Moloka'i is about a leprosy colony in the Hawaiian islands, on the island of Molokai. There is sadness and joy weaved together throughout this emotional read, but it definitely one of my all-time favorites.
Early in the story, a young Rachael is taken from her family and sent to the Molokai leper colony in the 1890's. Rachael is the youngest ever to be sent to this colony and struggles with loneliness and misses her family immensely. Rachael ends up living most of her life in the colony, until treatments started emerging in the 1930's that stopped the ravaging effects of the bacteria.
I have seen other reviews that have mentioned this book is sad and no doubt about it, there were times where I found myself racked with sobs, but there are many pieces of the story that are also absolutely beautiful. Rachael's resilience after so many terrible events, can be encouragement to anyone.
Prior to reading this book, I knew that Leprosy colonies, now called Hansen's Disease (HD), existed in India, but I had never heard of a leprosy colony in Hawaii. I also thought that HD did not exist anymore, but I was definitely wrong about that. Recent studies indicate 10% of the population is at risk of getting HD, but the treatments now available prevent people from becoming deformed. Some scientists believe that leprosy is tied to dirty living conditions and others have found links between Parkinson's and Hansen's.
When I took a gander at the data on new cases recorded, it seems as though person's with darker skin pigmentation may be more susceptible, since the highest amount of new cases are in southeast Asia and large areas of South America and Africa. This could also have something to do with limited medical resources, as I've heard stories from a friend who is part of the Acupuncture Relief Project in Nepal, there is something like one doctor for every 100,000 people in that country.
Moloka'i is a must read for anyone!
Early in the story, a young Rachael is taken from her family and sent to the Molokai leper colony in the 1890's. Rachael is the youngest ever to be sent to this colony and struggles with loneliness and misses her family immensely. Rachael ends up living most of her life in the colony, until treatments started emerging in the 1930's that stopped the ravaging effects of the bacteria.
I have seen other reviews that have mentioned this book is sad and no doubt about it, there were times where I found myself racked with sobs, but there are many pieces of the story that are also absolutely beautiful. Rachael's resilience after so many terrible events, can be encouragement to anyone.
Prior to reading this book, I knew that Leprosy colonies, now called Hansen's Disease (HD), existed in India, but I had never heard of a leprosy colony in Hawaii. I also thought that HD did not exist anymore, but I was definitely wrong about that. Recent studies indicate 10% of the population is at risk of getting HD, but the treatments now available prevent people from becoming deformed. Some scientists believe that leprosy is tied to dirty living conditions and others have found links between Parkinson's and Hansen's.
When I took a gander at the data on new cases recorded, it seems as though person's with darker skin pigmentation may be more susceptible, since the highest amount of new cases are in southeast Asia and large areas of South America and Africa. This could also have something to do with limited medical resources, as I've heard stories from a friend who is part of the Acupuncture Relief Project in Nepal, there is something like one doctor for every 100,000 people in that country.
Moloka'i is a must read for anyone!
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