“Michener: A Writer’s Journey,” by Stephen J. May (University of Oklahoma, 339 pages, $29.95)
When a magazine editor asked James A. Michener to produce an article on something about which he had a burning desire to write, Michener said, “I have never had a burning desire to do anything in my life.”
It was an odd remark from America’s most prolific popular author, who in one decade alone produced “The Covenant,” “Space,” “Poland,” “Texas,” “Alaska” and five other books. His books generally topped the best-seller lists.
One of the reasons for Michener’s obsession, writes Fort Collins author Stephen J. May in this first biography of the author, is that Michener was born in poverty, never sure of his parentage and had a life-long fear of ending up in the poor house. Early on, he developed self-reliance and a sense of privacy. He appears to have been emotionally distant, discarding two independent-minded wives before he married Mari.
One of Michener’s best sellers, and perhaps his best work, was “Centennial,” an epic novel of Colorado. It was a book that Michener thought about for more than 30 years, since he taught at Colorado State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Colorado) in the 1930s. He was intrigued with the sweep of the land, the agricultural challenges and the diversity of the inhabitants. He attempted portions of the story, but put them aside.
Then in 1970, he awoke with the entire novel outlined in his mind. Michener and his wife moved to an apartment in Denver while he researched and wrote the book. And for the first time, he hired two researchers.
Up to then, Michener had done his own legwork. But following “Centennial,” he came to rely more on others for research and sometimes even writing. Much of the work in “The Covenant,” about South Africa, was done by Errol Uys, who expected Michener to give him at least a “with” byline, and maybe even an “and” one. But Michener only thanked Uys in the credits.
In a nicely written work that, blessedly, is shorter than Michener’s epics, May ferrets out information about the taciturn author, especially about Michener’s political involvement. He ran for office more than once but was defeated, and served on several government commissions. Michener idolized John Kennedy as well as Richard Nixon – that is, until Watergate. And while he was stingy emotionally, he was a generous man, giving away millions, sometimes with strings. When the University of Texas failed to name a building for him, Michener changed his will, leaving his manuscripts to the University of Northern Colorado.
May falls short of calling Michener a great writer. He points out that without good editors, Michener might have had trouble getting published. Still, the public loved him. Michener spent 207 weeks at the top of the best-seller lists, more than any other author. (Stephen King was second, with 100 weeks.) Michener was, May says, America’s storyteller.
“Colorado’s Japanese Americans from 1886 to the Present,” by Bill Hosokawa (University Press of Colorado, 270 pages, $45 cloth, $19.95 paper)
Like most early Coloradans, the first Japanese came to the state for economic opportunities. They were employed as agricultural laborers, domestics, railroad workers and even miners.
Most came directly from Japan through California to Colorado, although Shingo Nakamura took a detour into Mexico. Denied entry to the U.S. in 1906, Nakamura contracted to work in Mexico for two years. When he had fulfilled the contract, Nakamura made his way into Colorado, where he lived until his death in 1978. He returned home only to find a bride.
You might think that after nearly 70 years as a journalist, much of it at The Denver Post, Bill Hosokawa would want to give it up. But Hosokawa, author of the groundbreaking “Nisei” as well as “Thunder in the Rockies,” a history of The Post, is passionate about the subject of Japanese-Americans. The book is crammed with stories like Nakamura’s, about Japanese who came to Colorado and against the odds established themselves in successful businesses. There are so many names that at times the book reads like a laundry list.
Some stories are tragic. Many Japanese in the state were forced to leave the West Coast during the hysteria of World War II and were interned in relocation camps, including Amache, in southeastern Colorado.
This is Japanese-American history written by a fine journalist and an insider.
Sandra Dallas is a Denver novelist who writes a column on regional fiction releases.
