Customer Reviews

In the Shadow of The Pali: A STORY OF THE HAWAIIAN LEPER COLONY

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was an excellent book. It vividly brings to life what it must have been like to have had leprosy and to have lived in this remote and lawless colony. The author doesn't ever flinch from describing the suffering and conditions of the colony, but the focus of the book is on Liliha's growth and maturation as a person. Liliha begins the book as a frightened and angry child, scheming to get her mother to come rescue her. She suffers in the colony, and does what she has to to survive. But she grows beyond her childishness and selfishness, and accepts her disease and her exile. She learns to rely on and care for her friends, and to become a responsible and caring person in return. The book is fascinating in its details of such a remote and difficult existance, while the characters and plot are deeply absorbing.

As an English teacher in Hawaii, I have been searching for good historical fiction to help my students understand the mission of Father Damien. Of the many books I've read, In the Shadow of the Pali is the best for middle school students. This book is set prior to Father Damien's arrival, but it paints vivid pictures of those who were exiled to Kalaupapa and their struggles for survival. I know this book will stay with my students long after they have left my classroom.

I really loved this book. It is very descriptive, and you can imagine perfectly what the settings must have been like. It felt very realistic. It's pretty unrelentingly sad, but so are many other great young people's books. I am an adult with a particular interest in Hawaiian history and culture, and I really enjoyed reading this book.

"I can't stay here forever, Hana. Not for the rest of my life". The book, In The Shadow of The Pali captures the attention of teens everywhere. The book is about a 12 year old girl named Liliha who has leprosy in the 1870s. Liliha is banned to an island in Hawaii to live and try to survive by herself. The story invites teens to see how life was during this time and demonstrates a story of a young girl trying to survive the wilderness by herself in such horibble conditions. Liliha is faced with many opsticles such as finding food, building shelter, and also trying not to get killed by others on the island. In the book she befriends a boy named Manukekua who is faced with the same opsticles as herself. The book continues to talk about how Liliha and Manukekua try to find a way to escape and to go back home to their families. I think that In The Shadow of The Pali is a fantastic book that every teen who is interested in adventure and suspense should defiantly read.

As a fellow writer with a passion for the Molokai and Father Damien story, I was impressed with the research and accuracy of Lisa's story. Hawaii's story of leprosy is a deeply moving one and Lisa has improved our world by informing young readers. I loved it.

On the topic of writing a book, just to make people feel good, how boring! So what if Harry Potter books have a good formula...A person should not write if all they are trying to do is get rich! This story is a painful one to tell, and the main character's flaws are part of that pain. She came from a troubled home, you can't exect her to be perfect...jmo

"I can't stay here forever, Hana. Not for the rest of my life". The book, In The Shadow of The Pali captures the attention of teens everywhere. The book is about a 12 year old girl named Liliha who has leprosy in the 1870s. Liliha is banned to an island in Hawaii to live and try to survive by herself. The story invites teens to see how life was during this time and demonstrates a story of a young girl trying to survive the wilderness by herself in such horibble conditions. Liliha is faced with many opsticles such as finding food, building shelter, and also trying not to get killed by others on the island. In the book she befriends a boy named Manukekua who is faced with the same opsticles as herself. The book continues to talk about how Liliha and Manukekua try to find a way to escape and to go back home to their families. In The Shadow of The Pali is a fantastic book that every teen who is interested in adventure and suspense should read.

Lisa Cindrich's attempt at writing a good book in The Shadow of the Pali was sadly disfigured. The story revolves around a young child named Liliha, who is left crippled with leprosy after caring for her grandmother who finally died from the same disease. Her evil uncle sends her to a leper colony when he realizes that this is the easiest way to get rid of the `ugly' child. Liliha is forced to endure all the horrors of the sickness and has to endure it by herself at the young age of twelve. The author tries to make the story capturing by letting Liliha find a friend in young Manukekua and wife of a fellow leper, Hana.
The story wouldn't be appealing to any reader because they would want to see a likeable main character, even with such unforgiving circumstances. The reader sees a scared, uneasy, and rude girl in Liliha where they would like to see a vibrant, exciting girl who makes the best of her situation and makes friends with everyone, and is basically a savior of the gloomy town and its conditions. The reason for this is because when one reads a book, they would like to see a positive outcome that, even when it is realistic fiction, seems like a fairy world that can never actually happen to anyone, but can bring some enjoyment to them for a few hours.
Books like Harry Potter have made it in the New York Times bestseller because: they always end happily ever after, they show an element of fiction that cannot be found in real life, the character is likeable and can overcome any obstacle, and the writer writes fluently and leaves no boring parts in the book.
Cindrich's futile attempt at this book could be compared to a bad opera story, in which the characters are unprepared and not ready to speak their lines in front of the camera, and forces the watcher to flip the channel. A good writing tool that the author could have used is the tool of straying away from the main character for a short period of time and writing in other characters' perspective on Liliha and other things.
In the process of reading this book, I was forced to frequently put the book down and think enviously of other wonderful books I could be reading. I ask that anyone who plans to read this book keep one of their favorite books in hand from which to turn to when they can no longer bear to read such a depressing book.