These two memoirs, superbly rendered into English for the first time, provide unique windows into the Sumatran past, in particular, and the early twentieth-century history of Southeast Asia, in general. Originally published soon after the Indonesian Revolution (1945-1949) liberated the island chain from Dutch control, these unusually insightful narratives recall the authors' boyhoods in rural Toba Batak and Minangkabau villages. In reconstructing their own passage into adulthood, the writers inevitably tell the story of their country's turbulent journey from colonial subjugation through revolution to independence. Susan Rodgers's perceptive introduction illuminates the importance of autobiography in developing historical consciousness and imagining a national future.

Telling Lives, Telling History: Autobiography and Historical Imagination in Modern Indonesia

Biographies & Memoirs

Rodgers, Susan

Historical

University of California Press

Music has the power to heal.  Discovered while busking on the streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Jessie Wheeler -- once a teen runaway from Prince Edward Island - is now a popular singer-songwriter and actor. On the day her boyfriend Charlie proposes, he kicks an estranged friend - actor Josh Sawyer - out of his Club. Jessie sees something of herself reflected in Josh's sorrowful chocolate brown eyes -- a deep loneliness and angst. When a part on Josh's new television series Drifters becomes available, Jessie can't resist the temptation, despite the fact that taking the part threatens her engagement to Charlie. When a past nemesis, Deuce McCall, makes a tragic appearance in the city, Jessie's turbulent past catches up with her, threatening any chance she has at a true and sustainable love.  A Song For Josh is a simple sweet story about hope and love, and the power of music to heal. Through Josh and Jessie's story we learn that all of us damaged souls are indeed lovable, even when we are quite certain we are not.

A Song For Josh (Drifters)

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

eBookIt.com

Promises is the second book in the Drifters series, following A Song For Josh. Jessie Wheeler's past catches up with her as an old nemesis settles in Vancouver, threatening to destroy any chance at the singer's newfound happiness. But Jessie is an old hat at acting. She has picked up the habit of disappearing inside herself and creating characters in order to help herself survive. Backed into a corner by Deuce McCall, she relies on a tougher version of herself to help her through the dark days while she seeks a solution to free herself of Deuce's clutches. As she tries to gain a foothold in her struggle, one thing becomes clear - she may have to risk everything she has found - friendships, love, a successful career as a singer / songwriter and actor - in order to save the one thing she loves the most. "Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear." John Lennon

Promises (Drifters)

Genre Fiction

Bluemountain Entertainment

No Greater Love (Drifters)

Healing is the hardest part... Quaint patchwork Prince Edward Island, Canada, has turned out to be a great place to hide. In an attempt to reconnect after the tumultuous and terrifying events of the past few years, Jessie and Josh have squirreled themselves into a weathered grey farmhouse on the island's north shore, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where they find themselves lost in a rip current of fear and bad memories they feel powerless to escape. One day, an old Wheeler family friend shoves a mysterious white box under their noses. Afraid it will unleash more pain the couple feel they can't handle as they try to heal past hurts, they leave it untouched. But its insidious contents beckon and taunt them as it sits in a corner gathering dust. A film role offers Josh an escape from Jessie's torment and apparent unwillingness to beat back her fearful past, but does he dare leave her alone? And how can they, as a couple, embrace a new beginning after so many endings? A riptide can be merciless and unforgiving...especially after a storm.

Riptide (Drifters)

Sitti Djaoerah: A Novel of Colonial Indonesia

Written from an indigenous perspective at the end of an empire on the island of Sumatra, this novel offers many insights into a vanished world.Distributed for the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Hasoendoetan, M.J. Soetan

Center for Southeast Asian Studies 1

Family is everything. When it splinters, suddenly the meaning of family is even more profound. Jessie finally gets the 'go ahead' to reconnect with long lost relatives, but those in her protective circle grow wary. Is she strong enough to handle the fallout, be it good or bad? Jessie hopes for healing and a blood connection. What she finds surprises everyone, as they once again learn from her seemingly endless capacity to forgive, and to help others get past old hurts. In the meantime, she struggles to maintain some semblance of control over her busy life despite its ever-changing landscape. But there are those who are growing tired of Jessie's capacity for 'going rogue,' and whose hard decisions force Jessie to carry on with a new loss hanging over her shoulders. It seems that, when it comes to family, Jessie must struggle to hold everyone together - the old and the new.

And Then There Was Silence (Drifters)

Romance

Castles In The Sand (The Dallas White Series)

Power and Gold: Jewelry from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, from the Collection of the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva

Arts & Photography

Asia Society

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Musee Barbier-Muller

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Prestel Pub

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rodgers, Susan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rodgers, Susan