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50 Years of Silence
The long idyllic summer of Jan Ruff-O'Herne's childhood in Dutch colonial Indonesia, ended in 1942 with the Japanese invasion of Java. She was interned in Ambarawa Prison Camp, along with her mother and two younger sisters.In February 1944, when Jan was 21, her life was torn apart. Along with nine other young women, all of them virgins, she was plucked from the camp and her family, and enslaved into prostitution by the Japanese Imperial Army.Her searing account of her time in 'The House of the Seven Seas', the Japanese Officers' Club and brother in Semarang, uncovers one of the worst human rights abuses to come out of the war--abuse that affected thousands of young women who were forcibly removed from their families to provide sexual services as 'comfort women' for the Japanese army between 1929 and 1945.50 Years of Silence is Jan's story. As the first European 'comfort woman' to speak out, it is a story of tremendous courage, that unfolds with the deeper meaning of a fable.Shining over all, is the radiance of Jan Ruff-O'Herne's faith and love, illuminating one of the darkest and best kept secrets of World War II.
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 1994
39 people are currently reading
786 people want to read
About the author
Jan Ruff-O'Herne
3 books6 followersJan O’Herne was born in 1923 at Bandoeng, in central Java. After the Japanese invasion of the NEI, she, her mother, and her two sisters were interned, along with thousands of other Dutch women and children, in a disused and condemned army barracks at Ambarawa.
In February 1944 a truck arrived at the camp, and all the girls 17 years and above were made to line-up in the compound. The ten most attractive, including Jan O’Herne, were selected by Japanese officers and told to pack a bag quickly. Seven of the girls (including O’Herne) were taken to an old Dutch colonial house at Selarang, some 47 kilometres from their camp. This house, which became known to the Japanese as ”The House of the Seven Seas“, was used as a military brothel, and its inmates were to become ”comfort women“.
On their first morning at the house, photographs of the girls were taken, and displayed on the front verandah which served as a reception area. Visiting Japanese personnel would then select from these photographs. Over the following four months, the girls, all virgins, were repeatedly raped and beaten, day and night. Those who became pregnant were forced to have miscarriages.
After four harrowing months, the girls were moved to a camp at Bogor, in West Java, where they were reunited with their families. This camp was exclusively for women who had been put into military brothels, and the Japanese warned the inmates that if anyone told what had happened to them, they and their family members would be killed. Several months later the O’Hernes were transferred to a camp at Batavia, which was liberated on 15 August 1945.
In 1946, O’Herne married British soldier Tom Ruff, whose unit had protected the camp from Indonesian freedom fighters after its liberation. The two emigrated to Australia from Britain in 1960.
In February 1944 a truck arrived at the camp, and all the girls 17 years and above were made to line-up in the compound. The ten most attractive, including Jan O’Herne, were selected by Japanese officers and told to pack a bag quickly. Seven of the girls (including O’Herne) were taken to an old Dutch colonial house at Selarang, some 47 kilometres from their camp. This house, which became known to the Japanese as ”The House of the Seven Seas“, was used as a military brothel, and its inmates were to become ”comfort women“.
On their first morning at the house, photographs of the girls were taken, and displayed on the front verandah which served as a reception area. Visiting Japanese personnel would then select from these photographs. Over the following four months, the girls, all virgins, were repeatedly raped and beaten, day and night. Those who became pregnant were forced to have miscarriages.
After four harrowing months, the girls were moved to a camp at Bogor, in West Java, where they were reunited with their families. This camp was exclusively for women who had been put into military brothels, and the Japanese warned the inmates that if anyone told what had happened to them, they and their family members would be killed. Several months later the O’Hernes were transferred to a camp at Batavia, which was liberated on 15 August 1945.
In 1946, O’Herne married British soldier Tom Ruff, whose unit had protected the camp from Indonesian freedom fighters after its liberation. The two emigrated to Australia from Britain in 1960.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 29, 2018
Jan was the first European 'comfort woman' to come forward with her story of being forcibly raped in a brothel set up for Japanese officers. Before the war, she had purposed in her mind to become a Catholic nun. She tells her story with a gentle touch, and yet reveals the terrible toll they all paid as POWs during WWII.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
July 13, 2016
The mass rape as a tool of war has been used throughout history to break a nation’s spirit. But the Japanese treatment of women in all the countries they’ve conquered during WWII was more self-serving as they placed thousands of captured women in “Comfort Stations” to satisfy the sexual needs of its army.
Around the Pacific Rim, the enslaved women were Asian, and over the decades that have passed, the voices of the survivors—outrage and pain—were often lost. At the 1995 International Women’s Conference in Beijing I listened to the haunting testimony of a Filipina who decried the governments’ refusal to recognize both the victimhood of the women who had lived (many committed suicide and others died of disease) and the lifelong consequences. (e.g., in the patriarchal societies to which they return, they often could not marry, which subject them to a life of near-starvation and dependency on the kindness of relatives—who often shunned them because these women brought shame.)
That is where Jan Ruff O'Hearne’s story carries a particular weight. A Caucasian, she grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Dutch colonial Indonesia. At age 21, when the Japanese invaded Java, she was imprisoned along with hundreds of other Dutch women. Except that she, along with several others, was also selected to be sent to a comfort station. For months, the young Christian woman who had prepared to become a nun, was raped repeatedly every day by Japanese soldiers.
Fifty years later, now widowed and living in Holland, Jan had kept this trauma secret from her family her entire life. (Her late husband knew, but they never discuss it in detail.) Encouraged by the testimony of Asian women who came forward to demand recognition and apology from the Japanese--who still withhold it and claim that all those accounts are false--she understood that she must help their case get heard by telling her story.
The memoir is written in a straight-forward language, the drama is woven in the subtext, not the words. It is an important document—as Jan’s activism that followed the publication of this book—to bring to the world’s attention this horrific chapter in human history.
Around the Pacific Rim, the enslaved women were Asian, and over the decades that have passed, the voices of the survivors—outrage and pain—were often lost. At the 1995 International Women’s Conference in Beijing I listened to the haunting testimony of a Filipina who decried the governments’ refusal to recognize both the victimhood of the women who had lived (many committed suicide and others died of disease) and the lifelong consequences. (e.g., in the patriarchal societies to which they return, they often could not marry, which subject them to a life of near-starvation and dependency on the kindness of relatives—who often shunned them because these women brought shame.)
That is where Jan Ruff O'Hearne’s story carries a particular weight. A Caucasian, she grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Dutch colonial Indonesia. At age 21, when the Japanese invaded Java, she was imprisoned along with hundreds of other Dutch women. Except that she, along with several others, was also selected to be sent to a comfort station. For months, the young Christian woman who had prepared to become a nun, was raped repeatedly every day by Japanese soldiers.
Fifty years later, now widowed and living in Holland, Jan had kept this trauma secret from her family her entire life. (Her late husband knew, but they never discuss it in detail.) Encouraged by the testimony of Asian women who came forward to demand recognition and apology from the Japanese--who still withhold it and claim that all those accounts are false--she understood that she must help their case get heard by telling her story.
The memoir is written in a straight-forward language, the drama is woven in the subtext, not the words. It is an important document—as Jan’s activism that followed the publication of this book—to bring to the world’s attention this horrific chapter in human history.
June 15, 2014
Jan Ruff-O'Herne lived an idyllic childhood in Indonesia, until the Japanese invaded during World War 2. She was imprisoned in horrific conditions with her mother and sisters in a prisoner of war camp, just for being Dutch. From there she was taken to a brothel for Japanese soldiers and was repeatedly raped. Throughout her whole ordeal, she kept her strong faith in God, and continually inspired the other women, by praying with them and reading the Bible to them. I was continually inspired by her loving, giving and forgiving nature. I am blessed to have met Jan a few times as she is friends with my husband's Grandad, and she is a beautiful lady, with an inspiring Catholic faith.
