The Rainbow Troops: A Novel

Quite a discovery. A modern Indonesian autobiographical novel about growing up among poor Malays in Sumatra. 'No matter how bad their circumstances, they always consider themselves fortunate. That is the use of religion.' (Does anybody feel reminded of a famous quote from another writer?) Belitong, or Billiton, is an Indonesian island to the east of South Sumatra. It is not a poor island, due to its tin mines (the company BHP Billiton originated here), but it has its share of poor people, the laborers, fishermen, and farmers. The book was a commercial success in a country not famous for widespread reading. It is well worth our time. (By the way, the island is also Conrad territory, see The Rescue.) The main theme is poor kids' struggle for schooling: a small elementary school of the Muhammadiya persuasion, or rather, the story of a class of 10 students. One less and the school would have been shut down. Why did the kids enroll in a Muhammadiya school? 3 reasons: first, the school charged no fees; second, the parents didn't want the devil to lead their kids astray; third, no other school would have accepted them. Muhammadiya is a reformist Islamic organization in Indonesia, not a political party, but oriented towards education and charity. Motto: do what is good and prevent what is evil. It has 30 million members and runs thousands of schools. I know nothing negative about them, though I am not normally friendly towards religious organizations. However it is not as if they gave this school much in terms of resources... Apart from an heroical teacher, a 15 y old girl when it starts, who doesn't even get paid for the work, the school is little more than a shack. It leads a bare knuckled struggle for survival and has to stand up against the tin mine and the government. Hirata writes the former boy's memories, he does not impersonate the child that he was. We are not given pseudo childish observations, but those of an adult who looks back. That filter takes out some of the possible reservations that I might have had: there is no romancing or cutifying poverty here. There is also no whining. The tone is often humorous, and mostly practical and effective. When the adolescent boy's 'love of his life' leaves the island to go to school in Jakarta, he discovers reading for consolation (via James Herriot!) and John Lennon's quote (that I put in the review title). A John Lennon poster goes up on the class room wall next to Bruce Lee. If I need to find something to criticize, I would decide to doubt the rather extreme stories about the school's own geniuses, the artsy boy and the science wizard. Too good to be true? If it is non-fiction, we will believe it. It comes perilously near to standard underdog clichés though. It is saved by lack of sentimentality. Similarly, when the big fight against the mine's attack on the school starts, the story is in danger of drifting into kitschland. Such struggles are hard to write about in a satisfactory way. Andrea Hirata also gives us outlines of a social history of tin mining and colonialism, and the ethnic as well as the social caste structure on the island. No tale of Indonesia that is worth its salt can make do without ghosts and shamans. Superstition is deeply anchored in people's lives and minds. The mining dredges and the crocodiles are the ogres of this island. The book was so successful that Hirata gave up his job in the corporate world and became a professional writer. (Though his name suggests some kind of relation to either Italy or Japan, that doesn't seem to be the case. Indonesian names can be bewildering.)

The story gives an insight into life in a poorer area of Indonesia and the universal desire of parents to give their children the best opportunities possible. The individual characteristics of each child and their teachers are described with humour and acceptance. There are challenges to be faced and unique solutions are found to achieve the best outcome. There are rebellions but also triumphs that make the reader happy for this disparate little group. This was a very satisfying book to read.

Our study opens with the valiant teachers of the tiny Malaysian school breathlessly awaiting their students. They must have ten in order to remain open. It is the poorest school on the island, the only one accepting the children of the laborers in the infamous tin mines. The teachers receive no pay, the students are unpromising. Each of the ten students charmed me to my toes. Ikal and his friends are rainbow troops who seek the heartening rainbows of the rai y season from their perch in the trees. As the author notes, "One of the extraordinary qualities of Malays is that no matter how bad their circumstances, they always consider themselves fortunate." This isn't a Suzy Cream Cheese optimism, it is the outpouring of character. My favorite is Mahar who is gifted artistically. Or it might be the brilliant Lintang. Or maybe Harun, the child with Down's Syndrome stole my heart. This is old culture, rarely heard from in my corner of the world. It is an Islam based on doing one's best toward every human, gentle and loving. Yes there is anger towards the wealthy tin mines taking the value and the labor without fair return. The story isn't precious or sweet. This is simply a lovely book taking us into a new world with page turning brilliance. You will be glad you read it.

The minute I started reading this book I realised I had to put everything on hold for the day! Andrea Hirata's story about growing up in a small Village on a small Island in Indonesia and the way he describes the characters is both funny and heart warming.However this book is really about the beauty and importance of education and the teachers and students who are determined to better themselves in very difficult circumstances.The tragedy is that some of the brightest students and the future of this nation are left to languish in poverty and cannot reach their full potential due to economic reasons, and in many cases cannot continue their schooling. This Novel cum autobiography has proven a best seller in Indonesia with over 5 million copies sold so it is obviously playing its part in raising awareness and hopefully driving change to Improve the situation of those left behind when they could have such bright futures. As the book so beautifully portrays, the Indonesian Constitution states that every child has a right to education and this is woven into the story in a clever and factual way. For teachers or those with an interest in education anywhere in the world this a must read, full of inspiration and hope.

