Paul C. (Paul-RLT) reviewed The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai on + 176 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is a true account of the leper colony at Molokai. It is more or less chronological, but tells the history mainly through the stories of various individuals including Father Damian. In the recounting of the personal sagas of the victims, the sufferings of the lepers are made clear from the medical symptoms to the social stigmatization. The book also provides interesting accounts of the workings of the Hawaiian government and the politics involved. All in all, I would rate this book - good to very good.
Helpful Score: 2
I've had many experiences with some nonfiction books being really boring and a chore to get through. I thought this might be another boring one, even though I was interested in the content. Once I picked up this book I found it so interesting I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job explaining all of the history in a way which didn't put you to sleep.
I recently visited Kalaupapa and found the information in this book very helpful. During the tour I was familiar with the sites and the people being talked about from the history of the settlement because of this book. While I was in the gift shop in Kalaupapa I wondered why this book wasn't being sold with the others. I found out some former patients didn't like some of the content and there were questions about the source of some of the information. At the end of the book John Tayman does explain some of the controversy and there is 100 pages of notes and sources for the information in the book. I've read the book and all the positive and negative reviews. Just being an average person and having no firsthand knowledge if there is anything really wrong with the information in this book, I would highly recommend it and give it a positive review. It was a good read.
I recently visited Kalaupapa and found the information in this book very helpful. During the tour I was familiar with the sites and the people being talked about from the history of the settlement because of this book. While I was in the gift shop in Kalaupapa I wondered why this book wasn't being sold with the others. I found out some former patients didn't like some of the content and there were questions about the source of some of the information. At the end of the book John Tayman does explain some of the controversy and there is 100 pages of notes and sources for the information in the book. I've read the book and all the positive and negative reviews. Just being an average person and having no firsthand knowledge if there is anything really wrong with the information in this book, I would highly recommend it and give it a positive review. It was a good read.
