The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai

by John Tayman

This was another "I heard it on NPR" book. I think it was Fresh Air two years ago. The author was so animated in his description of the book that I ordered it the next day, forgot I had ordered, and ordered it again. I think Beth Dunigan has the extra copy.

I found it amazing that the United States actually behaved in this manner toward a group of persons infected with leprosy- but then I think about spread of disease and few treatment options at the time. The personal stories are fantastic. Throughout the reading, one meets different famous people who came to "tour" the facilities through the years, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Mark Twain, and movie stars Shirley Temple and Bud Abbot of Abbot and Costello. The reader learns much about leprosy, and the book really makes the reader realize that we as a people know very little of long illness.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5183996

Comments

Strange History

This book is exactly what it promises - bits of information delivered quickly and primarily for entertaining purposes. Being published by the Bathroom Readers Institute, you will appreciate its delivery and humor. Strange History by Bathroom Readers' Institute Printers Row Publishing Group Portable Press

Dragon's Teeth - by Michael Crichton

What a fun story based on history! The plot winds around the animosity between paleontologists Marsh and Cope, as told by a fictional member of the dig party. We are taken (in the form of our protagonist, William Johnson) to the Badlands, Deadwood, into Indian raids, labeled as a traitor, attacked on all sides by all kinds of people, and then we get home a changed young man. If you know history, you will enjoy they way Crichton weaves momentous events and remarkable historical persons into the story. You will find yourself thinking "I know what's coming," because you do, if you know anything about the WEST in the 1870's, or know some of the background with Marsh and Cope. I listened to this story as a traveled each week, getting about 2 hours of the book on each trip. After each two hours, I wanted more, but I forced myself to wait for the next week. I was sad to be finished with it yesterday.

Aroused

I am currently teaching a small 5 week class at USM/OLLI on Our Glands, and how aging affects those glands. I looked for a book to read to refresh my memory, and found this... Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything by Randi Hutter Epstein. Don't get excited by the title (or go ahead and get excited). This is the story of the development of Endocrinology and it is NOT an textbook!!! This is a pleasant read. There are many case studies from as early as 1900, many stories of parents struggling to get hormonal treatment for their children in the early days (1960's), and advancements in treatments. This book is worth your time, and you may find you do what I do...diagnose people as they walk past you in malls and airports.

Aleta's Book Report

Search This Blog