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    Moloka'i
    Moloka'i
    Moloka'i
    Audiobook17 hours

    Moloka'i

    Written by Alan Brennert

    Narrated by Anne Noelani Miyamoto

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The powerful debut novel from Alan Brennert, Moloka'i tells the story of Rachel Kalama, a seven-year-old Hawaiian girl who contracts leprosy and is quarantined on the island of Moloka'i during the 1890s. Separated from her family and forced to grow up in the leper colony of Kalaupapa, Rachel experiences intense isolation. But she remains strong, finding moments of joy, and even love. Rich in Hawaiian history, this novel proves itself a stellar piece of historical fiction.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 26, 2010
    ISBN9781440775277
    Moloka'i
    Author

    Alan Brennert

    Alan Brennert is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. He grew up in New Jersey but moved to California in 1973. His novel Moloka’i was a national bestseller and a One Book, One San Diego selection for 2012. It also received the Bookies Award, sponsored by the Contra Costa Library, for the 2006 Book Club Book of the Year. His next novel, Honolulu, won First Prize in Elle Magazine’s Literary Grand Prix for Fiction and was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post. Of his novel Palisades Park, People Magazine said: “Brennert writes his valentine to the New Jersey playground of his youth in Ragtime-style, mixing fact and fiction. It’s a memorable ride.” His work as a writer-producer for the television series L.A. Law earned him an Emmy Award and a People’s Choice Award in 1991. He has been nominated for an Emmy on two other occasions, once for a Golden Globe Award, and three times for the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Teleplay of the Year. Alan's short story"Ma Qui" was honored with a Nebula Award in 1992. His story “Her Pilgrim Soul” was adapted by Brennert himself for the Alan Menken musical Weird Romance in 1992. His novel, Daughter of Moloka'i is a follow-up to Moloka'i that tells the story of Rachel Kalama's daughter Ruth, her early life, her internment during World War II, and her eventual meeting with her birth mother, Rachel. The novel explores the women's 22-year relationship, only hinted at it in Moloka'i.

