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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley, for the opportunity to review!
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know much about American internment of Japanese people and American people of Japanese descent during World War 2. It’s an utter atrocity and I wish I had known much more about it sooner. It should be taught in every American school. It feels especially poignant today and I’m grateful to this book for bringing this blight on our past to life for me. For that reason alone I feel like everyone should read this book.
All of that said, I did find the dialogue at times stilted and felt that a lot of the story was being recited and not shown to the reader so they could feel it—particularly in the second half. The characters felt like they were held at arm’s length and the story felt more informative than like a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it if you want to learn more about Japanese interment camps in America in the 40s. I don’t live too far from Manzanar and am now planning to visit. These stories need to be told.
PS—I didn’t read the first book, Moloka’i, that introduced some of these characters. You don’t need to, as this book stands alone, but now I want to.
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know much about American internment of Japanese people and American people of Japanese descent during World War 2. It’s an utter atrocity and I wish I had known much more about it sooner. It should be taught in every American school. It feels especially poignant today and I’m grateful to this book for bringing this blight on our past to life for me. For that reason alone I feel like everyone should read this book.
All of that said, I did find the dialogue at times stilted and felt that a lot of the story was being recited and not shown to the reader so they could feel it—particularly in the second half. The characters felt like they were held at arm’s length and the story felt more informative than like a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it if you want to learn more about Japanese interment camps in America in the 40s. I don’t live too far from Manzanar and am now planning to visit. These stories need to be told.
PS—I didn’t read the first book, Moloka’i, that introduced some of these characters. You don’t need to, as this book stands alone, but now I want to.
I was excited to receive an advance copy of this book via, which is due out in February of 2019, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley!
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know much about American internment of Japanese people and American people of Japanese descent during World War 2. It’s an utter atrocity and I wish I had known much more about it sooner. It should be taught in every American school. It feels especially poignant today and I’m grateful to this book for bringing this blight on our past to life for me. For that reason alone I feel like everyone should read this book.
All of that said, I did find the dialogue at times stilted and felt that a lot of the story was being recited and not shown to the reader so they could feel it—particularly in the second half. The characters felt like they were held at arm’s length and the story felt more informative than like a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it if you want to learn more about Japanese interment camps in America in the 40s. I don’t live too far from Manzanar and am now planning to visit. These stories need to be told.
PS—I didn’t read the first book, Moloka’i, that introduced some of these characters. You don’t need to, as this book stands alone, but now I want to.
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know much about American internment of Japanese people and American people of Japanese descent during World War 2. It’s an utter atrocity and I wish I had known much more about it sooner. It should be taught in every American school. It feels especially poignant today and I’m grateful to this book for bringing this blight on our past to life for me. For that reason alone I feel like everyone should read this book.
All of that said, I did find the dialogue at times stilted and felt that a lot of the story was being recited and not shown to the reader so they could feel it—particularly in the second half. The characters felt like they were held at arm’s length and the story felt more informative than like a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it if you want to learn more about Japanese interment camps in America in the 40s. I don’t live too far from Manzanar and am now planning to visit. These stories need to be told.
PS—I didn’t read the first book, Moloka’i, that introduced some of these characters. You don’t need to, as this book stands alone, but now I want to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a look into the treatment of Japanese people in America and Ruth's own conflict of identity. The one thing for me is the way the time in the camps are written read more like an article with a few personal parts and I would have preferred more of the daily life of the camps and seeing them all learn about these things through radio or letter or a sign rather than dates and orders and a supreme court case just being kind of listed off, for me that just took away from the characters. I would have loved to have seen more of Ruth learning about her Hawaiian heritage but did enjoy Ruth's introduction to Japanese heritage.
Daughter of Moloka'I by Alan Brennert is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.
Vivid and poignant, very effective and emotional!
It took me a long time to get around to reading Moloka’i, and I deeply regretted putting it off for so long. However, on the positive side, having read it so close to the publication date of this long anticipated follow up, all the details were still very fresh in my mind. Remembering the many reasons why Ruth was placed for adoption so clearly, experiencing her story first hand, was more touching and heart wrenching and the story felt more powerful and intense.
