Looking back on Moloka'i, I would most definitely say that I was satisfied with how the book went; especially the ending. When we were told that our independent reading book was to be historical fiction, I debated over multiple books, but I do not regret choosing Moloka'i at all. I won't give away any spoilers (in hopes that my blogs have inspired you to pick up the book yourself), but I will say that the ending, in my opinion, was perfect.
When I began to read Moloka'i, I was a little apprehensive about reading it, considering it was about a topic completely unfamiliar to me. Before doing some research, I didn't even know what leprosy was. Something that I really liked about the book was that once I started reading, there wasn't much of a need to research on my own. The book explained the historical aspects as it went along. I discovered that I actually found the history of leprosy to be quite compelling. I did end up doing a lot of research, but I found myself coming across much of my outside information in the book.
I'll admit that at first, I didn't really like the author's inclusion of historical context that wasn't related to leprosy. It seemed a little random when he would dedicate 5 pages to talking about the arrival of refrigerators on Moloka'i, or even when he began a chapter describing baseball on the island, which seemed very irrelevant. However, each of the historical aspects did end up affecting the story in some way, as was described in my previous blog. After having finished the book, I realized that these facets contributed to the perception of the Moloka'i island more than the fictional segments of the book. Clearly the island had a huge effect on the story, so it was good that the author established significance there. The last chapter takes place in 1970, and it is easy to see that Moloka'i is a completely different place from the time Rachel had arrived as a little girl. It was while I was reading this that I realized all of those seemingly unimportant historical facts were necessary to include.
I would recommend Moloka'i to anyone. It's likely that it would be enjoyed more by women since the main character is a girl, but I don't see why men couldn't appreciate it too, especially considering the author is a man himself. I did include a lot about the book in my blogs, but Alan Brennert wrote it a lot better than I did, and I purposely left out many details. If you like a heart-warming, inspirational novel that you can learn quite a bit from, you would definitely enjoy Moloka'i just as much as I did.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Entry Four: Thoughts on Moloka'i & Creative Elements
This section of Moloka'i, just as the previous ones, was great. It consisted of many incredibly sad events, but kept me very interested. The section went on for nearly 40 years (of Rachel's life), so there was a lot of evident character development. There were many deaths that were mourned, and many joyous events that were celebrated. Rather than going over every event like I had done in my previous blog posts, I thought it would be more compelling and effective to create a Glogster of the important events that occurred in Rachel's life throughout this section.
***note: third bubble - "Japense" is a typo for "Japanese"
As you can see from the Glog above, Rachel had a very eventful 40 or so years. The last page of the section was when it was discovered that Kenji had died, and I was extremely upset that this had happened. Earlier in the book, Leilani, too, passed away. Once Kenji was gone, it was as if Rachel truly had no one left. The only person Rachel had that she was really close to was Sister Catherine, and besides that, she was on her own. Though she was no longer the lost seven year old girl from the beginning of the book, I still felt immense sympathy for fifty-something year old Rachel.
The major events in Rachel's life can be found above. But, what about the major events in all of the residents of Moloka'i's lives? Well, there's a Glog for that too! In the Glog below, multiple historical trends and events are depicted.
Many of these events may seem irrelevant to the story. However, I pulled the information straight from the book, along with some further research. All of these events had a certain significance to Rachel's life. For instance, the fact about baseball being popular was important because the first time Rachel noticed Kenji, he had been playing on Kalaupapa's baseball team. The temporary release trend was significant to Rachel and Kenji because they had come so close to applying for it themselves. When the many Caucasians arrived on Moloka'i in 1941, Rachel's future neighbor, Gabe, also arrived. This is definitely important, considering Gabe ended up killing Kenji. The fact that education was lacking on Moloka'i contributes to Rachel's life because she felt as though she suffered from this lack of education, and she always wished she could have learned more. The modernization was a big part of Rachel's life because she influenced Lawrence McCully Judd to make many changes, and she and Kenji were both very excited about the arrival of electricity (specifically their new refrigerator and street lights). Lastly, the Pearl Harbor Attack had a large impact on Rachel at the end of the book because she was terrified for her family residing on O'ahu. To me, it is amazing that a fictional character experienced so many events that are 100% real.