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    Reviews for Moloka'i

    4.5/5

    152 ratings75 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It is Honolulu, Hawaii in 1892. Rachel Kalama, age 6, has just been outed as a possible leper and is taken from her family and sent to live at the leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. Rachel must live at the home for girls run by Catholic nuns, even though her Uncle Pono has the disease and lives on the island. This book follows Rachel through her life on the island, the people she meets and the indignities she and the other residents face as outcasts of society. This is a book of contrasts, with so much sadness occuring in such a beautiful place. It brings to life the hardships faced by the people who suffered with this disease, especially native Hawaiians, who were particularly susceptible to the disease. Fascinating, rich with detail and characters who show all sides of life in exile with a disease they couldn't cure.
    • 4/5
      A great story about what life is really about. A young girl, Rachel Kalama, is diagnosed withHansen's Disease at the age of six and sent to live on the quarintine island for lepors, Kalaupapa. An amazing tale of a young girl taken from her family and all she knows and how she continues to live her life despite being a lepor. I loved the writing style. Alan Brennert truly shows the emotion and captures the essence of all ages throught this amazing story.
    • 4/5
      Moloka’i by Alan Brennert and • Narrated by Anne Noelani Miyamoto4 starsThis is more than a story of Rachel, a young Hawaiian girl who is sent to the island of Moloka’i because of Hansen’s disease. It is also the story of Hawaii and covers the years from the end of the 19th century into the 20th century. Brennert covers it all and in that way it reminds one of the scope of a Michener tale. At times it felt a little like too much information and not enough story but in the end it is a tear jerker. I listed to the audio and the narration by Anne Noelani Miyamoto which gave authentic voice to the story and its setting. This one has been highly recommended and it won’t disappoint.
    • 4/5
      This is one of those epic, sweeping, and long tales that you don't want to end. Stunningly beautiful, stunningly sad. Don't fret! It's also full of hope and redemption.
    • 3/5
      There were parts of this book that made me sad, parts that made me laugh, parts that made me angry, and parts that made me curious and sent me looking for the history behind the story.
    • 4/5
      In general, I liked this book as an engaging read. Be careful not to think of this as a book about Hansen's disease. It is a book about the human spirit. The main character, Rachel, is larger than life as we follow her from spunky childhood into her role as an indomitable woman. There are many likable characters in the book, several of which are taken from history. Several others are composites of historical characters which the author sites in his notes at the end of the book. The author admits that he is in love with Hawaii and to that end, he somewhat sugarcoats a horrifying segment of history. That causes me some disquiet. So I went looking for the rest of the story and found some interesting things.First, I found an article online written by Jack London in 1908 for Women's Home Companion Magazine. Jack London's article has a very similar tone to this work of fiction. In his article, Jack London describes a 4th of July horserace on Moloka'i that Alan Brennert uses in his book, but doesn't credit it at the end of the book...though he does include Jack London's 5 days on the island in the text of the story.Then I found a nonfiction book, The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai by John Tayman (published 2006) which is well researched and documented. I'm finding it to be a more honest informative account of Molokai and the role of Hansen's disease in Hawaii's history.So, in summary, the book Moloka'i prompted me to dig more and find The Colony... which I think is a better book if one wishes to become informed about this disturbing chapter in history. With so many books and so little time, I wished I had started with The Colony. If you're happy with romanticized historical fiction...then perhaps you'll prefer Molaka'i
    • 5/5
      A stunning read. I've heard it described as sad and would have to disagree. Sad things happen to Rachel; it is not a sad BOOK. It's about how one can live on despite tragedy and sadness; about (however cliched) the triumph of the human spirit. It's about 'ohana, family, whether that is the one one is born with, or the one one acquires. SPOILERS: I longed, midway, to see Rachel reconcile with her mother. How much more satisfying, eventually, was it for Rachel to be able to UNDERSTAND her mother. The best moment, IMHO.
    • 4/5
      I'm a sucker for stories that take place over an entire lifetime... The Stone Diaries, for example. Experiencing the joy and the loss along with the protagonist, then seeing how those memories transform over time - it's sentimental and touching. (Heck, I felt the same way during the finale of Lost.) Moloka'i hits the same chords. That said, I don't enjoy stories that move too quickly past events, never pausing for emotional depth. Someone dies... next event! I had a great sense of the geography of the island, of the effects of leprosy, but never could I picture the people, nor could I enter their heads. I also didn't enjoy the author's sometimes pedantic style, when he would slip into an educational tone: "Hawaiians believed that physical problems were often the result of interpersonal relations that had gone wrong." Less information, more emotion, and this would be a great novel.
    • 5/5
       A sad but beautiful knowledge about a leper colony established on Moloka'i off the main island in the 1850. The story tells the tale of a young girl forced to leave her family behind and exiled to the colony where she will essentially live almost her entire life, from her catholic school upbringing by the nuns, her eventual marriage, constant hope for a cure, a marriage with the eventual birth of a daughter which she is forced to give away on the first day of birth( to prevent the infant from catching the disease) In short her tragic life story until the advancement of modern medecine and a cure at which time in her late fifties she is finally allowed to leave the island and proceeds to try and find the daughter she was forced to give away as well as try to relocate what remains of her family. This is set against he backdrop fo the illegal US annexation of Hawai'i and the white's mepris for the natives and their cultures enhanced by their fear of those who have the disease