To recap-
Ruth’s parents were both inflicted with leprosy and lived on the island of Moloka’i in Hawaii. Ruth was free of the disease, but her parents had to give her up so that she could live a full and happy life. Ruth is biracial- part Hawaiian and part Japanese. Her adoptive parents are Japanese, and Ruth is also blessed with having older brothers. Her life is good, her parents love her, but Ruth has to cope with racism and prejudice aimed at her because of her mixed race. She also experienced cultural misogyny and sexism. However, Ruth’s life changes forever, when her parents move from Hawaii to California, hoping to own and work their own land. Sadly, they were misled, and things didn’t work out for them quite the way they planned. However, Ruth grows up, gets married, and starts her own family. However, life as she knows it comes to an abrupt halt when the Japanese invade Pearl Harbor. Ruth and her family are among the many Japanese Americans rounded up and sent to the internment camps. Although she makes the best of the situation, it also leaves her embittered.
Eventually, the story merges with that of Ruth’s mother, Rachel, who is now widowed and declared free of her leprosy. The mother and daughter finally meet and forge a bittersweet relationship.
I strongly urge anyone considering this book to read the first Moloka'i beforehand. The story will not have the same impact if you are not aware of Rachel’s backstory and the hopes she had for Ruth.
The bulk of the story is centered around Ruth’s life in the internment camps and the horrible injustices bestowed on these American citizens. I’m glad this period of history is spoken of more frequently now, and more closely examined.
I never heard a great deal about the plight of the Japanese Americans during world war two, until a little over a decade or so back. It was not a topic that came up frequently, and when it did, it was quickly glossed over.
The more I learned about the conditions of the relocation camps, the way these families were stripped of everything they had worked for, the more mortified I became. This was certainly not a shining moment in US history. Although many years later, some acknowledgments and apologies were eventually forthcoming, and a pittance was given the survivors, it doesn’t come close to compensating for what these people endured and lost.
This is a period in history that should get more exposure, especially in the classroom. While I would like for us to learn from the past and be ever more diligent not to repeat our mistakes, I hold my breath, wondering when- not if- this same exact thing will happen again.
This story personalizes the struggles of those in California who were forced to live in the camps, and once released were forced to start building their lives all over again from scratch. Living through these times, seeing it from Ruth’s perspective certainly gave me pause. Ruth is a strong character, who endured much, felt deep convictions, and although she never fully released her bitterness, her life was enriched by her adoptive family, her husband and children, and eventually, by having the chance to forge a relationship with Rachel.
This novel has an entirely different tone from its predecessor. It’s not as tender, has a sharper edge to it, more befitting of the situation, I suppose. I think Ruth’s character is as sympathetic as Rachel’s, but the era of time the story is written in, as well as the dynamics between Ruth’s adoptive family, which was also quite intense at times, makes the atmosphere heavier and the characters tougher, but equally resilient.
I would caution against starting this one with preconceived notions. Don’t expect the same type of emotional elements, or tragic poignancy as Moloka’i. It is certainly different, but I appreciated it and found it to be a very compelling novel. I must confess, I enjoyed seeing Rachel and Ruth reunited, and although Rachel continued to suffer loss and lingering health issues, she lived a full life, as did Ruth, both women overcoming adversity, getting on with the business of life and living, and appreciating every moment they were alive – and FREE!
4 stars
Vivid and poignant, very effective and emotional!
It took me a long time to get around to reading Moloka’i, and I deeply regretted putting it off for so long. However, on the positive side, having read it so close to the publication date of this long anticipated follow up, all the details were still very fresh in my mind. Remembering the many reasons why Ruth was placed for adoption so clearly, experiencing her story first hand, was more touching and heart wrenching and the story felt more powerful and intense.
To recap-
Ruth’s parents were both inflicted with leprosy and lived on the island of Moloka’i in Hawaii. Ruth was free of the disease, but her parents had to give her up so that she could live a full and happy life. Ruth is biracial- part Hawaiian and part Japanese. Her adoptive parents are Japanese, and Ruth is also blessed with having older brothers. Her life is good, her parents love her, but Ruth has to cope with racism and prejudice aimed at her because of her mixed race. She also experienced cultural misogyny and sexism. However, Ruth’s life changes forever, when her parents move from Hawaii to California, hoping to own and work their own land. Sadly, they were misled, and things didn’t work out for them quite the way they planned. However, Ruth grows up, gets married, and starts her own family. However, life as she knows it comes to an abrupt halt when the Japanese invade Pearl Harbor. Ruth and her family are among the many Japanese Americans rounded up and sent to the internment camps. Although she makes the best of the situation, it also leaves her embittered.
Eventually, the story merges with that of Ruth’s mother, Rachel, who is now widowed and declared free of her leprosy. The mother and daughter finally meet and forge a bittersweet relationship.