***note: third bubble - "Japense" is a typo for "Japanese"
As you can see from the Glog above, Rachel had a very eventful 40 or so years. The last page of the section was when it was discovered that Kenji had died, and I was extremely upset that this had happened. Earlier in the book, Leilani, too, passed away. Once Kenji was gone, it was as if Rachel truly had no one left. The only person Rachel had that she was really close to was Sister Catherine, and besides that, she was on her own. Though she was no longer the lost seven year old girl from the beginning of the book, I still felt immense sympathy for fifty-something year old Rachel.
The major events in Rachel's life can be found above. But, what about the major events in all of the residents of Moloka'i's lives? Well, there's a Glog for that too! In the Glog below, multiple historical trends and events are depicted.
Many of these events may seem irrelevant to the story. However, I pulled the information straight from the book, along with some further research. All of these events had a certain significance to Rachel's life. For instance, the fact about baseball being popular was important because the first time Rachel noticed Kenji, he had been playing on Kalaupapa's baseball team. The temporary release trend was significant to Rachel and Kenji because they had come so close to applying for it themselves. When the many Caucasians arrived on Moloka'i in 1941, Rachel's future neighbor, Gabe, also arrived. This is definitely important, considering Gabe ended up killing Kenji. The fact that education was lacking on Moloka'i contributes to Rachel's life because she felt as though she suffered from this lack of education, and she always wished she could have learned more. The modernization was a big part of Rachel's life because she influenced Lawrence McCully Judd to make many changes, and she and Kenji were both very excited about the arrival of electricity (specifically their new refrigerator and street lights). Lastly, the Pearl Harbor Attack had a large impact on Rachel at the end of the book because she was terrified for her family residing on O'ahu. To me, it is amazing that a fictional character experienced so many events that are 100% real.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Entry Three: Reflection/Reaction and Historical Information
Section two of Moloka'i was anything but boring, to say the least. The section began after Rachel had run away from the Bishop Home, and as I had predicted, she was in search of Uncle Pono and Haleola. On the way to find them, she experienced an encounter with a wild pig. Rachel ran from the pig successfully, but was a little shaken up afterwards, and ended up tripping over a tree root and cutting up her leg. Fortunately, a man saw this and went to help Rachel. He brought her to his house, took care of her cuts, and when she asked if he knew Pono, he promised that he would take her to him when she was recovered. However, the man broke his promise, and forced Rachel to do labor around his house. When she tried to escape, he hit her in order to show her that she would not be leaving anytime soon. Rachel, however, fled when the man was not paying attention, and finally made it to Uncle Pono. The Bishop Home, who had discovered Pono even before Rachel, allowed her to stay with her uncle. She was allotted this privilege because Uncle Pono was dying. Rachel stayed with her uncle and Haleola, (who were romantically involved just like I predicted), until his death. All of these events were difficult to read about. At this point in the book, Rachel is still a mere seven years old. Reading about her being hit by the unfamiliar man was awful, especially since she had been so excited for the man to bring her to Pono. When she was finally united with her uncle, it was terrible to learn of the young girl losing yet another family member, though she handled the situation in a surprisingly mature manner. I also felt immense sympathy for Haleola, who had previously lost her husband. As soon as she went back into the dating world, she lost yet another man whom she had loved. I even felt bad for Pono, who was such a positive, happy character. He seemed like he accepted his death, but I knew I would miss his presence in the story. Shortly after his brother's death, Henry Kalama came to visit Rachel. I was grateful for this, especially because his arrival took me by such surprise. Henry definitely took some of the tension out of the situation, and it was wonderful to read about Rachel being happy, though it was only temporary.
After some minor events, the book skips to 1903, when Rachel is seventeen years old. The section starts by announcing that in 1898, the annexation of Hawai'i had occurred. Back in the first section of Moloka'i, the author describes the overthrow of Hawai'i's previous Queen Liliuokalani. This website, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=189, describes both events in further detail. The inclusion of the historical context seems a bit out of place, except for the fact that Haleola was evidently against the annexation. Shortly after this event is described, Rachel and her friends at the Bishop Home sneak out to a party, where Rachel experiences her first kiss. It was strange to see the girls experiencing normal situations, since up until that point, they had all seemed like prisoners. However, it was definitely interesting to observe how they acted and how much they enjoyed themselves. When doing some research about the privileges and restrictions of life on Moloka'i, I actually came across a video that showed Kalaupapa today, and compared and contrasted it back to the 1800's. This video,
is tourist-made, and describes a man referred to as Father Damien. This man was mentioned multiple times in the book, and the sisters at the Bishop Home had a personal connection with him. I did not realize he was an actual person, or more specifically, a hero. Not long after the party, Rachel gets dismissed from the Bishop Home to take care of Haleola, whose leprosy was worsening. This was another difficult thing to read, especially because it seemed as though as soon as Rachel would become close to someone, she would lose them.
