Moloka'i (Large Print)
by Alan Brennert
Our Price: $101.40
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $18.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Alan BrennertEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Large Print
Published: 2008-12-01
ISBN: 1429943238
Number of pages: 616
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Reviews of Moloka'i (Large Print)
Book Review: The aloha spirit in Molokai
Summary: 3 Stars
Imagine yourself afflicted with a strange disease, quarantined in a faraway and unfamiliar land, forced to leave your family and friends behind, with an obscure future ahead of you. Sounds downright scary, yeah? Luckily, this is not about H1N1 or any of the recent illnesses that have plagued the world, but rather the premise of the book Moloka'i by Alan Brennert.
Moloka'i chronicles the life of Rachel Kalauma who is taken to Moloka'i from her home in Oahu to Kalaupapa in Molokai, both islands in Hawaii, at a young age due to leprosy (now scientifically referred to as Hansen's disease). It takes us to Rachel's journey from a little kid who is painfully unaware of the circumstances that bring her into forced isolation, to an old lady who tries to live a normal life after being finally diagnosed as leprosy-free. It allows us to empathize with her joys after every pain; triumphs against adversity; and, courage in the midst of hopelessness.
The book is a cross between fiction and non-fiction. Rachel is obviously the work of the author's imagination and yet she is an amalgamation of people who actually lived in the island. Moloka'i was, in fact the detention site of confirmed lepers from 1865 until the late 1960s. At that time, leprosy was considered incurable and highly contagious and thus, the victims were involuntarily deported to Moloka'i. The book mentions a number of real life characters who lived in the leper colony including the famous Father Damien, who was recently canonized into sainthood because of his charitable works and selfless acts to the community. In addition, the book also intersperses historical events such as World War II, the mass consumption of electricity, the development of moving pictures and the 1946 tsunami in the island among many others, which prove that the island is still part of a much bigger world even in its isolation.
The book tells us not only about the impact of leprosy in the olden times, but more importantly, the message it brings to the readers - that all people, even Rachel who is a leper, deserve a second chance - is as beautiful as Moloka'i itself. And just as Rachel rises above all the challenges that fate took upon her, so did the island of Moloka'i. From being a safe haven for the lepers and therefore virtually avoided by visitors, today Molokai has become an ideal destination for tourists in search for the authentic island life experience.
Summary of Moloka'i (Large Print)
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place---and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning. With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka'i is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that "few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel's story" (mostlyfiction.com).Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Pirate Latitudes: A Novelby Michael Crichton
Harper; Published: 2009-11-24; Roughcut; Book
Best price: $2.45
Price in other shops:
The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novelby Louise Erdrich
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Last Witchfinder: A Novelby James Morrow
William Morrow; Published: 2006-03-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Zorroby Isabel Allende
HarperAudio; Published: 2005-05-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.09
Price in other shops:
The Hot Kid: A Novelby Elmore Leonard
William Morrow; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.89
Price in other shops:
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)Mass Market Paperback; Book
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, Book 3)by Conn Iggulden
Harper Collins Canada; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.70
Marchby Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Emperor (Emperor 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2003-06-07; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Girl With a Pearl Earringby Tracy Chevalier
Harper Collins Audio; Published: 2002-06-17; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $86.82
Similar Books and other products
No Footprints in the Sand - A Memoir of Kalaupapaby Henry Kalalahilimoku Nalaielua, Sally-Jo Keala-o-anuenue Bowman
Watermark Publishing; Published: 2006-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.11
Price in other shops:
Sky of Red Poppiesby Zohreh Ghahremani
Turquoise Books; Published: 2010-07-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops:
Still Aliceby Lisa Genova
Pocket Books; Published: 2009-01-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
The Paris Wife: A Novelby Paula McLain
Ballantine Books; Published: 2011-02-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweetby Jamie Ford
Ballantine Books; Published: 2009-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
The Lotus Eaters: A Novelby Tatjana Soli
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2010-03-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
The Kitchen House: A Novelby Kathleen Grissom
Touchstone; Published: 2010-02-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.24
Price in other shops:
The Last Alohaby Gaellen Quinn
Lost Coast Press; Published: 2009-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.92
Price in other shops:
Honoluluby Alan Brennert
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2010-02-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.23
Price in other shops:
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Doddby Jim Fergus
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 1999-02-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops: