I wish I were teaching American history because Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, would be required reading. It's not great literature, but it is a good read and very instructive. The story is about a little girl who contracts leprosy. She grows up and the story continues to her death. Through her life, we learn about how leprosy was treated and how the lepers lived. We feel her anger, her shame, her hurts, and her loves. We learn about Father Damian, Sister Mariann Cope, the doctors who ministered to lepers. We live through the depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the war, and life after the war.
The book itself is easy to read but difficult in that the topic is heart wrenching. Even so, everyone needs to experience Moloka'i.
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