July 22, 2015
This is a very moving memoir of a young woman who, along with her family, was sent to a prison camp when the Japanese army invaded Indonesia. Along with nine other young women, she was sent to live and work in a brothel, where she was abused and raped repeatedly.
I had a hard time reading parts of this book, it was so heart-breaking. This woman, and many like her suffered so much at the hands of the Japanese army. But her faith sustained her and kept her strong.
I've read many stories of WWII from different perspectives, but this was a new view for me. It is a poignant and moving story of faith and survival, forgiveness and, ultimately overcoming a terrible past. Recommended reading.
I had a hard time reading parts of this book, it was so heart-breaking. This woman, and many like her suffered so much at the hands of the Japanese army. But her faith sustained her and kept her strong.
I've read many stories of WWII from different perspectives, but this was a new view for me. It is a poignant and moving story of faith and survival, forgiveness and, ultimately overcoming a terrible past. Recommended reading.
April 4, 2024
"50 Years of Silence" is the biography of Jan Ruff-O'Herne, a Dutch woman, who was born and raised in the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia) and was forced to become a military sex slave for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. It's a really heart-breaking story. How brutal humans can be to each other in the frenzy of war. And on top of that, the victims suffer even more when the crimes done to them are ignored and not addressed by society. Jan Ruff-O'Herne is considered the first European woman to speak about her experience as a military sex slave for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The accounts of comfort women from the Korean peninsula, China and the Philippines are probably more known to the world, but it happened in Indonesia too, to both Dutch and Indonesian women. Jan Ruff-O'Herne had a very idyllic childhood in Java. Her family was part of the colonial elite, a mix of French-Irish and Dutch-Indonesian (a fun fact is that she was a first cousin to Audrey Hepburn). She grew up with her parents and four siblings and dreamed about becoming a nun. Her strong Catholic faith is felt, especially when her family moved into a prison camp and later when she was forced to be at the brothel. That was very difficult to read. Three months at the brothel and her life was forever changed. She always tried to hide somewhere even if it was completely in vain. Because each minute that she didn't get raped counted a lot for her. The Japanese were very brutal during World War II, especially how they forced, abducted and tricked women into sexual slavery. All of the girls tried to tell their parents what had happened to them during the war. The parents were dealing with their own trauma of the war (starvation, forced labor, fear, near-death experience...) that they simply couldn't handle their daughters' brutal sex slavery account. They told their parents but it was never talked about again. That was very heart-breaking. Imagine how alone you feel in this world in such a situation. The author also explained why she never wants to receive flowers for her birthday or Mother's Day (in the brothel, each girl received a Japanese name that corresponded to a flower), or why she has such a fear of visiting the doctor (there was a doctor, who regularly visited the brothel to rape). Jan Ruff-O'Herne's family survived the war, but were forever damaged. They had to leave Indonesia following the Japanese surrender because the Indonesians proclaimed independence. The British entered Indonesia with Gurkha soldiers during this chaotic period, which reminded me a lot of Mochtar Lubis' Jalan Tak Ada Ujung. During this time, she was lucky to have met Tom, a British soldier, who became a kind and gentle husband. Unfortunately, something terrible happened to him after they moved and settled in Australia and Jan Ruff-O'Herne once again showed so much character, strength and faith. She is a very inspiring woman and even though there were many people who treated her badly or said wrong words to her, she remained strong and true to herself. I will not forget her story.
'Dear Lord,' I prayed. 'They can strip me of everything. They can take everything away from me, humiliate me, abuse me and ruin my young life. They can take away my youth, my freedom, my possessions, my family, my self-esteem, my dignity, but they can never take away my love for you. They can never take away my faith. This is mine, my most precious possession and nobody, nobody can take it away from me.'
'Dear Lord,' I prayed. 'They can strip me of everything. They can take everything away from me, humiliate me, abuse me and ruin my young life. They can take away my youth, my freedom, my possessions, my family, my self-esteem, my dignity, but they can never take away my love for you. They can never take away my faith. This is mine, my most precious possession and nobody, nobody can take it away from me.'
