About the AuthorTom Coffman's work in book and documentary film is about the social and political development of Hawaii in context of the Pacific Rim. He was chief political reporter of the Honolulu Star Bulletin (1968-73) and thereafter an independent writer and producer. His "Catch a Wave," a study of contemporary Hawaii politics, sold out five thousand copies in a week and went through five printings. He received the Hawaii Publishers' annual award for Best Nonfiction for his other three books: "Nation Within, The History of America's Occupation of Hawaii"; "The Island Edge of America"; and "I Respectfully Dissent; A Biography of Edward H. Nakamura."He has produced and directed numerous… documentaries, including "O Hawaii, From First Settlement to Kingdom" (aired by PBS); "Nation Within" (PBS); "Arirang, The Korean American Journey" (PBS), and "Ninoy Aquino and the Rise of People Power" (PBS). His widely aired "First Battle: The Battle for Equality in Wartime Hawaii" broached the subjects that are explored in depth in "How Hawaii Changed America."