- Paperback: 204 pages
- Publisher: iUniverse.com (March 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1450296718
- ISBN-13: 978-1450296717
- Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 22.9 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #377,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
When the Dutch Army surrenders to Japan in 1942, nine-year-old Sofia is imprisoned with her mother, younger brother, and two baby sisters in different concentration camps on Sumatra, Indonesia. Her father is sent to work on the Burma-Siam railroad, and the family doesn't know if he is dead or alive. In this memoir, author G. Pauline Kok-Schurgers narrates a story of hate and torture, starvation and disease, and physical and psychological abuse experienced during her internment.
The Remains of War tells of Sofia's toils through those years, taking care of her younger siblings and trying to prevent her mother from sinking deeper into depression. Sofia longs for her father's return and her mother's attention and love. The gruesome years in those camps, the loneliness, and the loss of dear friends transform Sofia into a silent, inward person, scarred for the rest of her life.
Written from the perspective of a young child, The Remains of War touches the core of human suffering caused by the senselessness and evil of war. The voices of all who died and were left behind without a name or a cross on their graves will be forever silent. This memoir testifies to their courage.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book that needs to be read,
By
This review is from: The Remains of War: Surviving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II (Paperback)
I just completed reading this book, but comprehending the situations the author wrote about is going to take much more time to do.Because the author writes in such a descriptive way, I felt as if I was there with her. While it is hard to grasp what the author had gone through it was so important that she has given this memoir to the world. Hopefully when people read this book they will begin to understand how evil acts affect others. Tim
4.0 out of 5 stars
A child's pov of Japanese concentration camps,
By
This review is from: The Remains of War: Surviving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II (Paperback)
Reason for Reading: I enjoy reading WWII memoirs and am especially interested in the Asian Holocaust.The author was a child living in the Dutch Indies when WWII broke out. Her Dutch family, including herself and three younger siblings, lived in Indonesia at this time which the Japanese occupied and sent all Dutch to concentration camps with some initial men being sent off to work on building roads and railroads for the army's use. "Sofia", the author, tells her story of the war from a child's perspective having been nine years old at the time that they were invaded. Her dad was immediately picked up one night soon after the occupation to disappear until the war's end. The rest of the family were moved from camp to camp, each being progressively worse. We are told of the poor living conditions, starvation rations of food, constant tropical diseases, no real medical aid, constant beatings and humiliations by the Japanese commanders, guards and Japanese-trained Indonesian guards. The whole story being told through a child's eyes makes this memoir different from others I've read on the same topic as it gives a different perspective from someone who really doesn't know what is going on in the grand scheme of things. Sofia also has to deal with a mother who has depression problems to begin with and as the war progresses she goes deep down into her own world giving up on caring for the children and doing nothing but her daily work and sleeping, sometimes even becoming delusional. Sofia's story is her own painful recollection of the brutal Japanese atrocities of World War II. It is interesting to see this from a child's viewpoint, however, because she was not aware or did not understand all that went on and I did wish at times to have known what the adults knew that she didn't. The Japanese plan to kill all POWs before surrender is only added as a brief note in the short Epilogue and I would have liked to have known what became of the main individuals once they settled down after the war was over. I also found it puzzling that the author called herself Sofia throughout the book without explaining why when her author name is Gertrude Pauline. These issues aside, I found the book to be a compelling and gut-wrenching story that I'm glad the author finally found the voice to share.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A child's pov of Japanese concentration camps,
By Nicola Manning - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Remains of War: Surviving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II (Paperback)
Reason for Reading: I enjoy reading WWII memoirs and am especially interested in the Asian Holocaust.The author was a child living in the Dutch Indies when WWII broke out. Her Dutch family, including herself and three younger siblings, lived in Indonesia at this time which the Japanese occupied and sent all Dutch to concentration camps with some initial men being sent off to work on building roads and railroads for the army's use. "Sofia", the author, tells her story of the war from a child's perspective having been nine years old at the time that they were invaded. Her dad was immediately picked up one night soon after the occupation to disappear until the war's end. The rest of the family were moved from camp to camp, each being progressively worse. We are told of the poor living conditions, starvation rations of food, constant tropical diseases, no real medical aid, constant beatings and humiliations by the Japanese commanders, guards and Japanese-trained Indonesian guards. The whole story being told through a child's eyes makes this memoir different from others I've read on the same topic as it gives a different perspective from someone who really doesn't know what is going on in the grand scheme of things. Sofia also has to deal with a mother who has depression problems to begin with and as the war progresses she goes deep down into her own world giving up on caring for the children and doing nothing but her daily work and sleeping, sometimes even becoming delusional. Sofia's story is her own painful recollection of the brutal Japanese atrocities of World War II. It is interesting to see this from a child's viewpoint, however, because she was not aware or did not understand all that went on and I did wish at times to have known what the adults knew that she didn't. The Japanese plan to kill all POWs before surrender is only added as a brief note in the short Epilogue and I would have liked to have known what became of the main individuals once they settled down after the war was over. I also found it puzzling that the author called herself Sofia throughout the book without explaining why when her author name is Gertrude Pauline. These issues aside, I found the book to be a compelling and gut-wrenching story that I'm glad the author finally found the voice to share.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible tale of survival,
By Noel Conner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Remains of War: Surviving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II (Paperback)
This really is a forgotten page of history that needs to be documented before all witnesses are gone. This is an amazing tale of survival. Definitely worth your time to read this book.
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