I am reading Alan Brennert's Hawaii trilogy backwards, starting with the just-published Daughter of Moloka'i (#811), since the author was appearing at this year's BookMania!. You don't need to have read Moloka'i or Honolulu to enjoy this book on its own merits.
Ruth Utagawa has been given up for adoption when she was less than a year old. She is eventually adopted by a Japanese family living in Hawaii, although she is half Hawaiian herself. Her adopted father is a farmer at heart, so when he has a chance to move to California and share ownership of a farm there with his brother, the Watanabes find themselves on the mainland. Things are not quite as promised, but they manage to carve out a satisfactory living for themselves. The bombing of Pearl Harbor changes everything again for the whole family as they struggle to adjust to life in a Japanese interment camp. But perhaps the biggest change for Ruth comes when her Hawaiian birth mother reaches out to her as an adult and mother herself.
It's a fascinating story drawn with strong characters and meticulous attention to details of the period. Even the cover art is eye-catching on this volume. I can't wait to go back and read the first two books in this series!
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