Years go by in a matter of pages and Rachel loses her virginity to a close friend of hers, Nahoa. The two decide that they would rather stay friends, but Rachel is relieved to have the burden of being a virgin lifted off of her shoulder, considering she was 22 at this point. During this point in the book, Rachel is receiving treatments to remove the tumors depicted by her blemishes, in hopes that her leprosy will be cured. This made me really hopeful, and I instantly imagined Rachel reuniting with her father. In the meantime, Rachel meets a new friend, Leilani. One night, Rachel and Leilani go to a party and Leilani goes off with a boy. When Rachel hears screams, she finds her friend being abused. She takes her to Haleola, the healer, who undresses Leilani to examine the damage. This is when Rachel and Haleola discover that Leilani is not who she appears to be - or rather, who he appears to be. At first, Rachel is very upset. But, Leilani explains that her whole life, she had to deal with being a man when she rightfully felt as though she was destined to be a woman. Rachel comes to accept this, and the two become close friends once again. I really respected Rachel's decision to forgive her friend for lying to her, and also her ability to deal with Laileni being a transvestite. At the end of the section, as predicted, Haleola passed away. I was very upset when this happened, especially because of how much I admired her as a character, and I knew Rachel loved her in the same way she loved her mother. The only good thing is that it was easy to see the death coming, for both Rachel and me, so that it was not such a catastrophic event. I am truly anxious to read on in Moloka'i and learn of Rachel's new life on her own.
After some minor events, the book skips to 1903, when Rachel is seventeen years old. The section starts by announcing that in 1898, the annexation of Hawai'i had occurred. Back in the first section of Moloka'i, the author describes the overthrow of Hawai'i's previous Queen Liliuokalani. This website, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=189, describes both events in further detail. The inclusion of the historical context seems a bit out of place, except for the fact that Haleola was evidently against the annexation. Shortly after this event is described, Rachel and her friends at the Bishop Home sneak out to a party, where Rachel experiences her first kiss. It was strange to see the girls experiencing normal situations, since up until that point, they had all seemed like prisoners. However, it was definitely interesting to observe how they acted and how much they enjoyed themselves. When doing some research about the privileges and restrictions of life on Moloka'i, I actually came across a video that showed Kalaupapa today, and compared and contrasted it back to the 1800's. This video,
is tourist-made, and describes a man referred to as Father Damien. This man was mentioned multiple times in the book, and the sisters at the Bishop Home had a personal connection with him. I did not realize he was an actual person, or more specifically, a hero. Not long after the party, Rachel gets dismissed from the Bishop Home to take care of Haleola, whose leprosy was worsening. This was another difficult thing to read, especially because it seemed as though as soon as Rachel would become close to someone, she would lose them.
