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Molokai - Alan Brennert

Rachel Kalama is a typical 5 year-old girl. She is mischievous, imaginative and affectionate. She exasperates her mother, fights with her sister and delights her father..... until she is diagnosed with leprosy. In the late 19th century, leprosy is a death sentence. With no known cure or adequate treatment, the only preventative measure available is a drastic form of quarantine. Rachel is separated from her family and removed to the leper colony on Molokai.

Fortunately, it is not as grim as Rachel (and this reader) feared it might be. Rachel adjusts to a new life. There is a great deal of heartbreak and suffering, but she also builds a life with an extended family and friends. In the new century there are improvements in the care and treatment of the disease and eventually an effective cure.

I enjoyed this book and I do recommend it, but I cannot give it 5 stars. It's a great story. I love that Brennert wanted to tell about Molokai from a Hawaiian viewpoint. So much was done to native people without their consent or involvement. My problem is that having established this viewpoint, I feel Brennert didn't do enough with it. Only Rachel and Sister Catherine had any real depth of character. I wanted to know more about Haleola and her native beliefs. Leilani was a fascinating character. Brennert could have done so much more with her life history and the role she, and others like her, played in preserving traditions. Most of all, I think he missed a great opportunity by just glancing at the deep religious conflicts between the native beliefs and the western missionary/charity workers. I know the conflict is there, implicit throughout the story, but it felt as if the author and the characters kept backing away from it.
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