September 8, 2018
I was interested in this topic after reading A Pledge of Silence By Flora J. Solomon I had heard of this book but hadn’t seen any reviews or didn’t even know it’s name I had to go digging looking for it. As a book it wasn’t written as well as A Pledge of Silence, it had the personal narrative voice throughout and in a way it held you at arms length Jan Ruff O’Herne shared much of her life but not really her vulnerability. You passed through her experience but you do not linger and the three months of being raped in a brothel was handled respectfully and had just a few stories and details. Of course it’s a fine line between talking about villainous rapacious behavior and creating a story which is more about the immoral behavior than about the power of forgiveness and overcoming the suffering life triumphant and everlasting. Also Ms. O’Herne wrote often and passionately about her faith and how that inspired and kept her going throughout the war. More a story of a Saint than a victim which is fine neither are probably true but given her experience and the times she grew up in it’s probably an unusually brave thing that she came out publicly at all, and while the book doesn’t have that personal storm and Angst I think such an experience would have generated, well that’s me not her maybe it didn’t for her she has a different personality one that obviously armored her in a way so that she could survive this and overcome it in a powerful manner. To compare it once again to “A Pledge of Silence” Margie was raped once and while she suffered much the same as Jan she carried that shame and guild for her for years same as Jan but it had to be pried out of her by accident in the end while Jan made the decision herself to tell her story and she was raped many more times than Margie ever was. Different people different situations, apples and oranges, etc. but while one is a better written story the other is a better example of how to live a proper life of integrity. Four stars good historical read.
April 1, 2016
This is an inspiring narrative, skillfully told, of the life of this courageous woman. Her happy childhood, and strong faith-based upbringing is what gave her the strength to survive the horrors endured during the 3 1/2 years of Japanese occupation in her homeland of Indonesia. By far the worst time was the 3 months of being forced into sexual slavery for the use of the Japanese soldiers.
Clinging to God's faithfulness in spite of her situation is what sustained not only Jan herself, but her companions and her immediate family as well.
The reader realizes the full impact of what was endured, without every explicit detail being spelled out. The prisoner of war camps themselves were bad enough; to endure this additional torture went beyond that, so much so that it wasn't talked about for decades.
We read of tremendous victories, and yes, God's grace and deliverance. The author went on to
have a rewarding and fulfilling life. She saw all of her immediate family members survive the war.
She had a happy marriage, and children. Jan never doubted God's love and faithfulness in the midst of so much evil.
In time, she finally went public with her story of those terrible months in a 'comfort house', as did other women. The results brought, healing, closure, forgiveness, and world recognition of this torture for what it really is.
But sadly their hopes of eradicating this evil is not so; at this point other women are enduring what they did. Evil lives on, but faith and belief in God's grace and power until the end of this age is still what heals and overcomes.
Clinging to God's faithfulness in spite of her situation is what sustained not only Jan herself, but her companions and her immediate family as well.
The reader realizes the full impact of what was endured, without every explicit detail being spelled out. The prisoner of war camps themselves were bad enough; to endure this additional torture went beyond that, so much so that it wasn't talked about for decades.
We read of tremendous victories, and yes, God's grace and deliverance. The author went on to
have a rewarding and fulfilling life. She saw all of her immediate family members survive the war.
She had a happy marriage, and children. Jan never doubted God's love and faithfulness in the midst of so much evil.
In time, she finally went public with her story of those terrible months in a 'comfort house', as did other women. The results brought, healing, closure, forgiveness, and world recognition of this torture for what it really is.
But sadly their hopes of eradicating this evil is not so; at this point other women are enduring what they did. Evil lives on, but faith and belief in God's grace and power until the end of this age is still what heals and overcomes.
