Guest Contributor

Makana Eyre

Makana Eyre has written features, criticism, and essays for the New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The Nation and Politico, among other national publications.

In 2023, W.W. Norton published “Sing, Memory,” Eyre’s debut. “Sing, Memory” tells the true story of the effort to save a huge cache of culture created by prisoners in the Nazi camps during World War II. In a review of the book, The Economist described Eyre as a “deft storyteller, with a limpid style” and lauded the book for its “compelling, well-informed narrative.” “Sing, Memory” was also praised by The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, The Forward, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and The Jewish Book Council, which described it as “riveting” and “masterfully written.” The book has been translated into Italian and Dutch.

Eyre is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School where he was a Stabile Fellow in investigative journalism. He teaches journalism and media history at Sciences Po in Paris. Currently based in Paris, he was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu.

You can reach him by email at columnists@civilbeat.org. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views.

Makana Eyre: Why Talk Of Football Brain Injuries Is Taboo In Hawaiʻi Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Makana Eyre: Why Talk Of Football Brain Injuries Is Taboo In Hawaiʻi

Local doctors don’t want to comment on the risks young people face playing tackle football, despite mounting research detailing those risks.

Makana Eyre: In A Sea Of Mainland Grocers, A Taste Of Old Hawaiʻi Jamm Aquino/Civil Beat/2026

Makana Eyre: In A Sea Of Mainland Grocers, A Taste Of Old Hawaiʻi

As national chains increasingly dominate Hawaiʻi’s grocery options, Big Island residents remain devoted to KTA, with its emphasis on locally grown food.

Makana Eyre: The World War II Hero Who Quietly Settled In Hawaiʻi Colditz Castle, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag

Makana Eyre: The World War II Hero Who Quietly Settled In Hawaiʻi

A forthcoming book, “Operation Sparrow,” chronicles the team that risked their lives in a successful WWII deception mission. Guy Nunn was one of them.

Makana Eyre: Hawaiʻi Has Stakes In Trump’s National Archives Reboot

Makana Eyre: Hawaiʻi Has Stakes In Trump’s National Archives Reboot

Closure and relocation of the San Francisco archive could make it harder to research family histories and fully understand Hawaiʻi’s past.

Makana Eyre: Who Regulates Bounty Hunters In Hawaiʻi? No One AP Photo/Kathy Willens/2015

Makana Eyre: Who Regulates Bounty Hunters In Hawaiʻi? No One

Meanwhile, other states have imposed strict rules for bail enforcement agents.

Makana Eyre: Returning Indigenous Remains A Top Priority For Schatz Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Makana Eyre: Returning Indigenous Remains A Top Priority For Schatz

Hawaiʻi U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz is pressing academic institutions to follow federal law regarding remains and cultural objects.

Makana Eyre: No Ka Pau ʻOle ʻAna O Ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi I Kahi Kānāwai Pāpā ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi O Ka Makahiki 1896 Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

Makana Eyre: No Ka Pau ʻOle ʻAna O Ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi I Kahi Kānāwai Pāpā ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi O Ka Makahiki 1896

Ua ulu a nui loa ka makemake e aʻo i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole naʻe lawa nā kumu no nā kula kaiapuni.

Makana Eyre: Kailua Is Fancy Now. But It Came At A Cost Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Makana Eyre: Kailua Is Fancy Now. But It Came At A Cost

Local families are hard-pressed to find an affordable lifestyle in the Windward community.

Makana Eyre: How An 1896 Ban Failed To Kill The Hawaiian Language Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

Makana Eyre: How An 1896 Ban Failed To Kill The Hawaiian Language

The demand for learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is high, but immersion schools can’t find enough teachers.