Although this is book of fiction it is based on serious research and depicts actual events and some people. The book follows the events of the main character, Rachel Kalama starting at the age of 5 and moving through her life, the teens, loves, marriage, children and grandchildren. The book is about the leper colony of Hawaii and the lives of those forced to live out their lives. It is also about the people who worked on the island to help and serve.
The book is also about the turn of the century Hawaii and its transition from a remote island far away to a property of the United States. This is an interesting background to a book about forced separation and loss of customs and traditions.
No book about leprosy (Hansen's disease as it was called then) and the people suffering from the disease cannot be sad. But it is a book about survival and strength and relationships. In parts it is a book of a young girl forced to grow up outside the family and in strange places. It is also a book about history and change. Sometimes the best of intentions are wrong and there is pain and suffering as an outcome. It is also a book about the strength of people and working together.
A good summer read and one you might overlook as you review titles and one-sentence reviews.
For a more complete review of the book:
http://mostlyfiction.com/history/brennert.htm
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