MOLOKA’I
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai’i more than a century ago,
is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place—and a deeply
moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.
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.
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai’i more than a century ago,
is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place—and a deeply
moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.
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.
With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka’i
is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face
of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that
“few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel’s story”
(mostlyfiction.com).
- St. Martin's Griffin
- Paperback
- October 2004
- 400 Pages
- 9780312304355
Buy the Book
$14.99
About Alan Brennert
Alan Brennert is a novelist (Time and Chance) as well as an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter (L.A. Law). He lives in Southern California, but his heart is in Hawai’i.
Praise
“Alan Brennert draws on historical accounts of Kalaupapa and weaves in traditional Hawaiian stories and customs…. Moloka’i is the story of people who had much taken from them but also gained an unexpected new family and community in the process.”—Chicago Tribune
“[An] absorbing novel…Brennert evokes the evolution of–and hardships
on—Moloka’i in engaging prose that conveys a strong sense of place.”—National Geographic Traveler
“Compellingly original…Brennert’s compassion makes Rachel a memorable
character, and his smooth storytelling vividly brings early
twentieth-century Hawai’i to life.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A dazzling historical novel.”—The Washington Post
Discussion Questions
The book’s opening paragraph likens Hawai’i in the 19th century to a garden. In what ways is Hawai’i comparable to another, Biblical, garden?
Given what was known at the time of the causes and contagion of leprosy, was the Hawaiian government’s isolation of patients on Moloka’i justified or not?
How is Hawai’i’s treatment of leprosy patients similar to today’s treatment of SARS and AIDS patients? How is it different?
What does ‘ohana mean? How does it manifest itself throughout Rachel’s life?
What does surfing represent to Rachel?
Rachel’s mother Dorothy embraced Christianity; her adopted auntie, Haleola, is a believer in the old Hawaiian religion. What does Rachel believe in?
There are many men in Rachel’s life–her father Henry, her Uncle Pono, her first lover Nahoa, her would-be lover Jake, her husband Kenji. What do they have in common? What don’t they?
Rachel’s full name is Rachel Aouli Kalama Utagawa. What does each of her names represent?
Did you as a reader regard Leilani as a man or a woman?
Discuss the parallels and inversions between the tale of heroic mythology Rachel relates on pages 296-298, and what happens to Kenji later in this chapter.
Imagine yourself in the place of Rachel’s mother, Dorothy Kalama. How would you have handled the situation?
The novel tells us a little, but not all, of what Sarah Kalama feels after her accidental betrayal of her sister Rachel. Imagine what kind of feelings, and personal growth, she might have gone through in the decades following this incident.
In what ways is Ruth like her biological mother? How do you envision her relationship with Rachel evolving and maturing in the twenty years between 1948 and 1970?
Considering the United States’ role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, was the American response adequate or not? In recent years a “Hawaiian sovereignty” movement has gathered momentum in the islands–do you feel they have a moral and/or legal case?