Humble Honest Men: Bob Dye’s Comic Novel Makes an Irish-Hawaiian Connection
Humble Honest Men by Bob Dye
Humble Honest Men is a comic novel from Hawai‘i author-historian Bob Dye. A dozen years in the writing, Dye’s new book tells the story of Kapala Dolan, a Hawai‘i native who moves to Kinsale, Ireland, and soon becomes embroiled in the historical controversy surrounding the sinking of the Lusitania and her mysterious cargo.
Dolan’s fascination with the Irish half of his hapa haole ancestry—and the family lore that placed his maternal grandparents on the Lusitania as it sank off the coast of Kinsale—leads him to jump at the chance to consult for the town whose city fathers seek to make the Lusitania as successful a tourist attraction as Pearl Harbor’s Arizona Memorial. The job proves to be more than a simple consultancy, as Dolan is drawn deeper into intrigue and cultural conflicts, while his sincere intentions rub some of the townspeople the wrong way.
Humble Honest Men is a tale of two cultures based on the fascinating similarities between Hawai‘i and Ireland. Dye’s late wife, Tessa, suggested writing a novel to help pass the time in sleepy Kinsale, where the family has kept a home. Discerning Kinsale and Hawai‘i readers will recognize native turns of phrase, familiar quirky characters and beloved landmarks as Dye, a longtime aide to former Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi, combines his ear for Irish argot with an eye for political intrigue and idiosyncratic characters.
Bob Dye is also the author of Merchant Prince of the Sandalwood Mountains: Afong and the Chinese in Hawaii (University of Hawai‘i Press). A frequent contributor to HONOLULU Magazine, he also edited three volumes of Hawai‘i Chronicles (University of Hawai‘i Press) and wrote an occasional political column for The Honolulu Advertiser.
Humble Honest Men is available for purchase at your local bookstore and at online booksellers, including direct from the publisher at www.bookshawaii.net.
Author: Bob Dye
Softcover, 264 pp
Release Date: June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9821698-6-5
$16.95 retail price
Tags: Bob Dye, Humble Honest Men, Ireland, Lusitania
