by Alan Brennert
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
Released October 2004
Purchased for Book Club
From Goodreads:
Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.
My Thoughts:
So my first thought upon reading the synopsis was, "this is going to be so sad!". I was pleased to find that while it was heart-wrenching in places, the overall novel was inspiring and enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the social concepts surrounding leprosy and the way that changed over the years. It was also very interesting to hear about Pearl Harbor from the perspective of Hawaiians who weren't actually on the island when the attack took place. The entire novel was captivating. I'm so glad that we read this as a group and had a chance to talk about all of the insight and social commentary that came through the characters. I highly recommend this one.
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