Moloka'i

On one hand, Moloka'i is one of the most beautiful historical novels I've ever read, but on the other hand, it has treated a trans woman so poorly that I can't imagine myself ever reading it again . . .

Book content warnings:
- transphobia
- transmisogyny
- abuse
- lots and lots of (sometimes violent) ableism

In 1892, seven-year-old Rachel Kalama from Honolulu has a mark on her leg that won't go away. It's the first sign of leprosy, and when her sister accidentally spills her secret, Rachel's forced away from her family and sent to Moloka'i, a quarantined island. Her own mom won't even write to her anymore, and she thinks her life is over. But life on Moloka'i isn't the death sentence it seems to be, and her life--with all its heartache, show more joys, love, and everything in between--has just begun.

Rachel Kalama is the perfect main character for this book. She's spirited and full of life in a place that sometimes is painfully short of it. I never grow tired of hearing out her thoughts and dreams and hopes. It's also probably due to the book's emotionally gripping prose itself, even though at times it can be a bit stilted and pass over important parts of the narrative to later summarize over them (such as Rachel's father passing away).

I also loved learning about this part of history I'd never learned about before but really should have. It really wasn't that long ago that any of this happened. I even talked about this to one of my friends, and she was so surprised that any of this happened in the early 1900s because she'd been so sure that leprosy was one of those things that happened sooooo long ago! Again, the stuff in this book is something people like us really should have heard about before but didn't.

About halfway the book included a māhū, a third-gendered person in traditional Hawaii, and from what I understand . . . a trans woman by today's standards and to Hawaii today? In any case, I was thrilled for there to be a trans woman of color included in this important historical novel! Until . . . she was treated like shit. The way she was """revealed""" to be a māhū was by the all-contemptible shock factor method. AKA, have her genitals revealed to the main character before the trans person was allowed to "come out", so to say. And here, a violent reaction is combined! Leilani, the māhū, was beaten beforehand by a man who was "embarrassed" to have liked her, a trans woman.

All in all, yuck yuck yuck. If the author had done any research at all on trans people's feelings at all on the subject, he'd realize that wow! This is the most unfeeling way to go about introducing a trans person, especially a trans woman, who today are faced with the most violence and hate!

And then Rachel feels deceived and cheated. Later in the scene she comes around, to later refer to a group of girls and Leilani as "girls", whatever that means. And when Leilani dies about halfway through the book (her appearance in the novel as a whole is fleeting, unfortunately), Rachel makes a mention in her mind about she or Leilani not having revealed her "true gender" to everyone. ?? Again, whatever that means . . . except I know what it means. Alan Brennert doesn't consider trans women to be women.

There's a middle ground here, which is the māhū, the third gender of traditional Hawaii, but Leilani as a character always said she wanted to be a woman. Said she had always wanted to be a woman since she was a small girl! If you're an author, you need to remember who your audience is, and what many are going to take away from this is that "trans woman = 'not a girl' when Rachel says "girls" and 'not a girl' when Rachel says "true gender" ", which cannot be allowed.

I'm mad that this happened, because this novel is achingly beautiful, and I loved so much of it. As Rachel ages, Moloka'i and her community/town of Kalaupapa ages with her. And at the end, in 1970, a very important statement is made. One of the patients of Kalaupapa invites a tourist and others to the town, saying how the State of Hawaii is trying to turn Kalaupapa and Moloka'i into a resort because Moloka'i's land is too valuable. He says,

"To them it's just real estate, but to us it's a lot more. The government forced us to come here, and now that it's the only place we know, now that it's home, they want us to give it up? . . . We won't go without a fight, though. Not this time."

As of 2015, six patients still live in Kalaupapa. When they die, there's a plan to erect a monument dedicated to the 8,000 patients who lived there. The National Park Service currently has four proposals for the land:
1). Make no changes
2). Maintain the status quo, but develop a strategy to manage the area when the Department of Health operations end after the last patient dies
3). Open the park to visitors, allowing unrestricted access
4). Establish an entry-pass system and require orientation for anyone who travels to Kalaupapa. Under this proposal, which the NPS prefers, supervised visitation would also be expanded show less

One of the main reasons I love to read is to be transported to a different time and place. This historical fiction about experiences in a leper settlement at Kaluapapa on the island of Moloka’i, beginning in the 1890’s (and continuing into the twentieth century), accomplished this feat in fine fashion. The story begins with a young girl, Rachel Kalama, living with her family in Honolulu. When she contracts leprosy (now called Hansen’s Disease), she is removed from her family and sent to Moloka’i. The narrative follows the major events of Rachel’s life, focusing on close bonds she establishes. It is based on the experiences of real people with Hansen’s Disease and what happened to them historically. It highlights the fear, show more stigma, prejudice, and inhumane treatment they endured. There are obviously lessons to be learned in how we treat those with currently incurable contagious diseases today.

