Rising from the Shadow of the Sun

A Story of Love, Survival and Joy

Non-Fiction - Historical
372 Pages
Reviewed on 09/04/2015
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Rising from the Shadow of the Sun by Ronny Herman de Jong begins with a five-year-old girl in a Japanese camp in Java, who grows up during the Second World War days to become the author of this book. It tells the story of Ronny’s mother, the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, and the troubles she had to confront in bringing up kids. The horrors of military searches, dwindling supplies and rations, news of plundered homes and having no money, there was no end to the challenges she had to face. Notices like “No hugging or Kissing” could be seen around as a constant reminder of the occupation. Forced to live in the Japanese year 2602, and synchronized with Tokyo time, the difficulties faced by those does not seem to have any respite.

Rising from the Shadow of the Sun by Ronny Herman de Jong recounts the sad days of occupation recorded through the diary kept by her mother. The courage and hope displayed while raising her children and the intrepid nature of her mother resonates in it. The remarkable face Ronny has been showing to life’s dangers (since a 5-yea-old!) did lead to an even more noteworthy life in Holland with her husband occupying the top position in companies and her mother crossing the ripe old age line of 100. As she puts it, “An adventure that is still ongoing, with new developments every day.” This is an excellent read, the bunch of old records relating to POWs make this a valuable reference as well.