Book Recomendation: Moloka'i

It's fiction, but does a fantastic job of weaving Hawaiian history and mythology into the story.  I lot of what I learned on the islands was talked about in the book.  It is a detailed and deeply emotional book, that uses the most beautiful prose to talk about the hardships and triumphs of the girl's life and those who become her family.  Many parts of it parallel orphanage and foster care life, as Rachel (the main character) is raised both in an institution and by distant and pseudo-family.  I don't want to give too much away, but the later portion of the book also deals very acutely with adoption and long-lost familial reunions that just spoke to me.  The encounters ring very authentic, to the point I wondered if the author was personally touched by adoption (in his note at the end, he says it was informed by someone else who was).  Both heartwrenching and triumphant at the same time, the book deals with all the complicated and conflicted emotions that accompany adoption and life in general.

To me, this was one of the best books I've read, so I thought I'd share.