Daughter of Moloka'i

December 1, 2018
Brennert's Moloka'i (2003), which followed the life of Rachel Kalama, a native Hawaiian sent to the Kalaupapa leper colony on Moloka'i as a child, became a bestseller and word-of-mouth book-club hit. Since then, fans have been clamoring for more about his realistic characters. His latest focuses on Ruth, the baby Rachel and her Japanese husband were forced to give up. More a companion novel than a sequel, Ruth's story, beginning in 1917, is compellingly told and strikes all the right emotional notes. Cherished by the Watanabes, the Japanese couple who adopts her, Ruth still feels like an outsider sometimes, due to her mixed heritage. Her sensitive, compassionate nature carries on into adulthood, making it easy to warm to her. After relocating to California, Ruth's proud family faces internal turmoil and racial prejudice, and their forced internment in camps after Pearl Harbor is rendered in poignant detail. Scenes of her reunion with Rachel and their blossoming relationship are immensely touching. A historically solid, ultimately hopeful novel about injustice, survival, and unbreakable family bonds. Expect high demand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2019

Brennert continues the story of some of the characters from 2003's Moloka'i. Protagonist Ruth is removed from the leprosy settlement at birth and sent to an orphanage in Honolulu until she is adopted by Japanese immigrants. In 1922, the family moves to California to help manage a strawberry farm. They encounter anti-Japanese attitudes that crescendo into fury after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Stripped of property and possessions, the Japanese are sent to Manzanar internment camp, where Ruth's extended family adapt to harsh conditions. After the war, Ruth receives an unexpected message from her birth mother, Rachel, whose leprosy has been cured and who hopes to meet Ruth. As Ruth learns more about her Hawaiian heritage, she draws Rachel into her family circle. Although Brennert provides enough background for this novel to stand alone, readers familiar with Rachel's story will be glad to learn what happens after she leaves Moloka'i. The most compelling sections involve life within the internment camps, conflicts within families and among detainees, and the harsh treatment by government officials. VERDICT Although Moloka'i is more compelling and complex, this sequel will be welcomed by readers wanting to know more about the family. [See Prepub Alert, 8/20/18.]--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019

Published in 2003, Brennert's beloved Moloka'i has over 600,000 copies in print, so a sequel seems apt. In Moloka'i, heroine Rachel was confined to a leper colony in Hawaii, where she gave birth to a daughter she was compelled to surrender. Here, Ruth is adopted by a Japanese couple, raised in California, and interned at the Manzanar Relocation Camp during World War II. Then a letter arrives from the mother Ruth never knew.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.