Moloka'i - reviewed by Maggie Devero

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Even when she's outcasted by a disease that she didn't choose to have, she can still find familiarity and comfort among those just like her. Her life is only just beginning...

Rachel Aouli Kalama lived a perfectly normal life in 1890s Hawaii; she had a loving mother who cared for her as best as possible, a father who treasured her more than anything else, and three siblings with whom she could play. A seven year old could ask for very little more...and certainly not ask for something like leprosy to invade her body and change everything she knew. Her family tried to keep it a secret, but failed, as all did in the end. And so Rachel was taken away, forced into a separate island called Moloka'i, to reside until the age of eighteen, in a place called Bishop Home run by the St. Elizabeth covenant. Though not completely alone, her uncle Pono who was also a victim of leprosy is there to be here family away from home along with his companion Haleola. But soon enough Rachel learns that things can never be the same, being the outcast leper of a family, except her father, who no longer wanted her. She must build a new life there in Kalaupapa on Moloka'i, accepting her disease for what it is, and making the best of the life she is forced to live out. Surprisingly, life as a leper has a lot in store for this young woman, and she learns and grows experiencing just as much, if not more, than she once would have.

This book was well deserving of the four stars I gave it. I honestly picked up the book expecting something more haunting and creepy, images of zombie-like people struggling in a barren and desolate wasteland of sorts, but that wasn't how it was at all (And I have no idea why I was expecting that!) The book painted a very descriptive and vivid picture of different parts of Hawaii at the time; not just some tourist spot or a place of vacation. It was a cultural, thriving society all over, even in the  separate places like Moloka'i. It also showed how people can misunderstand and blow out of proportion differences and disabilities in others. Though the lepers were disfigured and sick, they were still normal people, just forced to struggle more through life than others. The novel depicted the pretty normal life of a not-so-normal girl, but made it interesting, and as a reader you can feel for her and what she goes through. The detailed imagery is what won me over though. And the book took a bit longer than I had assumed it would to finish, but don't let that turn you off; it's really a brilliantly written story. So four out of five stars! And I would suggest this book to other readers who just want to get lost in another world, because if given a bit of time and a quiet spot, you will find yourself in Moloka'i, befriending a very courageous and strong girl.