September 2, 2015
Buku ini diawali dengan memori Jan Ruff O'Herne tentang masa kanak-kanaknya yang indah di Jawa, di Hindia Belanda. Dalam buku ini terekam banyak kisah interesan dari pengalaman Jan pada masa-masa kolonial di Hindia Belanda, misalnya kisah tentang tingkah lucu bangau Jacob, kisah tentang perjuangan seorang pedagang pribumi yang harus turun gunung ratusan kilometer hanya untuk menjual terong belanda di rumah Jan, juga tentang dansa-dansi (Maalfeest Ball) di pabrik gula, dan masih banyak lagi. Namun rekaman seindah untaian ratna mutu manikam itu hancur ketika balatentara Dai Nippon menduduki Pulau Jawa sejak 8 Maret 1942. Bagaimanakah nasib Jan selanjutnya? Bacalah! Buku ini memang luar biasa.
February 17, 2015
A lesson to my lack of knowledge.
This was a good book. Opened my eyes to the unknown secrecy of war. The abuses of not only the p.o.w men but what the women went through as well. The strengths of women and their strength in the power of prayer. A very strong generation of men and women.
This was a good book. Opened my eyes to the unknown secrecy of war. The abuses of not only the p.o.w men but what the women went through as well. The strengths of women and their strength in the power of prayer. A very strong generation of men and women.
January 14, 2019
A simple yet horrifying account on one person's story of being a comfort woman during the war. It is sad to read but thank you for sharing your story.
June 12, 2014
melihat sisi lain dari sebuah era yang disebut zaman penjajahan. Hidup seorang wanita muda yang awalnya berhias kebahagiaan, berbalik menjadi derita saat Jepang menancapkan pengaruhnya di Hindia Belanda. Latar belakang tempat yang lumayan familiar (Semarang, Kendal, Bandungan), membuat saya dapat membayangkan lebih jelas tentang peristiwa-peristiwa yang dialami oleh penulis, penderitaan yang dialaminya dan juga siksaan batin karena harus memendam seorang diri segala perlakuan jahat pasukan Jepang kepadanya.
Akan tetapi, ada saatnya cerita pahit itu terkuak, demi membela orang-orang yang bernasib sama dengannya. Awalnya Jan ragu,karena dia khawatir dengan pandangan dari keluarga besar dan juga lingkungannya kelak, bagaikan mencoreng arang di muka sendiri. Tetapi rasa kasihan kepada para korban perang yang bernasib sama dengannya,membawanya ke berbagai pertemuan internasional untuk membela mereka.
Pembukaan yang berkesan agak lambat, mungkin akan membosankan bagi sebagian pembaca yang tidak sabar. Bagian awal menceritakan tentang kehidupan 'normal' Jan sekeluarga sebelum tentara Japs menguasai Hindia Belanda. Konflik dimulai ketika Jan sekeluarga minus ayahnya harus mengungsi demi keamanan ke tempat kakeknya. Dari sinilah sedikit demi sedikit kehidupan pahitnya dimulai. Masa muda yang terenggut di kamp penjara, berpisah dari ibu dan adik-adiknya, menjadi pemuas nafsu tentara, sampai akhirnya dipindah daerah Jawa Barat dan berkumpul kembali dengan keluarganya.
Membaca kisah Jan, membuat saya merinding, juga kadang tersenyum. Bagaimana cara dia mendeskripsikan keadaan kamp yang tentu saja tidak manusiawi, kehidupan saat dipaksa menjadi pemuas nafsu dan dipaksa bungkam, serta tekanan batin setelah itu, disajikan secara detil dan sukses membuat saya merinding. Sementara cerita-cerita bahagia sebelum maupun setelah kejadian itu, mebuat saya ikut tersenyum bersamanya.
3,5 dari 5 bintang :D
Akan tetapi, ada saatnya cerita pahit itu terkuak, demi membela orang-orang yang bernasib sama dengannya. Awalnya Jan ragu,karena dia khawatir dengan pandangan dari keluarga besar dan juga lingkungannya kelak, bagaikan mencoreng arang di muka sendiri. Tetapi rasa kasihan kepada para korban perang yang bernasib sama dengannya,membawanya ke berbagai pertemuan internasional untuk membela mereka.
