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A review by deannareads
Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
4.0
If you enjoy historical fiction, nature and family stories you will absolutely love this book.
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Ruth is sent to an orphanage at birth in 1917 because her mother, a native Hawaiian, and her father, Japanese, are afflicted with leprosy. The government forces them to give away their beloved daughter and live in isolation in Moloka’i to prevent them and others from infecting the general population.
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Ruth spends her first five years in Hawaii at the orphanage and is treated well. She is then adopted by Japanese-American parents who have three biological sons of their own. Her Papa and Okāsan(mother) are very good to her and she is overjoyed to be a part of a family.
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Eventually they move to California to help her uncle with his farm and then Pearl Harbor is attacked during WWII and everything changes for their family.
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Throughout reading this I was astonished at the pieces of American history I wasn’t aware of. I had no idea Japanese-Americans were placed into concentration camps in the 1940’s by Roosevelt out of fear these innocent people were conspiring with the Japanese government after Pearl Harbor. These American families were torn apart and lived in squalor until the government finally released them from the camps years later. Irreparable damage was done.
⠀
This book is about family and the strength we draw from it and the importance of our roots and how important they are to our personal stories. Ruth is a champion for justice and love and I adored her for all the ways she showed kindness to humans and animals throughout the book.
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4.25/5 ⭐️-I really liked it and recommend!
⠀
Ruth is sent to an orphanage at birth in 1917 because her mother, a native Hawaiian, and her father, Japanese, are afflicted with leprosy. The government forces them to give away their beloved daughter and live in isolation in Moloka’i to prevent them and others from infecting the general population.
⠀
Ruth spends her first five years in Hawaii at the orphanage and is treated well. She is then adopted by Japanese-American parents who have three biological sons of their own. Her Papa and Okāsan(mother) are very good to her and she is overjoyed to be a part of a family.
⠀
Eventually they move to California to help her uncle with his farm and then Pearl Harbor is attacked during WWII and everything changes for their family.
⠀
Throughout reading this I was astonished at the pieces of American history I wasn’t aware of. I had no idea Japanese-Americans were placed into concentration camps in the 1940’s by Roosevelt out of fear these innocent people were conspiring with the Japanese government after Pearl Harbor. These American families were torn apart and lived in squalor until the government finally released them from the camps years later. Irreparable damage was done.
⠀
This book is about family and the strength we draw from it and the importance of our roots and how important they are to our personal stories. Ruth is a champion for justice and love and I adored her for all the ways she showed kindness to humans and animals throughout the book.
•
4.25/5 ⭐️-I really liked it and recommend!