, that the current Kamehameha Schools trustees are supporting this open-access edition of Broken Trust.”
In Broken Trust’s open-access introduction, the Kamehameha Schools trustees express a desire to recognize and honor members of the Kamehameha Schools ohana who courageously stood up for the trust during the years of controversy. They also express pleasure that Broken Trust will be “openly available to students, today and in the future, so that the lessons learned might continue to make us healthier as an organization and as a community.”
The open-access introduction also includes this quote from the late Winona Beamer: “In Hawai‘i, we tend not to speak up, even when we know that something is wrong. Especially in the Hawaiian community, the common practice has long been to avoid confrontation at almost any cost. This approach does not serve us well in today’s world. We must learn to be good stewards of all that we have been given, and this sometimes requires that we take a stand. The way the Kamehameha ‘ohana rallied and worked together as a family to defend Princess Pauahi’s legacy says much about how to live effectively and righteously in a fast-changing world. It demonstrates the power of informed people unified by moral conviction, and should always be a source of pride and inspiration.”
Links to Broken Trust on popular platforms, and to download:
Additional quotes about Broken Trust from the new introduction:
“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; anda 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. The players in Broken Trust jump off the page.” —Christopher Quay, Exempt Organization Tax Review
“Broken Trust is rich in anthropological detail and spiced with characters and quotations that would comfortably populate a John Grisham novel. The authors are fearless and uncomplimentary when documenting the role and ethical quandaries of lawyers and judges.” —James Daw, Estates, Trusts & Pensions Journal
“Broken Trust reads like a political thriller with a whole assortment of characters straight out of a Tom Clancy novel and plot twists that are always unexpected. It was hard to put down. A great read!” —W. Scott Simon, author of The Prudent Investor
“I loved this book! It was like reading a thriller; I could not wait to find out what would happen next. Who would have thought that a book about a charitable trust could be so exciting? Some of thecharacters are truly unforgettable. I am still shaking my head at the fiduciary breaches and the conflicts of interest.” —Professor Mary LaFrance, University of Nevada School of Law
UH News: Best-selling Broken Trust book released in free online format