Pembukaan yang berkesan agak lambat, mungkin akan membosankan bagi sebagian pembaca yang tidak sabar. Bagian awal menceritakan tentang kehidupan 'normal' Jan sekeluarga sebelum tentara Japs menguasai Hindia Belanda. Konflik dimulai ketika Jan sekeluarga minus ayahnya harus mengungsi demi keamanan ke tempat kakeknya. Dari sinilah sedikit demi sedikit kehidupan pahitnya dimulai. Masa muda yang terenggut di kamp penjara, berpisah dari ibu dan adik-adiknya, menjadi pemuas nafsu tentara, sampai akhirnya dipindah daerah Jawa Barat dan berkumpul kembali dengan keluarganya.
Membaca kisah Jan, membuat saya merinding, juga kadang tersenyum. Bagaimana cara dia mendeskripsikan keadaan kamp yang tentu saja tidak manusiawi, kehidupan saat dipaksa menjadi pemuas nafsu dan dipaksa bungkam, serta tekanan batin setelah itu, disajikan secara detil dan sukses membuat saya merinding. Sementara cerita-cerita bahagia sebelum maupun setelah kejadian itu, mebuat saya ikut tersenyum bersamanya.
3,5 dari 5 bintang :D
January 23, 2015
There are no words that I can string together to write a review that would adequately express the facet of emotions I went through while reading this heart wrenching account of family, love, inspiration, despair, hopeless, fear, dread, just to make my way back to love again.
I cried throughout and felt for all the woman and men who were torn away from their families and placed into war camps. I was appalled to read how cruelly humans treated other humans. How these prisoners of war were starved to the point of bones protruding and death. How sickness ravished their bodies without the aid of medicine. I was especially sickened about the young women who were forced into Japanese brothels, forced to give their virginal bodies over, and forced to abort their captures children. Although these prisoners of war were so physical weak, their spirits remained high and steadfast with their faith. I am ashamed to say that even though I am a Believer of a higher power, I do not know if I could have been so faithful.
Fifty Years of Silence is a hard look at a one woman’s account of her and her family’s experience as prisoners of war. I learned a lot about World War II that I previously did not know and I’m sure some of you will too. If you are sensitive to human cruelty, rape, and doing what’s necessary to survive please skip this book. All other readers get ready for a dreary memoir laced with inspiration and hope.
I cried throughout and felt for all the woman and men who were torn away from their families and placed into war camps. I was appalled to read how cruelly humans treated other humans. How these prisoners of war were starved to the point of bones protruding and death. How sickness ravished their bodies without the aid of medicine. I was especially sickened about the young women who were forced into Japanese brothels, forced to give their virginal bodies over, and forced to abort their captures children. Although these prisoners of war were so physical weak, their spirits remained high and steadfast with their faith. I am ashamed to say that even though I am a Believer of a higher power, I do not know if I could have been so faithful.
Fifty Years of Silence is a hard look at a one woman’s account of her and her family’s experience as prisoners of war. I learned a lot about World War II that I previously did not know and I’m sure some of you will too. If you are sensitive to human cruelty, rape, and doing what’s necessary to survive please skip this book. All other readers get ready for a dreary memoir laced with inspiration and hope.
Read
January 7, 200950 Years of Silence, by
Jan Ruff-O'Herne
narrated by Beverley Dunn, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
I can’t describe this better than the publisher’s note so I’m including it here. The reader read this book very slowly and expressively. It was almost like having the author sitting in your living room telling you this painful story.