This book contains a satisfying mix of characters, plot, and originality. The author manages to make Rachel’s life of exile into a remarkable story. After all, she’s living in a small community on an island. What could possibly happen to fill an entire novel? Well, plenty can and does, and I found it both sad and thought-provoking. Rachel is a strong likeable character and it is easy to root for her. She faces an abundance of adversity and finds ways to avoid being defined by her condition.

It is obvious Brennert has done extensive research. He provides information on the background and treatment of the disease, following a historical progression, which I found extremely enlightening. He also includes a good amount of the history of Hawai’i and how it has changed over the years. It serves as touching tribute to people of the past that suffered greatly and have generally been overlooked. Content includes vivid descriptions of the ravages of Hansen’s Disease, one extremely violent scene, and a small amount of sex and profanity. I found it captivating, emotionally moving, and tragic but ultimately uplifting. Highly recommended! show less

One of the main reasons I love to read is to be transported to a different time and place. This historical fiction about experiences in a leper settlement at Kaluapapa on the island of Moloka’i, beginning in the 1890’s (and continuing into the twentieth century), accomplished this feat in fine fashion. The story begins with a young girl, Rachel Kalama, living with her family in Honolulu. When she contracts leprosy (now called Hansen’s Disease), she is removed from her family and sent to Moloka’i. The narrative follows the major events of Rachel’s life, focusing on close bonds she establishes. It is based on the experiences of real people with Hansen’s Disease and what happened to them historically. It highlights the fear, show more stigma, prejudice, and inhumane treatment they endured. There are obviously lessons to be learned in how we treat those with currently incurable contagious diseases today.

This book contains a satisfying mix of characters, plot, and originality. The author manages to make Rachel’s life of exile into a remarkable story. After all, she’s living in a small community on an island. What could possibly happen to fill an entire novel? Well, plenty can and does, and I found it both sad and thought-provoking. Rachel is a strong likeable character and it is easy to root for her. She faces an abundance of adversity and finds ways to avoid being defined by her condition.

It is obvious Brennert has done extensive research. He provides information on the background and treatment of the disease, following a historical progression, which I found extremely enlightening. He also includes a good amount of the history of Hawai’i and how it has changed over the years. It serves as touching tribute to people of the past that suffered greatly and have generally been overlooked. Content includes vivid descriptions of the ravages of Hansen’s Disease, one extremely violent scene, and a small amount of sex and profanity. I found it captivating, emotionally moving, and tragic but ultimately uplifting. Highly recommended! show less

There is no doubt that Brennert loves the Hawaiian islands. His knowledge of customs and beliefs run deep. Woven throughout the story of Moloka'i are the contradictions of Christianity versus native Hawaiian religion, the spirit of ohana and stories of sacred mythology, and last but not least, the misunderstandings and stigma surrounding what was then known as leprosy.
Rachel Kalama experiences the harsh realities of life when at only seven years of age she contracts leprosy and finds herself a prisoner on the island of Moloka'i. With the innocence only a child can possess, she is able to adapt and make the best of her situation, despite experiencing abandonment, prejudice, and fear surrounding her leprosy badge of shame. She makes show more friends easily although family dynamics change radically once her infection is confirmed. Only her father and uncle stand by her while her mother and siblings seemingly abandon her to her fate. As Rachel comes of age she navigates relationships with men with the same courage and tenacity. She learns what it means to be feared for her diseased and loved despite it. show less

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert is a deeply engaging story about Rachel Kalama who in the late 1800s, at the young age of six, is diagnosed with leprosy. She is torn from her family in Honolulu and shipped to the leper colony of Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka’i to be raised by nuns. The impact of this destroys her parents’ marriage and leaves this little girl alone in the world.

