This is an incredible story of courage set in Batavia in 1942 and throughout the whole of World War II. Batavia was owned by the Dutch but is now known as Jakarta, Indonesia.
Emmy and her father live together in a large house and have all the privileges of being European, first class trams, air raid shelters and the ability to attend school. Emmy’s best friend, Bakti, lives in a hut on their property and the two are close. When the threat of Japan looms, the pair disagree and their friendship ends. Life changes drastically for Emmy as she is taken into a prison camp and Bakti joins the Japanese army.
Emmy has a fire and determination within her soul and though life is harder than anyone should ever suffer through, she stays as strong as she can and forms bonds with the women in her house. Loss, grief, starvation are part and parcel of being in Tjideng.
When an opportunity presents itself, Emmy takes it and escapes. Knowing her best friend is dying, she makes the bold decision to smuggle medicine back into camp. She is punished ferociously and barely survives.
Her bold choices make Emmy a formidable character to read about. It’s only when I read the letter from the author that the truth really hit home. Emmy is based on Lucille’s grandmother, who survived her time in Tjideng and left a suitcase of mementos from the war. Inspiring and shedding light on a war that outlasted the one in Europe. This would be an ideal companion novel to any class learning about WWII.
It is highly engaging, inspiring and filled with heart ache that reminds us why we need peace in the world.
My Shelves Are Full 