    • 3/5
      A semi-romanticized portrait of the colonization of Moloka'i and its history.
    • 4/5
      Well written novel that covers some of the more turbulent times in Hawaii but from the vantage point of a Native Hawaiian exiled to the island of Moloka'i because of Hansen's disease. The ongoings of Hawaii are only a side to what happens to the main character but it impressed me that there was enough details in the book so as to impress on the gravity of the situation and touch upon how it affected the residents of the time. When I started the book, I knew the main character had leprosy and that she would be exiled to Kalaupapa. What I didn't expect was a rich story about her life there and the people she meets. The book isn't shy about how people afflicted with leprosy were treated. The shunning and rejection was heartbreaking to read about.I thought the way the author ended the story was well thought out. To do what he did to Ruth helped make the relations between Rachel and Ruth more believable and at the same time, a bit heart wrenching.
    • 5/5
      Such an amazing story. It has sparked a full-out research project for me, I never learned about this piece of the world in history class.
    • 5/5
      Alan Brennert’s Moloka’i is the poignant story of a Hawaiian girl with leprosy. In 1891, at age 7, Rachel Kalama displays symptoms of the dreaded disease, and is torn from her family and the life she knew in Oahu and sent by the authorities to live out the remainder of her days in a leper colony on the island of Moloka’i. Rachel embarks on her new life frightened and alone, but eventually finds warmth, friendship and a sense of family in her new surroundings. We watch Rachel as she grows older and share in her hardships and joy, her loves and her losses. Brennert’s description of early twentieth century Hawaii is stunning. Through Rachel’s eyes we see the beauty of the Hawaiian landscape and culture. As time passes, we watch the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by the US government, the introduction of new inventions like cinema and electric lights, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The characters in the novel are vividly portrayed, as well. This is due, in part, to Brennert’s ability to write very convincing dialogue. His combination of Pidgin expressions and gentle humor makes the characters very real and endearing. We are shown the disfigured face of Uncle Pono; yet have to smile when he speaks. We are made to understand the love Rachel’s father has for her and feel his ache when they are separated. We also see Molokai’i through the eyes of Sister Catherine, a nun who works on the island. She is filled with frustration and heartache and questions her faith in a God that can give leprosy to children. Sister Catherine finally comes to understand that God does not give people leprosy. He gives them the spirit to live in spite of it. Molokai’i is a story about hardships overcome and the power of hope, love, friendship and family. It is a compassionate tale that evokes characters & images that will stay with the reader long after the novel is finished.
    • 5/5
      I love this book. Most books I read don't effect me as personally as this book did, it made me cry.
    • 5/5
      Moloka'i turned out to be better than I ever anticipated. I began reading quite a few month's ago, but the library demanded it back before I could finish. Which led to me buying it and not getting back to it immediately. I picked it up last week and started in from the beginning.Moloka'i is about Rachel, who contracts leprosy while living in Hawaii in the late 1800's. According to the historical part of this historical fiction, the Chinese brought the leprosy bacteria with them when they came to Hawaii. Americans, of course, brought smallpox and mumps. I think that's our standard gift to give to folks. Rachel was only 6 or 7 years old when it's discovered that the lesions on her leg and foot were leprosy. Her Uncle Pono had just been "arrested" and sent away for leprosy as well.All lepers are treated as criminals. They are forced into isolation, torn away from their families and eventually end up at Moloka'i. The writing in this book was exceptional, the pain of a little girl being forced away from her family was heartbreaking.Without giving anything away, which is hard to do, the book follows Rachel through the rest of her life at Moloka'i. She has her Uncle Pono there, she makes friends, she marries and has a child.Leprosy appears to be a disease somewhat like AIDS, in that leprosy doesn't kill people. It weakens the immune system so much that even a common cold is fatal. As the book follows Rachel, it's just staggering the amount of deaths she witnesses, all loved ones. And it's very inspirational in how she handles every death and setback.Moloka'i was really a fantastic book. Well worth reading.
    • 4/5
      The first part of this book was amazingly written. The story line was sad although intriguing. As soon as I started the second part, I quickly became uninterested in the book. I was disappointed in the direction that the book had turned, so I didn't finish it. Besides this, it was a great book to read, and I enjoyed reading the first part of it.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book perhaps because I was so drawn to the main character. The historical perspective was also fascinating.
    • 4/5
      An excellent historical fiction about a subject that, even today, is little discussed. Following the "leper" quarantine community in Hawai'i, after the death of one of its most famous caretakers: Father Damien de Veuster, through to the disease's cure, Alan Brennert chronicles the life of one victim, Rachel, from life prior to diagnosis through to cure. While the reader follows Rachel's life - experience to emotion - this story is more about the disease in life, than the life of the diseased person. The reader can easily take the lessons of this story and apply it timelessly to events and diseases of modern day.
    • 4/5
      The ‘separating sickness’ reaches a tendril into a Honolulu family’s home, touching seven year old Rachel. With no native defense against leprosy in Hawaii, the disease is fought by separating from their families, those who show symptoms, and removing them to the island of Moloka’I, to the leper colony of Kalaupapa. This story of an imagined patient is peopled with those who actually were involved in this work. The author seemed sympathetic to the native population and the beauty of the islands, critical of the fact that leprosy had reached there, critical of those who tried to do something about it, and their methods. His personal leanings notwithstanding, I still enjoyed this read. Mr. Brennert’s islands came to life under his pen. As did the patients and the various ways that leprosy showed itself; the sisters of the catholic hospital and their work; the families torn asunder, and especially those who were left to live the rest of their lives confined to the leper colony. I enjoyed this book via audio and would highly recommend the experience of hearing it with its beautiful native words and inflections; the narrator did a lovely job.
    • 5/5
      As leprosy begins to ravage the Hawaiian Islands, familes are torn apart when a quarantine sends the afflicted to the remote island of Moloka'i. Under the strict control of their Catholic caretakers and submitted to painful medical experiments, the inhabitants of Moloka'i struggle to build a community to live out their days.
    • 5/5
      I'm not really quite sure how to review this book. I'm not good at writing reviews, first of all, and particularly for a book like this, which I thought was amazing and which I loved, it's even harder. I will caveat by saying that I am not going to do this book justice by any means here.The story is about Moloka'i, an island off the coast of Maui, and in particular, an isolated settlement called Kalaupapa, where for decades, people who contracted leprosy - Hansen's disease - were sent. They were taken away from family and friends and essentially imprisoned there. The book follows Rachel Kalama, a little girl who is dragged away from her family at the age of seven, and shipped to Kalaupapa. We see her whole life, see the settlement and its people through her eyes, and learn so much about Hawaii's culture along the way.This book caused me to smile, to laugh, and so many times, to tear up. I had to put it down at some parts because I just couldn't take any more. But I picked it up again almost right away because I had to know what happens next.I was extremely engrossed in the book, in the world that Brennert created, or, more accurately, brought back to life. Everytime I surfaced back to real life, it was a shock, and when it finally ended, I had a really hard time extricated myself from its world.The writing is simple, nothing over the top, but it's emotional and it really just paints a picture in front of your eyes. I also really liked the Author's Note at the end, with a bunch of books for readers who were interested in learning more, as well as the 'Get to Know the History' section which highlighted real people from Moloka'i along with some of their words.Five stars, in my favorites, and definitely recommended!
    • 5/5
      Brings Molokai to life by using both fictional characters and real ones living in Molokai during the early 1900s after Father Damien's tenure there. Brilliant and moving story made me want to learn more about the colony and its history.
    • 5/5
      Moloka'i is a well done historical novel, with lots of information about Hawaii and world events from the 1890's to 1970. But most of all it is a beautifully written fictional biography, and that's where it rises from a good novel to a great piece of literature.Rachel Kalama lives with her loving family until she is diagnosed with Leprosy at age seven. Then, given the laws of the day, she is forcibly removed from her home and isolated in the leper colony on Moloka'i.It would be easy at this point to expect a grim story, envisioning the horrors of leper colonies in places like India. But Molok'ai surprises. This is a richly drawn saga of a community of people who struggle with adversity like most of humanity, and manage to carve out a life for themselves.Though the author uses an omniscient point of view, which is typically distant, that is not the case with this book. The reader is taken deep into the hearts of many wonderful characters from Sister Catherine, who spends her life serving the lepers while questioning a god who would create such a disease, to Haleola, a traditional Hawaiian Kahuna, who has one foot in ancient gods, healing and tradition, and another in the emerging modern world. But the character readers will fall in love with is Rachel. Ripped from her family at an early age and experiencing loss and tragedy that would sink most of us, Rachel manages to live a full life and, despite all her trials, keep hope alive.It would be easy for a story like this to be maudlin, but it is not. It is told in simple but beautiful language in an almost matter-of-fact way that is nevertheless deeply moving. Moloka'i is a well written saga that is at times sad, funny, tragic and uplifting--and in totality, a story about the triumph of the human spirit.
    • 5/5
      It was a great story, rich in history and place, with characters I cared about.
    • 5/5
      The story centers around the life of Rachel, who was exiled to Kalaupapa, Moloka’i as a young child with Hansen’s Disease. (The condition was still referred to as “leprosy” during the majority of the book for historical accuracy.)While the history of the island and progression of the disease are accurately detailed, they merely provide the background for the true theme of the book—loss.This book is about loss of family and friends, health, dignity and, worst of all, hope. Chapter after chapter, Rachel watches her family disown her, her friends and family die (including her husband who is murdered in front of her eyes), she is forced to give up her only child for adoption, and she undergoes numerous experimental treatments to have them fail. What’s remarkable is that along with this deep sense of loss, there is no bitterness or anger but instead acceptance and forbearance. Late in the book, the discovery of sulfa drugs to force Hansen’s Disease into a noncommunicable state allowed for Rachel’s release. Being in her 60’s, much of her family was gone. However, she reconnected with her brother and sister and established a relationship with the daughter she had given up for adoption. While much of her life had been forfeited to her disease, she used her remaining 20 years to “lead a well-lived life,” full of laughter and adventure. It was consoling to learn the character had some recompense for the years of pain and tragedy she had endured.This novel was incredibly emotional (“chick lit” at its finest) but the writing is superb and will be enjoyed by anyone that appreciates a well crafted story.
    • 5/5
      This novel celebrates the endurance of the human spirit. Historically correct, it is both deeply sad and joyous. In Rachel Kalama, Brennert has created a character who stays with the reader long after the book is finished.
    • 5/5
      Excellent historical fiction novel with good character development and a very interesting topic.
    • 3/5
      I might be giving this one a 2.5 stars, but I am not sure...