Publisher’s note:
Jan Ruff-O'Herne's powerful memoir of her time as a Japanese "comfort woman" during World War II and her journey to recovery and forgiveness. Jan has been
recognised by the Australian and Dutch governments and was awarded the 2002 RSL Anzac Peace Prize for her work on behalf of war-time sex slaves.The long
idyllic summer of Jan Ruff-O'Herne's childhood in Dutch colonial Indonesia ended in 1942 with the Japanese invasion of Java. She was interned in Ambarawa
Prison Camp, along with her mother and two younger sisters. In February 1944, when Jan was 21, her life was torn apart. Along with nine other young women,
all of them virgins, she was plucked from the camp and her family, and enslaved into prostitution by the Japanese Imperial Army.
Jan Ruff-O'Herne
narrated by Beverley Dunn, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
I can’t describe this better than the publisher’s note so I’m including it here. The reader read this book very slowly and expressively. It was almost like having the author sitting in your living room telling you this painful story.
Publisher’s note:
Jan Ruff-O'Herne's powerful memoir of her time as a Japanese "comfort woman" during World War II and her journey to recovery and forgiveness. Jan has been
recognised by the Australian and Dutch governments and was awarded the 2002 RSL Anzac Peace Prize for her work on behalf of war-time sex slaves.The long
idyllic summer of Jan Ruff-O'Herne's childhood in Dutch colonial Indonesia ended in 1942 with the Japanese invasion of Java. She was interned in Ambarawa
Prison Camp, along with her mother and two younger sisters. In February 1944, when Jan was 21, her life was torn apart. Along with nine other young women,
all of them virgins, she was plucked from the camp and her family, and enslaved into prostitution by the Japanese Imperial Army.
March 20, 2017
A moving story told simply but with wisdom, compassion and forgiveness.
The pace and tone of Jan's memoir is beautifully balanced between descriptions of her youth before the Japanese invasion and her family's internment in prison camps; her life after the war; and then her campaign for acknowledgement of the crimes against all women where were dragooned by the Japanese occupation forces as sex slaves. As Jan points out, it is offensive to use the common word "comfort women" as there was nothing to do with comfort when you are imprisoned and brutally raped by soldiers every day .
I also loved the inclusion of so many family photos and drawings by Jan Ruff-O'Herne. Amazing to contemplate how these treasured items survived the war, prison camp and migration.
All in all, a wonderful testament to the fortitude and resilience of Jan Ruff-O'Hearne in particular, and all women who suffered (and continue to suffer) like her in the wars that never really seem to end on our planet. Same war, same excuses, same inhumanity – different armies and alliances.
The pace and tone of Jan's memoir is beautifully balanced between descriptions of her youth before the Japanese invasion and her family's internment in prison camps; her life after the war; and then her campaign for acknowledgement of the crimes against all women where were dragooned by the Japanese occupation forces as sex slaves. As Jan points out, it is offensive to use the common word "comfort women" as there was nothing to do with comfort when you are imprisoned and brutally raped by soldiers every day .
I also loved the inclusion of so many family photos and drawings by Jan Ruff-O'Herne. Amazing to contemplate how these treasured items survived the war, prison camp and migration.
All in all, a wonderful testament to the fortitude and resilience of Jan Ruff-O'Hearne in particular, and all women who suffered (and continue to suffer) like her in the wars that never really seem to end on our planet. Same war, same excuses, same inhumanity – different armies and alliances.
March 5, 2017
An exceptional book on a number of different levels. In the end though, in my opinion, it is a book about someone having their faith severely tested and coming out the other side. The physical atrocities the author went through were horrendous and she could have been forgiven for giving up her faith. However, her faith remained strong and she is now considered a leader in the community and has been acknowledged by the Pope, amongst others. The book addresses a number of different issues, including the Dutch occupation of Java, war crimes, sexual assault as a power issue and the behaviour of humans when they have power over others. A really good read.
Read
August 4, 2012Amazing story of survival and courage of one woman enslaved by the Japanese during war and forced into sexual slavery. Her fifty years of silence that ended with this book which is written with a great deal of clarity and emotion, O'Herne lives in Australia and has since made a documentary of her and other women's experiences as part of their campaign to receive an apology from Japan.
