Moloka’i by Alan Brennert

-

Island of Sorrow

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert is another of my favorite books. It begins in 1893 when a little seven-year-old girl is ripped away from her family after contracting the seriously disfiguring and contagious leprosy disease.  In those days, they had no treatment for the horrible illness and in order to contain the spread of infection to others, people were quarantined in leper colonies.  Kalaupapa  on Moloka’i was one of those colonies. This book definitely tugs at the heartstrings.  
I probably would not recommend it for pregnant women.  One of our book club members was expecting a baby when she was reading about poor little Rachel being torn away from everyone she loved.  She couldn't read three pages without crying and had to hide in the bathroom so her family couldn't see her flood of tears.  And even for the rest of us who didn't have raging hormones producing lumps of sorrow in our throats, that particular part of the book was heart-wrenching.  But that was only one part of the book.  For those hearty enough to continue, the book unfolded a challenging but rewarding life for Rachel.  The book was difficult to put down. It was interesting and drew us in.  It was cruel and disturbing.  It was triumphant and enriching. We laughed and cried with the victories and hardships that Rachel experienced.  We didn’t want to leave her side. For me it was an unforgettable book that holds a special spot in my library and heart.  

This seems like such a distant time in history, but it’s
actually not so far removed from us. The Kalaupapa colony was first established in the 1800s.  It wasn’t until 1969 that it was dissolved as a confined colony.  Sufferers of the disease were finally freed from their prison, though were allowed to remain in the settlement that had become their lifelong  homes.  My mom worked with a woman who was a hula dancer and their dance group was invited to perform at the Kalaupapa colony. She still remembers having to wear socks so she wouldn’t pick up any germs.  The dance group also brought in their own food.  It’s something she never forgot.  The good news is that leprosy, which is now called Hansen’s Disease, is treatable.  The bad news is that there are still thousands of leper colonies in various third-world countries.  India has a slew of them.

Happy reading,
Annette


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

-
Image
  You Go, Girl! Pure love—that’s what I felt about this book!  It’s smart, witty, and emboldening! I don’t know how many countless times I cheered or chuckled.   A female chemist struggles to rise above the chauvinistic male domination of the 1960s and live life on her terms despite ingrained oppression of women.  Hooray for this feminist heroine who points out that just because women’s bodies are smaller than men's doesn’t mean their brains are!   I fell in love with brilliant Elizabeth and her support system:  her impressively  smart daughter Mad; her straightforward neighbor Harriet; her kind-hearted producer Walter, the irreverent Reverend Wakely; and her obstetrician/rower Dr. Mason. Oh, and let’s not forget Six-Thirty, her beloved dog!   I would definitely be one of Elizabeth’s devoted fans of her show,  Supper at Six !  If my kids were still at home, I’d mimic Elizabeth and tell them, “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” (Even though I’m not the
Read more

The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick

-
Image
Italy: Just What the Doctor Ordered   This book is a sweet ray of sunshine (with a few stabs to the heart)! A group of grief-stricken people find solace in Italy and each other.   After a husband leaves his self-help radio talk show wife, she invites four random listeners to join her on what would have been her 25 th  wedding anniversary trip to Italy.  On this healing retreat, they each face their own grief in an old-world charming hotel where the innkeeper is stuck in the past and faces his own challenges.    I loved everything about this book:  the setting, the side trips to Florence and Venice, the delicious homemade food the hotel owner whips up, and the friendships formed through bonds of sorrow.   Charming and uplifting!    Pub date: June 6, 2023 If you like books set in Italy you may want to check out: One Italian Summer  by Rebecca Serle The Seamstress of Sardinia  by Bianca Pitzorno Beautiful Ruins  by Jess Walter Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions  by Mario Giordano A Room
Read more

All the Broken Places by John Boyne

-
Image
  Guilt and Consequences. Oooh this book knocked me off my feet!  I have read a lot of good books, but this one was one of the best I’ve read in a long time!   It’s about guilt, conscience, our role in society and as humans.  It was such a well-crafted slow burn, I had a difficult time putting it down.     In this riveting narrative, we are pulled from one page to the next edging toward a 91-year-old woman’s secret from WWII.  At the same time a drama plays out in current-day London, with both culminating to a jaw-dropping moment.   So good!!    Here are a couple lines to give you a taste of the book.   “I told myself that none of it had been my fault, that I had been just a child, but there was a small part of my brain that asked me, if I was entirely innocent, then why was I living under an assumed name?”   –pg 29   Gretel thought the sparkle had left her eyes—her best feature. “Now they were the color of barbed wire, of rusty ovens, of smoke and ash.”  –pg 98   “My wife belongs to m
Read more