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Overview
Told in her own words, here is the true story of a girl who posed as a boy during World War II — and dared to speak up for her fellow prisoners of war.
With the Japanese army poised to invade their Indonesian island in 1942, Rita la Fontaine’s family knew that they and the other Dutch and Dutch-Indonesian residents would soon become prisoners of war. Fearing that twelve-year-old Rita would be forced to act as a "comfort woman" for the Japanese soldiers, the family launched a desperate plan to turn Rita into "Rick," cutting her hair short and dressing her in boy’s clothes. Rita’s aptitude for languages earned her a position as translator for the commandant of the prisoner camp, and for the next three years she played a dangerous game of disguise while advocating against poor conditions, injustice, and torture. Sixty-five years later, Rita describes a war experience like no other — a remarkable tale of integrity, fortitude, and honor.
Synopsis
Told in her own words, here is the true story of a girl who posed as a boy during World War II — and dared to speak up for her fellow prisoners of war.
With the Japanese army poised to invade their Indonesian island in 1942, Rita la Fontaine’s family knew that they and the other Dutch and Dutch-Indonesian residents would soon become prisoners of war. Fearing that twelve-year-old Rita would be forced to act as a "comfort woman" for the Japanese soldiers, the family launched a desperate plan to turn Rita into "Rick," cutting her hair short and dressing her in boy’s clothes. Rita’s aptitude for languages earned her a position as translator for the commandant of the prisoner camp, and for the next three years she played a dangerous game of disguise while advocating against poor conditions, injustice, and torture. Sixty-five years later, Rita describes a war experience like no other — a remarkable tale of integrity, fortitude, and honor.
VOYA
When she was twelve years old, Rita's island in Indonesia was invaded by the Japanese. For more than three years, Rita and her family were prisoners of war. Concerned about Rita's safety as a young woman, her family came up with a plan to make sure she did not become a "comfort woman." She changed her identity from Rita to Rick. Although Rita's story is one of courage, strength, and ingenuity, this memoir misses its mark. The voice is that of an adult looking back and not of a young person in the experience. Far too much is told rather than shown. In fact, when she does show, she chooses adult interactions more than moments with other youth. Also, despite the innate suspense of her experiences, the writing itself is not gripping. She moves from one situation to the next, often with abrupt chapter endings. One particular moment, however, needs to be addressed. While disguised as a boy, Rita is attacked and almost raped by a Japanese officer. As nanve as she had been about "comfort women" until her family explained, she understood even less about what almost happened with the Japanese officer. Pouring out her frightening tale to her beloved aunt, she writes that her aunt "reproached herself for not having told me about what she had been afraid of; namely, homosexuality." What almost happened was rape, not homosexuality; after all, the horrible situation for comfort women was not defined as heterosexuality. Unfortunately this memoir is not a great success.
Editorials
VOYA -
When she was twelve years old, Rita's island in Indonesia was invaded by the Japanese. For more than three years, Rita and her family were prisoners of war. Concerned about Rita's safety as a young woman, her family came up with a plan to make sure she did not become a "comfort woman." She changed her identity from Rita to Rick. Although Rita's story is one of courage, strength, and ingenuity, this memoir misses its mark. The voice is that of an adult looking back and not of a young person in the experience. Far too much is told rather than shown. In fact, when she does show, she chooses adult interactions more than moments with other youth. Also, despite the innate suspense of her experiences, the writing itself is not gripping. She moves from one situation to the next, often with abrupt chapter endings. One particular moment, however, needs to be addressed. While disguised as a boy, Rita is attacked and almost raped by a Japanese officer. As nanve as she had been about "comfort women" until her family explained, she understood even less about what almost happened with the Japanese officer. Pouring out her frightening tale to her beloved aunt, she writes that her aunt "reproached herself for not having told me about what she had been afraid of; namely, homosexuality." What almost happened was rape, not homosexuality; after all, the horrible situation for comfort women was not defined as heterosexuality. Unfortunately this memoir is not a great success.Children's Literature -
The author of this memoir recounts her years as a Dutch teenager in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. To protect her from being forced into the life of a "comfort" woman for the Japanese soldiers, her family disguised her as a boy, transforming her from Rita into Rick. As Rick, this young girl learned Japanese and became the official camp interpreter. For three years, she hid her true identity while she daringly worked to ensure the rights of her fellow prisoners. Although the ingenuity and bravery of this young woman cannot be doubted, the text is often slow and somewhat stilted. The length and slow pace of the story will turn off some readers; however, avid fans of memoirs or World War II will find the story interesting. Excerpts from this text could be used as interesting aids for Social Studies teachers to share with classes to bring a human face to prisoners of war. Reviewer: Caroline B. HopenwasserSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up- Due to the foresight of he priest, 12-year-old Rita was disguised as a boy and became Rick while the Japanese occupied Sumatra during World War II. Although she didn't understand the risk of being a girl, the plan was to shield her from being conscripted as a "comfort woman" to serve enemy soldiers. After the takeover, her Dutch-Indonesian family became prisoners of war. This extraordinary memoir provides a firsthand look at Rick's life as a privileged prisoner as well as a child growing up in a time of war. Before being sent to a POW camp, Rick took a job to help support her family and learned Japanese. This made her an invaluable asset to prison wardens, who used her language skills to help run the camps. In this role, Rick experienced exceptional circumstances that challenged her to cope with adult issues. She witnessed intimate scenes and was cornered by a soldier who explained that boys can have sexual relations, too. While she maintained a quality of innocence, these incidents and her descriptions of squalid conditions in the camps beg for a mature audience. Still, Rita/Rick is engaging, with an authentic voice that gives substance to the facts.-Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library
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