I strongly urge anyone considering this book to read the first Moloka'i beforehand. The story will not have the same impact if you are not aware of Rachel’s backstory and the hopes she had for Ruth.
The bulk of the story is centered around Ruth’s life in the internment camps and the horrible injustices bestowed on these American citizens. I’m glad this period of history is spoken of more frequently now, and more closely examined.
I never heard a great deal about the plight of the Japanese Americans during world war two, until a little over a decade or so back. It was not a topic that came up frequently, and when it did, it was quickly glossed over.
The more I learned about the conditions of the relocation camps, the way these families were stripped of everything they had worked for, the more mortified I became. This was certainly not a shining moment in US history. Although many years later, some acknowledgments and apologies were eventually forthcoming, and a pittance was given the survivors, it doesn’t come close to compensating for what these people endured and lost.
This is a period in history that should get more exposure, especially in the classroom. While I would like for us to learn from the past and be ever more diligent not to repeat our mistakes, I hold my breath, wondering when- not if- this same exact thing will happen again.
This story personalizes the struggles of those in California who were forced to live in the camps, and once released were forced to start building their lives all over again from scratch. Living through these times, seeing it from Ruth’s perspective certainly gave me pause. Ruth is a strong character, who endured much, felt deep convictions, and although she never fully released her bitterness, her life was enriched by her adoptive family, her husband and children, and eventually, by having the chance to forge a relationship with Rachel.
This novel has an entirely different tone from its predecessor. It’s not as tender, has a sharper edge to it, more befitting of the situation, I suppose. I think Ruth’s character is as sympathetic as Rachel’s, but the era of time the story is written in, as well as the dynamics between Ruth’s adoptive family, which was also quite intense at times, makes the atmosphere heavier and the characters tougher, but equally resilient.
I would caution against starting this one with preconceived notions. Don’t expect the same type of emotional elements, or tragic poignancy as Moloka’i. It is certainly different, but I appreciated it and found it to be a very compelling novel. I must confess, I enjoyed seeing Rachel and Ruth reunited, and although Rachel continued to suffer loss and lingering health issues, she lived a full life, as did Ruth, both women overcoming adversity, getting on with the business of life and living, and appreciating every moment they were alive – and FREE!
4 stars
A quick read that I couldn’t put down. However, I wish there had been more detail on Rachel’s life while we got to know Ruth. I also felt that time moved too quickly and details were closed over
I stopped reading at 25%. I absolutely loved Moloka’i and took to Rachel right away. I can’t say the same for Ruth.
Daughter of Moloka'i is the sequel to Moloka'i, following the life of Rachel Kalama's daughter Ruth Watanabe. While Moloka'i is a 5-star read for me, I'm giving Daughter of Moloka'i 4.25 stars, as I feel that Alan Brennert brought Rachel more to life in the first book for me than he did Ruth in the sequel. I'm not sure what I feel is missing here, maybe more of Ruth's emotions or inner thoughts? I just didn't "feel" Ruth as much as I did Rachel, but I did still thoroughly enjoy this book!
This story follows Ruth's life as the adopted daughter to Japanese parents living in California. After the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States tragically moved an estimated 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese descent into internment camps on American soil, where they were held for approximately three years. Many of them lost homes, heirlooms, livelihoods, and/or loved ones as a result of their internment.
As in Moloka'i, the theme of ohana is predominant, as Ruth learns how the many incredible people around her make up her extended family - her adoptive family, her biological family, her mother's biological family and chosen loved ones. We learn how the people who surround us within our inner circle, those who support and love us the most, are our true family.
Daughter of Moloka'i is a wonderful companion read to Moloka'i, as it expands on Rachel's story while developing Ruth's journey. I loved both!
This story follows Ruth's life as the adopted daughter to Japanese parents living in California. After the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States tragically moved an estimated 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese descent into internment camps on American soil, where they were held for approximately three years. Many of them lost homes, heirlooms, livelihoods, and/or loved ones as a result of their internment.
As in Moloka'i, the theme of ohana is predominant, as Ruth learns how the many incredible people around her make up her extended family - her adoptive family, her biological family, her mother's biological family and chosen loved ones. We learn how the people who surround us within our inner circle, those who support and love us the most, are our true family.
Daughter of Moloka'i is a wonderful companion read to Moloka'i, as it expands on Rachel's story while developing Ruth's journey. I loved both!