“She had never been afraid of the dark, but then she had never known a dark like this before.”

Moloka'i opened up my mind further to the plight of Hawaii at the beginning of the 20th century. America is a real bully. As Moloka'i was isolated and Rachel was a child when the transition of power was going on, we don't feel the genuine anguish of the Hawaiian people. We can only see what Rachel sees, which is the adults mourning for the Hawaiian royal family and way of life they will lose. Throughout the book, you can see that the Hawaiian way of life and customs have been stifled. Children are growing up more Americanized and losing touch with their ancient traditions.

When I tell you that there were many moments where I had to pause to stop myself from bawling. I almost burst out crying over Moloka'i so many times. Rachel is such a dynamic character. Watching her grow up is inspiring, while her circumstances kept her down, her soul was never completely crushed. The cast of characters that passed through the whole book was all very well done. You can feel the love and building of community that Rachel has with her ohana. Moloka'i writing was phenomenal and I commend Alan Brennert for the dedication and research he so obviously put into Moloka'i . Never once did I wonder where Moloka'i was going, I enjoyed the ride all the way to the end.