Years go by in a matter of pages and Rachel loses her virginity to a close friend of hers, Nahoa. The two decide that they would rather stay friends, but Rachel is relieved to have the burden of being a virgin lifted off of her shoulder, considering she was 22 at this point. During this point in the book, Rachel is receiving treatments to remove the tumors depicted by her blemishes, in hopes that her leprosy will be cured. This made me really hopeful, and I instantly imagined Rachel reuniting with her father. In the meantime, Rachel meets a new friend, Leilani. One night, Rachel and Leilani go to a party and Leilani goes off with a boy. When Rachel hears screams, she finds her friend being abused. She takes her to Haleola, the healer, who undresses Leilani to examine the damage. This is when Rachel and Haleola discover that Leilani is not who she appears to be - or rather, who he appears to be. At first, Rachel is very upset. But, Leilani explains that her whole life, she had to deal with being a man when she rightfully felt as though she was destined to be a woman. Rachel comes to accept this, and the two become close friends once again. I really respected Rachel's decision to forgive her friend for lying to her, and also her ability to deal with Laileni being a transvestite. At the end of the section, as predicted, Haleola passed away. I was very upset when this happened, especially because of how much I admired her as a character, and I knew Rachel loved her in the same way she loved her mother. The only good thing is that it was easy to see the death coming, for both Rachel and me, so that it was not such a catastrophic event. I am truly anxious to read on in Moloka'i and learn of Rachel's new life on her own.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Entry Two: Introduction to Moloka'i
After having read the first section of Moloka'i, I would definitely say I have found it interesting. The beginning went a little slow because it was mainly just the introduction to the characters and the plot. The first 50 or so pages focused mostly on the main character, Rachel Kalama, and her family. Rachel's family lives in Honolulu in 1891 at the beginning of the book. Her mother, Dorothy, is very strict and at times cold, but her love for her daughter is evident. Dorothy's husband Henry is away at sea most of the time, and Rachel constantly counts the days until his return. When Henry is finally introduced, it is clear that Rachel absolutely adores him, and he feels the same about her in return. Rachel has two brothers, Benjamin and James (more commonly known as Kimo) who are almost always roughhousing or fighting with each other. Her sister, Sarah, is two years older than herself, and whereas the two do have their issues, they're good friends at the end of the day. Rachel's Uncle Pono, (Henry's brother), is a funny man with a close relationship to his brother's family. The family has their problems, but it is easy to see that they all love one another very much. The close relationship between the Kalama's, in my opinion, definitely contributed to the sadness of the book when the conflict began.
Once the close relation of the family has been established, the troubles commenced. When Dorothy finds a red mark on Rachel's thigh, she convinces herself that it is nothing serious and goes to a kahuna (a Hawaiian word for witch, sorcerer, healer, etc.) to find a remedy to heal her daughter. She applies the pulp she receives from the kahuna to Rachel desperately, but the red mark does not fade. Dorothy makes sure her family knows that this is their secret alone, for they know that the Board of Health would take Rachel away if this mark did indeed represent leprosy. In the meantime, Uncle Pono is taken captive by the hospital for he is discovered to have leprosy. I found this a really sad part of the book, especially because of what an impact it had on Rachel, who really loved her uncle. One day on the playground at school, Rachel and Sarah get into an argument. They begin to call each other names, when Sarah accuses her sister of being a "dirty leper". Her accusation was unheard by no one present. Representatives from the Board of Health came to the Kalama household and took Rachel to the hospital for some testing. Sure enough, the leprosy test came back positive, and Rachel was forced to leave her home for the hospital.
Rachel was not happy about staying in the hospital. However, her Uncle Pono was there too, and her parents could visit every day. The trouble began when Pono got a letter saying that his treatments were showing no improvement and he would be shipped off to Moloka'i. Rachel was terribly sad about this, for Pono was the only family member she could truly interact with now that she had been declared contagious. Not long after, Rachel's wish to be with Pono was granted when she, too, was informed that she would be going to Moloka'i. Rachel's departure was a very depressing event to read about, especially because of the guilt and tension between her and Sarah. Henry and Dorothy both wished they could accompany their terrified daughter, but knew that they could not. Rachel was forced to leave her home along with the other lepers, and settled in at her new life on the island Moloka'i.
I personally enjoyed the first section of the book. I found it really difficult to read about Rachel's departure, considering a seven-year-old girl was being forced apart from her home and family. It was clear that the author's intention of showing the love between the Kalama's in the beginning was to make the separation harder for the reader to read, and much more of a tear-jerker. When Rachel was taken to the hospital, I practically thanked the author out loud for having Uncle Pono there to keep her company. Since Rachel was being forced away from her home, it was fortunate that she no longer had to worry about missing her uncle. If she had been completely alone, the book would have been much harder to get through. I found myself thanking Alan Brennert again for having Uncle Pono in Moloka'i when Rachel was sent there, because having to read about a seven-year-old girl with a disease being sent to an island all alone may have been near impossible.
Though I found the beginning of Rachel's story very upsetting, the sad aspects of a book are usually what make it interesting, and I will admit that as soon as Rachel was diagnosed with leprosy, I could not put Moloka'i down. I like the author's use of dramatic situations, like how Sarah was the reason for the discovery of her sister's illness. In my opinion, the drama increases the interest.
Judging by what I have read so far, I have multiple predictions about how the future parts of the book will go. One character who was introduced on the island, Haleola, seems like she will be a very important character. She was introduced to Rachel by Uncle Pono, and she seems like a very kind woman. It has been mentioned numerous times that she is a widow, and Pono's wife is filing for a divorce since he is no longer around. Because these two facts were introduced around the same time, I'm predicting that the two will end up together.
