Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

16 reviews

lo_lo_ma's review against another edition

emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

jkpheart21's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs and Xenophobia

cjdawn236's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Transphobia

themis_biblos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 "I've come to believe that how we choose to live with pain, or injustice, or death is the true measure of the divine within us. Some choose to do harm to themselves and others. Others bear up under their pain and help others bear it." 

 You can feel how much heart and soul Brennert put into his research and this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, and Transphobia

laur_x_2's review against another edition

emotional informative sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lindsayerin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War

lynsea's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Heartbreaking and realistic read. Informative read to understand this not-so-well-known history of Hawai’i. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Minor: Colonisation and War

lafate's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

How do you make a life when you are seven years old and told you must leave your family because you have leprosy? How would you react when you are sent even further away to an island which is nearly impossible for your family to visit? This is the story of seven year old Rachel Kalama and how she builds a life in Kalaupapa on Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. She had leprosy, now called Hansen's Disease. 

There is a lot about Hawaiian culture and history in this book. There are Hawaiian words and more. I had gone into this assuming the narrator would know how to pronounce everything, but I've read some reviews that make me wonder. I don't speak the language so I can't say for sure. The narration was very good, but the book was better. There were a couple of places where the book dragged, but the story always became engaging again. 

Because the book is about a disease there is a lot of death and heartbreak. It is a coming-of-age story as well. Rachel is a resilient and sometimes unwilling child. She has spunk which she is going to need. The descriptions of the disease's effects on people are at times a little gross, but they are not so detailed that I felt the need to stop listening or speed through sections. I recommend if you can handle it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness and Death

yyes's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Racism, and Abandonment

dnpatterson2's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy