Revolt in Paradise

“This is the story of a white woman who lived for fifteen years in Indonesia – living, not visiting – knowing the country and its people, from the highest and the lowest, and sharing their joys and their sorrows.”

Finally…I have spare time to write this review. I wanted to write it since last week but time really against me. I know that not many people read my book review but reading without reviewing feels a bit odd now that I have been continuously doing it since 2 years ago.

Revolt in Paradise is my first non-fiction of this year, I usually read at least 1 non-fiction a year…this memoir is an autobiography by K’tut Tantri or formerly known as Muriel Stuart Walker. This book was banned years ago for reasons I can’t seem to find out. When I bought it, someone asked me where I found it, he was quite surprise because I own the book that is so hard to find here in my country.

Revolt in Paradise has its good side and bad side…well bad probably not the right word, it’s just something feels off with this book.

Somewhere before 1942 (the book didn’t mention the year but as Indonesian I at least know that it is before Japanese Imperialism took Indonesia from the Dutch), Muriel who was a British born American citizen felt an urge to go to Bali after seeing how beautiful the island was in a movie. She landed on Batavia (which is now called as Jakarta) and continued alone by driving a motor through the jungle of Java island. She met a boy named Pito who showed her the way to get through to Bali. When she finally arrived at Bali, she soon found out how the Dutch discriminate the native Indonesian as primitive people that didn’t deserve to be at the same place as the white people.

Teaser Tuesday & Book in Life as Meme

Today, I am going to do two book memes at the same time
One is my usual Teaser Tuesday and the  other is Book In Life.

Teaser Tuesday is a fun bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Everyone can play along, all you have to do is simply take the book you are currently reading. And then share 2 ‘teaser’ sentences from any page in the book. I often share more than 2 sentences

Please avoid SPOILER!!

I  am currently reading a memoir by K’tut Tantri called Revolt in Paradise. K’tut was a British born American citizen who had spent years in Indonesia during the colonialism of Dutch and Japan and live through the struggling of my people to protect our freedom from being taken away by the Dutch with the help of British army.

Her way of telling Indonesian history was more fun than any textbook I have ever read in school.

Here is my teaser from page 207, the event took place after the continuous bombing by the British Army on a defenseless city called Surabaya.