So far, it seems as though Rachel really adores Haleola, and it is evident that she loves her Uncle Pono very much. Since I believe the two adults may become involved with each other, I think the three will end up forming their own family. Rachel has been forced to live with other girls around her age and forbidden to live with Pono and Haleola, but at the end of the section she ran away. I can easily predict that the place she ran away to was Pono's house, and Pono and Haleola will do anything they can to keep Rachel out of the Bishop Home, where she has been unwillingly living.
Once the close relation of the family has been established, the troubles commenced. When Dorothy finds a red mark on Rachel's thigh, she convinces herself that it is nothing serious and goes to a kahuna (a Hawaiian word for witch, sorcerer, healer, etc.) to find a remedy to heal her daughter. She applies the pulp she receives from the kahuna to Rachel desperately, but the red mark does not fade. Dorothy makes sure her family knows that this is their secret alone, for they know that the Board of Health would take Rachel away if this mark did indeed represent leprosy. In the meantime, Uncle Pono is taken captive by the hospital for he is discovered to have leprosy. I found this a really sad part of the book, especially because of what an impact it had on Rachel, who really loved her uncle. One day on the playground at school, Rachel and Sarah get into an argument. They begin to call each other names, when Sarah accuses her sister of being a "dirty leper". Her accusation was unheard by no one present. Representatives from the Board of Health came to the Kalama household and took Rachel to the hospital for some testing. Sure enough, the leprosy test came back positive, and Rachel was forced to leave her home for the hospital.
Rachel was not happy about staying in the hospital. However, her Uncle Pono was there too, and her parents could visit every day. The trouble began when Pono got a letter saying that his treatments were showing no improvement and he would be shipped off to Moloka'i. Rachel was terribly sad about this, for Pono was the only family member she could truly interact with now that she had been declared contagious. Not long after, Rachel's wish to be with Pono was granted when she, too, was informed that she would be going to Moloka'i. Rachel's departure was a very depressing event to read about, especially because of the guilt and tension between her and Sarah. Henry and Dorothy both wished they could accompany their terrified daughter, but knew that they could not. Rachel was forced to leave her home along with the other lepers, and settled in at her new life on the island Moloka'i.
I personally enjoyed the first section of the book. I found it really difficult to read about Rachel's departure, considering a seven-year-old girl was being forced apart from her home and family. It was clear that the author's intention of showing the love between the Kalama's in the beginning was to make the separation harder for the reader to read, and much more of a tear-jerker. When Rachel was taken to the hospital, I practically thanked the author out loud for having Uncle Pono there to keep her company. Since Rachel was being forced away from her home, it was fortunate that she no longer had to worry about missing her uncle. If she had been completely alone, the book would have been much harder to get through. I found myself thanking Alan Brennert again for having Uncle Pono in Moloka'i when Rachel was sent there, because having to read about a seven-year-old girl with a disease being sent to an island all alone may have been near impossible.
Though I found the beginning of Rachel's story very upsetting, the sad aspects of a book are usually what make it interesting, and I will admit that as soon as Rachel was diagnosed with leprosy, I could not put Moloka'i down. I like the author's use of dramatic situations, like how Sarah was the reason for the discovery of her sister's illness. In my opinion, the drama increases the interest.
Judging by what I have read so far, I have multiple predictions about how the future parts of the book will go. One character who was introduced on the island, Haleola, seems like she will be a very important character. She was introduced to Rachel by Uncle Pono, and she seems like a very kind woman. It has been mentioned numerous times that she is a widow, and Pono's wife is filing for a divorce since he is no longer around. Because these two facts were introduced around the same time, I'm predicting that the two will end up together.
So far, it seems as though Rachel really adores Haleola, and it is evident that she loves her Uncle Pono very much. Since I believe the two adults may become involved with each other, I think the three will end up forming their own family. Rachel has been forced to live with other girls around her age and forbidden to live with Pono and Haleola, but at the end of the section she ran away. I can easily predict that the place she ran away to was Pono's house, and Pono and Haleola will do anything they can to keep Rachel out of the Bishop Home, where she has been unwillingly living.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Entry One: Prior Knowledge and Predictions
Everyday, we learn something new. The day I picked up the book Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, I learned quite a few new things just from reading the summary.
