JAVA LOST, A Child Imprisoned I: The Belt of Emeralds

by Jannie Wilbrink

Emilie Marianne Yda Wilbrink (Jannie), was born to Lady Emilie Martha Teding van Berkhout (Emie) and her commoner husband Willem Gerrit Jan Wilbrink (Wim). Wim was the Manager of a coffee and rubber plantation known as Kepoetren,in the fertile grounds and hills on the Island of Java, Indonesia, not far from Malang. The plantation, surrounded by the thick rich tropical vegetation commonly found in the Indonesian jungles, beckoned Jannie, a tomboy, to come and explore its many facets. This is a world where monkeys frolicked, swinging from the trees, and where other forms of wildlife lurked. Life on Kepoetren was respectful to all who lived and worked there. Jannie's father taught her many of life's lessons, as World War II was raging around the world. This is her story.
Look for Book 2, Part II, Eighteen Inches On A Mattress; and Book 3, Part III, The Aftermath, and Part IV, On To A New Country, of this amazing trilogy.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2010

Reviews

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book is such a wonderful person (she was my son's teacher for a few months and I absolutely loved the way she treated him and everyone around her- I could honestly tell she was a special lady the first time I saw her!) that it made reading her unique life story that much more of a pleasure.

What an interesting and adventure-filled childhood she had across the world on a big rubber plantation in Indonesia, a place I knew nothing about until now. I'm amazed at the detail she was able to remember and record, all captured and retold through the lens of a child's new, curious, and innocent eyes. It really inspired me to write more of my life's history for my posterity to have. What a priceless gift.