DAUGHTER OF MOLOKA’I
by Alan Brennert
The long awaited sequel to MOLOKA’I is here! Rachel’s daughter Ruth, taken from her the
day Ruth was born, is the main character in this family tale that extends from
Hawaii to California to Japanese internment camps and back to California.
Brennert excels in incorporating actual people and events
into his stories. DAUGHTER OF MOLOKA’I is
no exception. The discrimination against
Japanese (Rachel is adopted by a Japanese couple) in the early part of the twentieth
century, the difficult life of “foreign” farmers in the lush farmland of
California and the internment of hapless Japanese during WWII make up the bulk
of this novel. The final portion relates
the difficulty of adoptees and their birth parents in locating each other and
the repercussions that follow. Brennert’s
empathy finds expression is his clearly drawn characters, skillful conversations
and deft handling of conflict.
Book groups will love this historically accurate account of
difficult episodes., especially those who have read and loved MOLOKA’I. Groups interested in immigration/emigration issues
will find much to discuss.
5 of 5 stars
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