The back of the book describes Rachel Kalama, a seven-year-old girl living in Honolulu, whose dreams of traveling are crushed when she is diagnosed with leprosy. My first question was, what is leprosy and why is it crushing her dreams? I'll admit that when I saw the word "leprosy", I inferred that it had to do with dwarfism, considering "leprosy" sounds similar to "leprechaun". I realized this was probably incorrect, and resulted to looking it up for a definite answer. When I did, I learned that leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria that mainly targets the skin and nerves. At a point in time, leprosy was thought to be a curse. Because of this, and the contagiousness, people with leprosy were isolated from others.
The way that Hawaii isolated people with leprosy was by sending them to the leper colony, Kalaupapa, which is located on the island Moloka'i. As I continued to read the summary, I learned that Rachel was to be taken away from her family and sent to Kalaupapa when it was discovered that she had leprosy. She was sent to Moloka'i to die, but it seems as though she discovered a whole new life.
Just from the back of the book, I have formed multiple predictions about Moloka'i. Judging from the events mentioned in the summary, it seems as though the mood of the book will shift a lot. In the beginning, it sounds like Rachel was very hopefully and cheerful, as most children are. Shortly after, she discovers she must leave her family and her home at the age of seven, which I'm sure is an emotional part of the book. After Rachel adapts to her new environment, she settles in and ends up "finding a new life", which sounds like a happy event. I would assume that the summary does not include every event in the book, so the mood will probably change more than just those few events.
Along with the mood, I'm predicting Rachel will change immensely throughout the book. Considering she is the main character, she'll most likely be dynamic. Since she is only seven when the story begins, she will probably grow up a lot and learn many things. Judging from Rachel's young age, leaving her family almost definitely be extremely difficult. However, I'm predicting that in Kalaupapa, Rachel will meet many great people similar to herself, and create a bond with them that is as close as it gets to family. I'm very anxious to begin Moloka'i and learn if it folds out as I had predicted.
Reading schedule:
Section 1 by 2/27 - pg. 3 - 105
Section 2 by 3/5 - pg. 106-201
Section 3 by 3/14 - pg. 202-302
Section 4 by 3/23 - pg. 303-389
The back of the book describes Rachel Kalama, a seven-year-old girl living in Honolulu, whose dreams of traveling are crushed when she is diagnosed with leprosy. My first question was, what is leprosy and why is it crushing her dreams? I'll admit that when I saw the word "leprosy", I inferred that it had to do with dwarfism, considering "leprosy" sounds similar to "leprechaun". I realized this was probably incorrect, and resulted to looking it up for a definite answer. When I did, I learned that leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria that mainly targets the skin and nerves. At a point in time, leprosy was thought to be a curse. Because of this, and the contagiousness, people with leprosy were isolated from others.
The way that Hawaii isolated people with leprosy was by sending them to the leper colony, Kalaupapa, which is located on the island Moloka'i. As I continued to read the summary, I learned that Rachel was to be taken away from her family and sent to Kalaupapa when it was discovered that she had leprosy. She was sent to Moloka'i to die, but it seems as though she discovered a whole new life.
Just from the back of the book, I have formed multiple predictions about Moloka'i. Judging from the events mentioned in the summary, it seems as though the mood of the book will shift a lot. In the beginning, it sounds like Rachel was very hopefully and cheerful, as most children are. Shortly after, she discovers she must leave her family and her home at the age of seven, which I'm sure is an emotional part of the book. After Rachel adapts to her new environment, she settles in and ends up "finding a new life", which sounds like a happy event. I would assume that the summary does not include every event in the book, so the mood will probably change more than just those few events.
Along with the mood, I'm predicting Rachel will change immensely throughout the book. Considering she is the main character, she'll most likely be dynamic. Since she is only seven when the story begins, she will probably grow up a lot and learn many things. Judging from Rachel's young age, leaving her family almost definitely be extremely difficult. However, I'm predicting that in Kalaupapa, Rachel will meet many great people similar to herself, and create a bond with them that is as close as it gets to family. I'm very anxious to begin Moloka'i and learn if it folds out as I had predicted.
Reading schedule:
Section 1 by 2/27 - pg. 3 - 105
Section 2 by 3/5 - pg. 106-201
Section 3 by 3/14 - pg. 202-302
Section 4 by 3/23 - pg. 303-389
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