Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Before I read this book, I didn't know that Moloka'i was the Hawaiian island that served as the home for their leper colony. What I would have anticipated to be a depressing story is instead a brave and touching tale as well as fascinating history. Rachel Kalama is only eight when she is quarantined on a settlement on the island. There life, love, and incredible caring exist among these banished people. They go to school, create an economy, marry and relax in a lush tropical paradise even as they prepare to die. Just as remarkable are the changes that occur in the almost seven decades of Rachel's story - a story that is hard to get out of your head.