Faith Behind the Fences

This book is a true story, in a novel form. Because, like historical fiction, you can't always know exactly what was said when or by who. Sumatra is a hot and humid island. At the beginning of World War 2 it was ruled by the Dutch. There were also a lot of Dutch citizens that lived there. Hanny Londt-Shultz and her family were some of them. They lived a normal life of school, fun with friends and family and music on the island of Sumatra. Soon though, they learned that the Japanese were trying to take over the islands to use their natural resources. Hanny's father tried to prepare his family as best as he could for the Japanese takeover. He buried all of their valuables beneath a slab of concrete in the backyard. He put all of their important papers into a hidden compartment of a suitcase that his wife Tina would carry with her. And then he did what the Dutch government wanted him to do. He sabotaged the mines and oil fields of the island in any way that he could think of. Almost as soon as he returned from his sabotage mission, he and his family were transported in the middle of the night into Japanese prison camps. This is the story of life in those camps. It was a very touching and sad story of hunger, lice, sickness and the spirit of these good people that helped them to live through the war and be able to resume life afterward. I loved the amount of faith these people had: faith that Heavenly Father loved them and had a plan for their lives, faith that they would make it out of these camps and see their beloved Pappy again, faith that they could move forward and help others, no matter their own circumstances. This was a great book, it's well worth reading!