- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will open on April 20, 2026 @ 6:00pm.
- A library card is not required.
Program Description
Event Details
Please pick up a copy of the book at the hosting branch.
Copies are available starting one month prior to the discussion, while supplies last.
"Young Rachel Kalama, growing up in idyllic Honolulu in the 1890s, is part of a big, loving Hawaiian family, and dreams of seeing the far-off lands that her father, a merchant seaman, often visits. But at the age of seven, Rachel and her dreams are shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. Forcibly removed from her family, she is sent to Kalaupapa, the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. In her exile she finds a family of friends to replace the family she's lost: a native healer, Haleola, who becomes her adopted "auntie" and makes Rachel aware of the rich culture and mythology of her people; Sister Mary Catherine Voorhies, one of the Franciscan sisters who care for young girls at Kalaupapa; and the beautiful, worldly Leilani, who harbors a surprising secret. At Kalaupapa she also meets the man she will one day marry. True to historical accounts, "Moloka'i" is the story of an extraordinary human drama, the full scope and pathos of which has never been told before in fiction. But Rachel's life, though shadowed by disease, isolation, and tragedy, is also one of joy, courage, and dignity. This is a story about life, not death; hope, not despair. It is not about the failings of flesh, but the strength of the human spirit."
Search for eBook and eAudiobook here.
Disclaimer(s)
Accommodations
If you need accommodations for this program, please contact the Library as soon as you are able.
Sponsored by Friends
This event was generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library.