“The Second Life of Mirielle West” by Amanda Skenandore

 Wealthy, famous socialite, Mirielle West, is part of the Hollywood film scene during the Roaring 20s, when she’s suddenly forced from family and friends, and imprisoned in a Louisiana leper colony. The story of her life in the colony and the dramatic changes it makes in her life, makes for a fascinating tale peppered with descriptions of the ravages of the disease but also incorporating facts that the author pulled from intensive historical research into treatment of the disease in the United States, and anecdotal records from patients of the time period. 4 Stars