The isolation and fear that the lepers received was quite simply heartbreaking. Rachel’s world has becomes the leper colony and she could very well be spending the rest of her life there. She does eventually form a family comprised of friends although many of her ‘found family’ die from the disease. She also meets the man that she will marry but the show more disease and the rules that society place on it’s victims mean that true happiness is elusive. Rachel matures into a strong young woman who learns to overcome the challenges in her life. Her fascinating story is set against a backdrop of 20th century events.

Moloka’i is a well written and informative work of historical fiction. The author draws the reader into Rachel’s world and we easily learn to care for her and the people around her. He also shows a great respect for Hawaiian culture, religion and history. This is a rich, complex story that pulls on the emotions as it tells of Rachel’s personal strength and bravery. show less

Moloka'i recounts the life of Rachel, a Honolulu girl who contracts leprosy when she is 7 years old. She is eventually transferred to Moloka'i, the island of the lepers, where she and all her fellow sufferers live the lives of outcasts. This book was horrible...and beautiful. It was tragically heartbreaking...and uplifting. Brenner did an amazing job of weaving fiction around the horrid truth and reading this is like a long ride on an emotional roller coaster.

recommended for: everyone who can enjoy a well-crafted, engaging, perfect historical fiction-coming of age story

Reading this book contained and gave me absolutely everything I love about reading. It encompasses everything I love about the reading process. I loved it so much I know I won’t be able to write a coherent or worthy review; there’s no way for me to do this story justice, except to recommend it to many, many people I know, something I’ve already started to do.

Not only couldn’t I conceive of not giving it 5 stars, it also easily made my favorites shelf.

It’s an outstanding book. Anything accurate I say will sound like hyperbole, I am sure.

I cried more with emotion than I have for all but another handful of books.

It’s show more a book to savor. It’s completely absorbing. It’s very hard to put down. Great storytelling!

It’s heartbreaking, heartwarming, there’s lots of pathos, but there is also plentiful humor, including humor that often comes unexpectedly, at least for me; many times during some of the most poignant moments, I'd find something hilarious. I chuckled a lot, and smiled at something on nearly every page. . It broke my heart yet lifted me up. I also learned so much, especially about Hawaiian history and culture and about the settlement on Moloka'i. It’s a fabulous book.

I’m so grateful my book club agreed to read this (okay, I finally bullied them into it) because it had been on my to-read shelf for forever, but having to read it for the group forced me to get to it.

I cared tremendously about so many of the characters, particularly Rachel Kalama, but really most of them are compelling. The settings are so spot on amazing and as I reader I really felt as though I was there, every step of the way.

It’s about a life/lives and never for a moment does the experience of being with them feel less than 100% authentic. Rachel: every moment with her feels genuine, everything about her and how she is makes sense at every stage of her life.

I absolutely loved all the Hawaiian words interspersed throughout, all with their English counterparts right with them so their meaning was always apparent.

And, if this historical fiction book couldn’t be more perfect, there is an author’s note at the end where the author lets the reader know a few real people a few characters were based on and lists the sources used for the research done to in general recreate the time and place. A stellar job was done, as far as I can tell. There are a bunch of books, and information about them, listed in the back of this novel, and I am tempted to read some of them, but honestly, this book sated me; even though it was fiction, I feel I couldn’t have come away with more edification from any non-fiction account; that’s how good this novel is. Every time I thought it was amazing, something else happened that made it even more so. Over and over and over again.

I talked with a friend as I was reading this book, and she reminded me that either our fourth grade teacher or his brother, who at the time was a Christian missionary in the Philippines, had worked on Moloka’i, working with the residents who had Hansen’s disease. That bit of information solved a puzzle for me: I couldn’t remember why when I was nine and ten I was fascinated by and afraid of leprosy, couldn’t remember how I even knew about the disease. And, I’m sure it’s one of the reasons this book appealed to me as soon as I knew about it; I was fascinated. So, yes, I had a predilection for being able to enjoy the subject of this novel. But, I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever enjoys historical fiction novels, coming of age novels, cross cultural stories, stories with child protagonists, anyone interested in Hanesn's Disease or the history of medicine, or anything about Hawaii and/or its history, and all readers who can appreciate a gripping story. show less