November 1, 2018
Such a nightmare this young woman lived through,in history books the crimes perpetrated by the Japanese against women and children have been largely overlooked and forgotten,the Japanese government refuses to acknowledge these crimes which were equal to what was happening in Europe during WWII. So glad this young survived and became the voice of other women like her.
July 19, 2014
I picked this book up for $1 on the way home from a massage. I didn't expect much given the price but I was interested in reading a new book and a true story on war rape seemed like a griping read. I am glad that I came across this book and would recommend it to others. Jan is an inspiring woman.
December 8, 2014
Triumph over tragedy
This amazing story demonstrates how the human spirit carries on in even the harshest times. Very inspirational. I never knew what women faced during wartime. Everyone should read this.
This amazing story demonstrates how the human spirit carries on in even the harshest times. Very inspirational. I never knew what women faced during wartime. Everyone should read this.
December 26, 2011
This book teach you how to live your life whatever happen to you , an inner strength from a good.believer
October 17, 2012
Very amazing read.
December 15, 2013
SAlute to you maam!!!
December 20, 2014
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What a powerful, sad, victorious story of some very courageous girls/women and their will to live.
May this kind of atrocities even happen again.
What a powerful, sad, victorious story of some very courageous girls/women and their will to live.
May this kind of atrocities even happen again.
February 3, 2015
I think it was like talking to my grandmother. It was a fascinating book, telling a story not often told. Or perhaps not often enough told.
January 2, 2016
Simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting.
January 25, 2016
The story you would not like to hear! Must read to realize how bad a war is!!
October 12, 2016
sdsd
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2017
Good book. Terrible, though, what she went through at the hands of the Japanese.
May 10, 2019
Overwhelming sad.
January 17, 2022
The extraordinary memoir of a war rape survivor.'How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn't tell them face to face . . . so I decided to write it down.'Jan Ruff O'Herne's idyllic childhood in Dutch colonial Indonesia ended when the Japanese invaded Java in 1942.She was interned in Ambarawa Prison Camp along with her mother and two younger sisters. In February 1944,when Jan was just 21 years old, she was taken from the camp and forced into sexual slavery in a military brothel.Jan was repeatedly beaten and raped for a period of 3 months, after which she was returned to prison camp with threats that her family would be killed if she revealed the truth about the atrocities inflicted upon her.For 50 years,Jan told no-one what had happened to her, but in 1992,after seeing Korean war rape victims making appeals for justice on television,she decided to speak out and support them. Before she could testify publicly, though, she had to find a way to tell her family and friends about all she had suffered.Jan's survival is a tribute to her inner strength and deep faith.For the past 15 years,she has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of women in war and armed conflict.
Jeanne Alida "Jan" Ruff-O'Herne (18 January 1923–19 August 2019) was a Dutch Australian of Irish ancestry and human rights activist against war rape.Comfort women/comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories prewar and during WWII.The name "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese ianfu, a euphemism for "prostitutes".Most of the women were from occupied countries, including Korea, China,Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, Taiwan, the Dutch East Indies, Portuguese Timor, New Guinea etc.Originally, the brothels were established to provide soldiers with voluntary prostitutes in order to reduce the incidence of wartime rape, a cause of rising anti-Japanese sentiment.However,many women were coerced into sex work,and the trauma they suffered, affected their personal and familial lives.
Jeanne Alida "Jan" Ruff-O'Herne (18 January 1923–19 August 2019) was a Dutch Australian of Irish ancestry and human rights activist against war rape.Comfort women/comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories prewar and during WWII.The name "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese ianfu, a euphemism for "prostitutes".Most of the women were from occupied countries, including Korea, China,Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, Taiwan, the Dutch East Indies, Portuguese Timor, New Guinea etc.Originally, the brothels were established to provide soldiers with voluntary prostitutes in order to reduce the incidence of wartime rape, a cause of rising anti-Japanese sentiment.However,many women were coerced into sex work,and the trauma they suffered, affected their personal and familial lives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews