Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

What would you do if you contracted leprosy? Would your friends and family still love you or would they be ashamed to know or be related to you? This is what Rachel Kalani has to deal with when she contracts the disease. Rachel is 5 years old in Honolulu, Hawaii when her mother first sees the tell tale sign of leprosy (today known as Hansen’s Disease). Her mother, knowing what will happen to Rachel and her family if anyone finds out, tries to hide the sore that won’t heal and succeeds for a over a year. Unfortunately, Rachel’s condition is outed at school, and the health inspector finds out. This rest is the story of Rachel’s life at the Kalaupapa leper colony on remote Moloka’I island. She is sent there at 7 years of age and raised in dorms with a group of children who also have leprosy. Rachel and the others in the colony live their lives in isolation, forbidden from ever seeing family and friends again in case they might spread the disease. Any infants born at Kalaupapa are taken away from their parents and given up for adoption so they won’t contract the disease too. Many characters in the story are based on real people, including Father Damien, who devoted his life to caring for and treating lepers until he himself contracted leprosy and died. The story follows Rachel’s and her friends and family’s lives for about 80 years. The story unravels as Rachel’s granddaughter tries to uncover her family’s mysterious ties to the island only to find out her own grandmother had been a patient and resident.

This is a beautiful book about the ways people make the best of their situation and manage to live their lives in spite of the conditions while their families back home try to pick up the pieces and move on. It is a tearjerker whose story will stay with you for a long time. It is not a difficult read although sometimes it is not clear for a few sentences when the author has switched between the story of Rachel and the story of her granddaughter. Found in the adult section.

Book; 14+; ISBN 9781429943239; New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003