The women suffered in the fighting. One tells how she was shot in the arm. Her arm “opened up like a flower” – with blood gushing from her wound, she still thought to pass on her carbine rifle. In retreat they took care “to cover their traces well”. By the time they reached the camp her arm was hanging only by the skin. The wound turned black and became infested with worms.
Agnes Khoo has brought us not only a series of poignant and moving life stories; she has opened a path back to a forgotten history. Her book ensures that the traces of so much heroism and hope will not be covered over by the indifference of time. ~ Prof. Sheila Rowbotham
No doubt, such genuine voices one told to the public, might be misunderstood. However, it is my sincere hope that their stories are read and understood in the simplest spirit of humanism and their sacrifices are appreciated, regardless of our own brand of politics as readers. This book is in no way political propaganda, the readers who think so have missed the point. This book is about how ordinary people like you and me have tried to achieve the extraordinary in a specific period of time, under specific socio-political and economic conditions. It is a book as much about hopes and aspirations as about dreams and dilemmas. It is especially a book full of love, told in so many different ways, which hopefully, will help us reflect more critically upon ourselves and ask ourselves: “What are we doing with our own lives?” ~ Agnes Khoo
Author:
Agnes Khoo is currently a PhD student at the University of Manchester, UK, researching women’s oral history in Asia. She has been an activist, an NGO worker and a researcher in different parts of the world, mainly Europe and Asia, for the last 15 years. Agnes is bilingual in Mandarin and English. She speaks other Chinese dialects as well as Dutch.
