The Colony

The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles on Molokai

By: John Tayman

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

In the best-selling tradition of In the Heart of the Sea, The Colony reveals the untold history of the infamous American leprosy colony on Molokai and of the extraordinary people who struggled to survive under the most horrific circumstances.

In 1866, 12 men and women and one small child were forced aboard a leaky schooner and cast away to a natural prison on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Two weeks later, a dozen others were exiled, and then 40 more, and then 100 more. Tracked by bounty hunters and torn screaming from their families, the luckless were loaded into shipboard cattle stalls and abandoned in a lawless place where brutality held sway. Many did not have leprosy, and most of those who did were not contagious, yet all were caught in a shared nightmare. The colony had little food, little medicine, and very little hope. Exile continued for more than a century, the longest and deadliest instance of medical segregation in American history. Nearly 9,000 people were banished to the colony, trapped by pounding surf and armed guards and the highest sea cliffs in the world. Twenty-eight live there still.

John Tayman tells the fantastic saga of this horrible and hopeful place, at one time the most famous community in the world, and of the individuals involved. The narrative is peopled by presidents and kings, cruel lawmen and pioneering doctors, and brave souls who literally gave their lives to help. A stunning cast includes the martyred Father Damien, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, John Wayne, and more. The result is a searing tale of survival and bravery, and a testament to the power of faith, compassion, and heroism.

©2006 John Tayman (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Tayman's crisp, flowing writing and inclusion of personal stories and details make this an utterly engrossing look at a heartbreaking chapter in Hawaiian history." (Booklist)
"Drawing on contemporary sources and eyewitness accounts of the still surviving members of the colony, Tayman has created a fitting monument to the strength and character of the castoffs in particular, and human beings as a whole." (Publishers Weekly)

An excellent and well written account

A good account of the history of Lepercy in Hawaii. I highly eccomend this book.

Excellent story excellent performance

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with great details of history. The performance was excellent. This is a must read for all people who love Hawaii and people who love history and more so people who love Hawaiian history. I learned a lot more than I had researched in the past so it was nice to enhance my knowledge. Aloha

I loved this one

This book has kept me invested until the last minute i loved it and highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the colony

A piece of history everyone should read

Very interesting, Tends to drag in places when it sounds more like the evening news being read, but still a good story.

Father Damien is My New Life Inspiration

I was so inspired to read about Father Damien. His story alone is worth listening to this book. And then there was Mr. Dutton. I am not kidding--these two along with the others like them really renewed my faith. I didn't get this book in order to read about religion but I googled Father Damien and found out he is to be canonized later this year. The only bad thing about this book is the narrator...sorry...this narrator does not have good intonation, phrasing, or whatever. I have to hand it to the narrator for pronouncing all those Hawaiian names though. Another good thing about the book is the sweep through history, finally arriving in the age where germs and antibiotics are understood. There were some heart-breaking stories in the book but the main thing I got from it is why don't I do something, any little thing, Father-Damien-Like in my own life. Even once.

good book, bad reader

This is a very interesting book, about a fascinating aspect of history. Having read James Michener's "Hawaii," I was familiar with the story of Molokaii. I feel grateful to the author for making Father Damien's story more known. The main drawback of this audiobook, was the incredibly annoying narration. Every character, whether German, French, Dutch, Hawaiian had the same nasal, inconsistent "Pepe Le Pew" accent- SO irritating! If a narrator can't do good accents, he should just leave well enough alone and read it straight.

Great audiobook

Another great Audible find. The story is compelling, well constructed and very well written.

Great novel, truly horrible narration

This is a great story of tragedy, perseverance and transcendence. Unfortunately the narrator botched everything with offensive and distracting “voices” drawn on bad stereotypes for every direct quote and point of dialogue. My recommendation is read don’t listen to this one

Hawaii's Darker Side

It's one thing to have an island paradise. It's another thing to see how it's darker edges are turned under.
Hawaii itself is a story about imperialism and religious bullying. It's interesting and terribly sad for many reasons.This is perhaps it's saddest story, well told.

Terrible, inspiring, and cautionary

I appreciate the balance the author struck between the often incredibly grim circumstances of the tales being related and the inspiring and hopeful examples of those who rose to the occasion and spent lifetimes cultivating the beauty of kindness and humanity among the ashes of tragedy. This book left me feeling devastated, but also peaceful, which is an odd but compelling balance to create.

I'd like to say that we humans have moved on past such things and they'd never happen now, but after seeing how the COVID-19 Pandemic was handled and the responses it elicited from the masses, I fear we haven't actually come very far at all. It was really eye opening to read this and see how little certain parts of human nature change. If leprosy was still untreatable and considered highly contagious, would the tragedies in this story still be only in the past? I hope so, but I don't know.

This book is a prime example of why humanity as a whole could stand to exercise less fear of our own mortality and more courage and compassion. Thankfully, there have always been those who stand against the tides, even if they are only capable of being appreciated in hindsight, once the press of years finally makes meaningless the passions and politics that seem so important in the moment.

I will be forever impressed by the courage and resilience of the people who lived through these ordeals. Thank you to the author for helping me get to know them.