"Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero," by Stuart Coleman (MindRaising Press), 271 pages, hardcover, $24.95
Only a mainland haole could have written this book. Eddie Aikau has become such a powerful Hawaiian icon that the emotional, cultural and historical baggage would have immobilized a local writer trying to tell Eddie's remarkable tale. New book tells of a
heroic modern Hawaiian
Finding the real Eddie Aikau
By Greg Ambrose
Special to the Star-BulletinUnencumbered by such a burden, Stuart Coleman is able to approach the story with the beginner's mind of a Zen student, unclouded by any preconceptions.
Coleman's other attribute in tackling this daunting task is that he is a teacher, disciplined in seeking the truth from disparate sources.
It's mystifying how Coleman was able to perform his job as a teacher at Punahou and then Iolani and still exhaustively interview Aikau's rivals, relatives, friends and admirers, as well as research a spectrum of books and archives.
His thoroughness is evident throughout "Eddie Would Go," and his simple prose allows a clear and fascinating account of a special segment of Hawaii's recent past to emerge unobscured by the flashy and self-indulgent writing that seems so prevalent these days.
However, the title of the book, "Eddie Would Go," while reinforced by stickers placed strategically around the world, misses the heart of what made Eddie Aikau special.
He was a fearless lifeguard at Waimea Bay, but the state is blessed with other superb Hawaiian lifeguards. He was an indomitable big-wave rider who delighted in surfing waves that made sane surfers tremble, just like so many other Hawaiian surfers who gleefully seek out the most dangerous of the ocean's behemoths. Eddie was a soulful singer and guitarist in an archipelago of talented local musicians.
He was also a dedicated crew member of the traditional twin-hulled, open-ocean Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule'a, a distinction he shares with numerous Hawaiian voyagers on that vessel, and now the Hawai'iloa.
But after that fateful night in 1978 when the Hokule'a was tormented by an unexpected tempest in the Molokai Channel, Aikau was elevated to an unmatched level. When he set off from the foundering canoe the next morning, paddling his surfboard into the still-potent wind and waves, it wasn't a suicide mission. He had every expectation of reaching Lanai to find help to rescue the rest of the crew clinging to the Hokule'a.
It wasn't that Eddie would go, it was that Eddie wen' go that earned him a unique status that touches everyone who learns of his ultimate sacrifice.
It's a shame that ancient Hawaiians never developed a system of writing and that their oral tradition is unavailable to most people. There is no telling how many ancient Hawaiian heroes and heroines the world will never know about. Mahalo to Coleman for gifting everyone with a splendid tale of a heroic modern Hawaiian.
Stuart Coleman will be doing book signings in Southern California on the following dates: Wanna go?
>> Tuesday: Duke's Restaurant, Malibu
>> Wednesday: Kelly Slater Boardriders Club, Universal City
>> Thursday: Duke's Restaurant, Huntington Beach
>> Friday: RT Longboards, San Diego
>> Saturday: Stewart's Surf Shop, San Clemente, and the Quiksilver store in Laguna
>> Next Sunday: ZJ's Boarding House, Santa Monica
Click for online
calendars and events.
