My Name Is Loa
Buy the Book:Amazon
Published by: Sydney Press
Release Date: June 9, 2022
Pages: 190
ISBN13: 979-8986279022
A story of trying to figure out what life is worth.
My Name is Loa is the story of a fifteen-year-old Hawaiian boy who always thought he would grow up to become a doctor and live in a fine house. That was before he was diagnosed as having leprosy and banished to Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka’i. It is 1898, the year the Hawaiian Islands were annexed to the United States.
Life in Kalaupapa is not unlike life in any plantation town in Hawai’i, except for the fact that it is a leprosy settlement. Every patient sent there knows there is no return. When Loa arrives at the settlement he is frightened by the hundreds of diseased patients. But soon his life falls into a routine. He befriends Paka, a troublesome boy from Maui; he works as an editor for Brother Dutton. And he is cherished like a son by Sam, who had saved him from drowning on the voyage to Kalaupapa.
Loa falls in love with Kamalani, a patient who works at the clinic. And eight-year-old Hiapo, who shares moments with him in a treehouse, eating peanuts and bombarding mynahs with their shells, teaches him to face death.
My Name is Loa is a story you will never forget.
Praise
“A powerful story. One of the best books of the year.”
–Honolulu Advertiser
"This is a powerful story of a resilient boy trying to come to peace with his own imminent physical decay and certain death. Buckingham... ties winning characters and strong plot together with lean, crisp writing. Although Loa is a fictional character, this story is based on historical records."
–Jolie Cotton, Honolulu Advertiser
"A book I could not put down. Thoroughly enjoyed the read! It has a place on the shelves of our middle school!"
Amazon, 5-Star Review
"A good read!"
–Amazon, 5-Star Review