I want to love this book because it is written with such heart. I was in tears by the second chapter. It is a lovely, sweet, tragic story of growing up with very few chances -- the kind of life strictures faced by billions of Asia's poor -- and of the slim, but real, hope offered to some by education. I didn't like the writing though. I found it choppy. It may be a translation problem, or may not. I should mention that most of the --very well-read -- women in my book group did not agree and simply loved it.

This is the first book I have read from an Indonesian author, recommended by a friend of mine there. It’s the inspiring tail of poor children of a mining town struggling to get an education and maybe better their lives someday. The author’s style is more like a verbal storyteller than an author, it feels like he is telling you it himself, with all the flourishes and embellishments of a good storyteller. I’d certainly recommend it, it’s sad at times, but carries a strong sense of hope and the value of effort and hard work. Unlike many sorts of “joy in poverty” stories, it doesn’t feel forced, it has a raw, humorous, self-aware character to it that more than explains its popularity.

I really enjoyed this novel, as having lived in Indonesia, I have been to the islands of Belitong and Bangka. Really, this story could well have taken place on any one of the thousands of small islands in Indonesia (there are 17,000 islands in Indonesia) although cultures vary somewhat from place to place. I feel the author captured much of the simplicity yet complications of life, in what to the naked eye seems to be idyllic surroundings. Sumatra has always been my favorite place, and I could really get the feel of these village children and their school.

I saw an interview with the author on Japan's NKH news. They showed him walking through an Indonesian village where he was honored and recognized as that country's premier modern author. I was pleased by the novel's swift movement consisting of brief chapters. They quickly set up the locale and the heroes within who strive to learn and preserve their schoolhouse. In between the story of schoolchildren yearning for a larger life, Hirata deftly relates the tragic tale of Indonesia's tin industry. How the haves quickly set up shop, mined out the wealth from the have-nots farmland, and then received their own reality check as the novel progressed to see how the children were doing 12 years later. I understand the author wrote a number of sequels to this story as well as optioned a miniseries on the original book. Read this semi-autobiographical account and see why there are some things worth fighting for. I mean that in the conceptual sense. There is no sex or violence in this book, it is instead violence of the heart, of neglect, of greed. But there is also the hope of learning, and the power of thought. In that, the book asks the question and answers it as well as any defense of education I've ever seen. Well done.

What a story .... awesome storyline and the most important thing is that there is no fiction everything is realistic ... awesome

Do read it! It is a wonderful tale of perseverance, resilience, commitment, faith and hope, that helps you reset the principles of life. This autobiographical story is set in Belitong, one of the Indonesia's islands, rich in tin that's exploited by the Indonesian government. But the profits are whisked away from the Belitong people, offering them in exchange poverty as well as social and political indifference. Two local teachers, wonderfully committed, full of ideals and strong in their believes, strive to change the fate, the doom, of 11 children, teaching them to aspire and to dream. And they do, despite all that fate brings on them and it brings a lot; the poor schooling conditions, harsh life, constant threats from the authorities to close the school down, evergreen lack of whatsoever finance and belittling by the community. This book reminds you that nothing is by default impossible for he who wants; the example of a little boy cycling 40km one way each day to come to school should be told to every modern-world kid! The book is structured in little stories that together tell this big compelling story. The characters are vivid and convincing, simply true. Some are presented with more detail than others but altogether they form the strong group bound by friendship and sharing ideals, the rainbow troops. The ambiance of the book, set in an exotic location and cultural set-up, just adds to it all. Maybe in places it lacks a bit on the story line and credibility, but that's a minor detail, not weighing at all on the book's value. It's strength lays predominantly in the powerful messages it transpires. And there are many of them too?! Take this one with you: 'I have seen it everywhere: the most unfortunate in this world are the pessimistic'.

Das ist wirklich ein wunderbares Buch, auch wenn es episodisch ist, manchmal herumspringt und nicht zu 100% fliesst. Es beschreibt die Geschichte von 10 Schülern in Indonesien, welche aller widrigen Umstände zum Trotz in die Schule gehen. Etwas, das bei uns selbstverständlich ist, muss dort mit grossem Einsatz erkämpft werden, wie 80 km Schulweg durch unwirtliches Gelände, und das jeden Tag, und danach noch Arbeiten, um die Familie zu unterstützen. Uns geht es schon verdammt gut. Das Buch erfüllte mich sehr mit Demut, denn wir wissen uns Glück gar nicht zu schätzen und erachten es als selbstverständlich. Tolle Lektüre.

Having lived in Indonesia in the early 80' I was delighted to read this book which describes in an amusing way the quite tragic situation which poor people faced in such countryies. But the optimism, the will to learn, the belief that good deeds finally pay were always present. Very refreshing for most of us westerners who have difficulties to imagine this kind of hardship. Highly positive and recommended

To stay open a rural school needs ten students but it has only nine. One is a brilliant science student. One is extraordinarily creative. Although these two are central all the characters are well-developed. While the plot is dramatic there's some good comedy as well. If you want an introduction to young people in Indonesia this is an entertaining place to start. One of my favourite books in the past five years.