First Sentence: "Near the east coast of the big island of Borneo in Southeast Asia lies a fleck of an island called Tarakan."
Last Sentence: "Survivors of the South Sumatra camp find the task is made easier by the knowledge that out of our ugly place came beautiful music that now brings joy and solace to other singers and listeners around the world."
This prisoner of war memoir was a beautiful testament to the courage and strength of the women interned in Southeast Asia for nearly 4 years. They find beauty in the small things during this ugly time, in an ugly camp. The vocal orchestra performed classical orchestral music with scores written out by an amazing woman, Margaret Dryburgh, from memory. This book truly shows how strong the will to live can be. I have read many WWII memoirs and I always find myself wondering how I would have reacted in similar circumstances. Would I have had the strength to hang on and survive or would I have given up? I would like to think I would have survived.
1 comment:
I've read a similar memoir. So powerful! I hadn't realize the oppression they faced.
Post a Comment