      The writing style left something to be desired. It was almost as if it had been written in another language and translated to English, but I don't think it actually was.

      Some semi-spoilers: The story didn't seem to have much direction, and I am not a huge fan of strange gaps in time... I don't mind a good human interest / suffering story, but there just didn't seem to be much TO this one.

      I don't know... I am just really not excited about this one.
    • 4/5
      A fine piece of historical fiction that I'm not sure I would have read if not for my reading group. I would certainly say Brennert's story is epic in scope. And it's made me want to read other books about Moloka'i and leprosy in general including "The Colony" and "In The Sanctuary of Outcasts".
    • 4/5
      Born in New Jersey and raised in Southern California, Alan Brennert received a Bachelor’s degree in English from California State University at Long Beach. In addition to novels, Brennert writes short stories, screenplays, teleplays, and musicals. For his work on L.A. Law, he was awarded an Emmy in 1991. During his career, Brennert has also won a People’s Choice Award and a Nebula Award.When Disease Alters EverythingSet in Honolulu in the 1890s, Rachel Kalama lives a normal life as a typical five-year-old girl when her mother discovers that she has a sore on her leg that won’t heal. The official health inspector quickly discovers Rachel’s malady (Hansen’s Disease, better known as leprosy) and she is torn from her family. Shipped out to an island of isolation, Rachel finds herself in the company of other lepers in the city of Kalaupapa.Happiness and LossRachel’s story is both one of happiness and of loss. It’s a sort of dualism that plagues the book, perhaps an effective commentary on our own lives. She experiences the loss of people she loves constantly throughout the book, meanwhile gaining new loves.I’m amazingly moved and impressed by Brennert’s ability to find the depths of the soul where very few authors try to tread. Through this novel, Brennert poignantly tugs at the heart of the reader by forcing the reader to emotionally invest in unusual characters and their unique circumstances.The Burden of Hansen’s DiseaseFew readers want to dive into the life of someone with Hansen’s disease. Yet, Brennert forces the reader to dwell with these people. He forces the reader to know the life, the adventures, the love, and the loss of someone whose life has been drastically changed by a debilitating illness. The reader knows Rachel just as well as she knows herself, and eventually comes to the realization that Hansen’s disease took everything from Rachel, but also gave her something more in the end.I obviously enjoyed the book. I think Moloka'i would be great for people that love Hawaiian culture and I’d strongly recommend it for anyone wants a simple, easy read.Originally posted at: wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com