Avg. Customer Rating:(based on 82 reviews) Sales Rank: 59606 Category: Book
Author:John Tayman Publisher:Scribner Studio:Scribner Manufacturer:Scribner Label:Scribner Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published) Media: Paperback Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 432 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8 Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2
Product Description Beginning in 1866 and continuing for over a century, more than eight thousand people suspected of having leprosy were forcibly exiled to the Hawaiian island of Molokai -- the longest and deadliest instance of medical segregation in American history. Torn from their homes and families, these men, women, and children were loaded into shipboard cattle stalls and abandoned in a lawless place where brutality held sway. Many did not have leprosy, and many who did were not contagious, yet all were ensnared in a shared nightmare.
Here, for the first time, John Tayman reveals the complete history of the Molokai settlement and its unforgettable inhabitants. It's an epic of ruthless manhunts, thrilling escapes, bizarre medical experiments, and tragic, irreversible error. Carefully researched and masterfully told, The Colony is a searing tale of individual bravery and extraordinary survival, and stands as a testament to the power of faith, compassion, and the human spirit.
Interesting Book November 22, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can really feel Hawaii and maybe my life is not so bad since I am not a 19th century leper.
Many Remarkable Stories October 31, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
in 1866, 12 men, one woman and a child were exiled to Molokai where they were branded lepers and their lives were destroyed. Evenutally, this number grew to over 1,144. They were tortured, abused and used as guinea pigs by an ignorant government system that thought they were being kind in allowing them to live at all. With all of this there are many remarkable stories and humans that fought to make the best out of a horrible situation. This is a long story to read, the book drags on in parts and glosses over others. Very text-bookie in sections and repetative in others. I recommend the story and the historical significance.
Fascinating history with modern parallels June 24, 2008 "The Colony" was greeted with rave reviews on the U.S. Mainland. Yet, it is not even sold in the National Park Service's bookstore at the settlement site on Molokai. Indeed, the book so upset one of its leading characters, storyteller Makia Malo, that he will not even utter the author's name.
The Amazon reviews hint at the range and breadth of opinion this book has generated; I recommend browsing both the glowing reviews and some of the less favorable 3-star and 1-star reviews. For the New York Times article on the controversy, you can Google this search term: "Book on Leprosy Settlement Draws Fire."
For what it's worth, here is my own brief take:
This is an amazing history, told in impressive detail. In chronicling the story of leprosy on the Hawaiian islands, Tayman even-handedly presents the good and the bad: Both grotesque medical experimentation and heroic service, devastating tragedy and human resilience. The scientific information was interspersed throughout the personal and political stories, making it more easily digestible.
The history of leprosy is not only fascinating in its own right, but it has important parallels today. Tayman briefly mentions the parallel with AIDS, especially in the early years of AIDS when exile was being proposed. I also found it relevant to the current treatment of another shunned group - sex offenders. As with lepers back in the day, policy makers attempt to banish all sex offenders as pariahs despite the fact that, like lepers, only a small minority are dangerous.
The negatives: As other Amazon reviewers have pointed out, the narration is choppy. We learn a lot of facts about a lot of people, but it is hard to keep the characters straight. And the editing is quite poor, something I am seeing a lot of these days. As for Tayman's apparent disrespect or arrogance toward the very people he was trying to honor - you decide.
If you are interested in this topic, Jeff Talarigo's haunting debut novel, The Pearl Diver, provides a good contrast. Although it is fiction, it seems historically accurate and you can contrast the treatment of lepers in Japan, where there seems to have been even more shame and prejudice, with that in Hawaii, where nearly every family had a member who was afflicted.
Poorly edited... May 26, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found the writing of this book mediocre and the editing poor. There are many unclear passages where the author will say something like "10 people were diagnosed... all eight died..." Or "Four men were killed...the three bodies were buried..." Very annoying. And don't get me started on his requent use of word SNUCK, which makes my blood run cold. I found the latter chapters of the book to be full of minutiae of the lives of a few older residents, that was of little interest or poinancy. Seemed like filler. Overall, the topic is very interesting, and parts are well-rendered, but the writing is somewhat jerky and overwrought.
Overall a good read January 2, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Overall I liked this book. I think the author largely achieved what he set out to, which was to tell the story of the lepers of Molokai and tell it in a way that could hold your attention throughout the book.
This book was not however perfect. My main criticism was the constant flow of characters coming in/out of the story, especially all the outsiders (IE members of the board of health). I was often left with questions such as "who was this person again?". I must admit I read this somewhat sporadically over a months time, so that could have had some to do with it, but I did find the sheer number of people presented a bit over the top. This criticism aside, I still found it to be an enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this kind of story.
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