Traces - Memoirs of an Indonesian Wartime Boyhood (1939-1946) by Pieter RoeloffsTraces - Memoirs of an Indonesian Wartime Boyhood (1939-1946) by Pieter Roeloffs After being out of print for the past two years, the book is back! About the book: put to the test at an inordinately young age. Combining human and historical interest, Traces - Memoirs of an Indonesian Wartime Boyhood (1939-1946) presents a remarkable portrayal of war in the Dutch East Indies. Roeloffs' typically Dutch resilience and courage shine through his resolute account of life in a prisoner of war camp and the author's eventual repatriation to the Netherlands. Escape from his wartime terrors has, for many, been the easier part, escape from the memories - even fifty years later - is a different story. About the author: Details: First edition (out of print): Current edition (available): Purchase the book: Purchase the book here, shipping by international air mail included: In case you have questions, like to send us a comment, please feel welcome to » contact us. The book is available for free to all guests visiting Rumah Belanda, Medan, Indonesia at www.rumahbelanda.com . REVIEWS REVIEW on Amazon US (3 Stars): REVIEW on Amazon UK (5 Stars): Roeloffs has carefully woven youthful experience with the wisdom and hindsight of age in a masterfully done personal account of a boy caught up in World War II that takes place in the isolation of a wartime internment camp. After what appears to be very careful research, the author has cast those isolated moments into the historical context of what was going on that must have been unbeknownst to him at that time. This juxtaposition of youthful experience and adult reflections and research makes it a compelling read for adults. I certainly enjoyed it, all the more because of the war-diary format used by the author, where each chapter is in the form of a letter. For a person like me, who doesn't have much time for leisure reading, it made an excellent bedside reading companion, easy to read in installments without losing its thread. I think it will make really interesting reading for young people as well, while offering character building lessons along the way. It is the kind of book that stirs the reader's interest in history, something many youngsters badly need, at least in my country. If I were a high school history teacher, I would couple this one with Diary of Anne Frank to make a wonderful his-and-hers required reading list. REVIEW in Nederlandse Post (5 Stars): Pieter Roeloffs werd in 1929 in Batavia (Djakarta) geboren en bracht zijn jonge jaren door in Nederlandsch-Indië, het laatste deel van zijn jeugd in Japanse interneringskampen. Van '42 to '45 verbleef hij in vijf verschillende Jappenkampen en verhaalde daar later van in brieven aan familieden, die ook in boekvorm zijn verschenen. De reacties van zijn familie waren dusdanig positief dat Roeloffs besloot een bijgewerkte biografie te maken, in het Engels, en voorzien van een historische achtergrond. Het resultaat is "Traces, Memoirs of an Indonesian Wartime Boyhood 1939-1946". Door de combinatie eigen ervaring/bredere geschiedenis is een boeiend relaas ontstaan, waarin de schrijver naast het vertellen van vaak intieme persoonlijke onboezemingen ook stilstaat bij de historische achtergrond van de Tweede Wereldoorlog en wat er in "Indië", daarvoor en daarna gebeurde. Vooral het lezen over zijn opgeroeien in de Japanse kampen is een emotionele ervaring. Roeloffs zegt dat het schrijven van zijn memoires voor hemzelf een leerzame taak is geweest, iets dat hem in de herfsttij van zijn leven veel genoegdoening heeft gegeven. "Traces" is on-line te bestellen via Roeloffs' website: www.roeloffs.com. Het boek kost £9,59 + verzendkosten. REVIEW on Amazon UK (5 Stars): "Traces" is, quite simply, a treasure. Reading it, and re-reading it, is a joy. Pieter Roeloffs describes, with his unique approach, harrowing times in his youth, along with very personal accounts about the Dutch internees during the Pacific war. But Traces is far more than just a story of survival and adventures. Roeloffs has included various enlightening historical items about World War II and international political activities. My thanks and appreciation to the author. REVIEW sent in: I found the story both informative and touching. It is hard to comprehend your experience but your articulate writing was a delight. REVIEW on Amazon UK (5 Stars): Dutch Pieter Roeloffs memoirs give us an extraordinary vivid impression of how a young boy of twelve years old experienced the Japanese occupation in Indonesia. Pieter, born in 1929 in the small town of Kabanjahe on Sumatra where his father worked for the forestry department, writes his memoirs in the form of letters to his family, recollecting all the things that came to his mind after more than fifty years. He describes his youth in Batavia (nowadays Jakarta), life during colonial times, footballmatches with the Indonesian boys and his feelings as a Dutch boy towards his Indonesian friends. Then he tells us how in 1942 he and his family were put in the civilian internee camp by the Japanese occupators, separated from the father, how he managed to survive in the camp, the daily life, how he made some money by selling bread and the behaviour of the Japanese guards in the camp. Not until the war was over in 1945 did he hear about his father's death in the biggest maritime disaster in history, the bombing of the Junyo Maru in the Indian Ocean. What this meant to a fifteen old year boy, how he got through all these experiences and how it formed his later life, we can read in Pieter Roeloff's Traces. Pieter put his personal memories in a wider historical context, the Japanese occupation and the revolution period thereafter. He was an eyewitness, a fifteen year old boy, he places his own story in a global perspective and takes us back to Indonesia in the forties. Traces is nicely written and easy reading about a fascinating life story of a young boy who happened to live at a dramatic moment in Indonesia in such a crucial period of time. Dirk A. Buiskool (Dirk A. Buiskool is a Dutch historian who publishes on Indonesian history). INTRODUCTION Van Stockum Book Retailers, Combining human and historical interest, this presents a remarkable portrayal of war in the Dutch East Indies. Roeloffs' typically Dutch resilience and courage shine through in this resolute account of life in a prisoner of war camp and the eventual repatriation in the Netherlands. Escape from wartime terrors has, for many, been the easiest part; escape from the memories - even fifty years later - is a different story. Forcibly parted from his family as a young boy during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II, and uncertain of his father's whereabouts, Pieter Roeloffs' formative years were marked by a profound anguish. Deprived of a secondary education and the normality of family life, and having to confront the very real prospect of death at the hands of his captors, Roeloffs' great love for both his family and his country was put to the test at an inordinately young age. Purchase the book: Purchase In case you have questions, like to send us a comment, please feel welcome to » contact us. With great sadness we inform Pieter's passing away on 16 September 2006. He leaves behind his wife Adriana, sons Jan Willem and Pieter, and grandsons Jan Willem and Pieter. |