The Rainbow Troops A Novel

by Hirata, Andrea; Kilbane, Angie

• ISBN13: 9780374246310
• ISBN10: 0374246319
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-02-05
• Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books

Summary

From Indonesia, an inspiring, record-breaking bestsellerand a modern-day fairy tale Ikal is a student at Muhammadiyah Elementary, on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered a signal achievement. His school is under constant threat of closure. In fact, Ikal and his friendsa group nicknamed the Rainbow Troopsface threats from every angle: pessimistic, corrupt government officials; greedy corporations hardly distinguishable from the colonialism they've replaced; deepening poverty and crumbling infrastructure; and their own festering self-confidence. But in the form of two extraordinary teachers, they also have hope, and Ikal's education is an uplifting one, in and out of the classroom. We root for him and his friends as they defy the town's powerful tin miners. We meet his first love, a hand with half-moon fingernails that passes him the chalk his teacher has instructed him to buy. We cheer for Lintang, the class's barefoot math genius, as he bests the rich company children in an academic challenge. Above all, we gain an intimate acquaintance with the customs and people of the world's largest Muslim society. First published in 2005, The Rainbow Troops, Andrea Hirata's autobiographical debut novel, sold a record-breaking 5 million copies in Indonesia. Now it promises to captivate audiences across the globe. This is classic storytelling: an engrossing depiction of a milieu we have never encountered before, bursting with charm and verve.

Author Biography

Andrea Hirata is an Indonesian writer. He was a participant in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 2010. His first novel, The Rainbow Troops (Laskar Pelangi), sold more than five million copies in Indonesia, making him the country’s bestselling writer of all time, as well as its first to enjoy truly international success: The Rainbow Troops has been published or is forthcoming in twenty-three countries and counting. Hirata has written three sequels to The Rainbow Troops: Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), Edensor, and Maryama Karpov. He lives in Indonesia.