Ibu Maluku: The Story of Jeanne van Diejen [Paperback]

Ron Heynneman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

IBU MALUKU is the unique story of a resolute woman, Jeanne van Diejen-Roemen, who survives the hardships of remote jungles, the horrors of two world wars, and the life-threatening political upheavals that preceded the birth of the Republic of Indonesia.

Her story reminds one of Mother Theresa and Florence Nightingale because, like these women, Jeanne had an overriding sense of duty — that of wanting to be of service to her fellow- man.

During her life, she distinguished herself as a planter, nurse, midwife, gardener, and social worker. In the Moluccas she spearheaded the fight against leprosy, and enabled hundreds of lepers to again assume a useful role in the society that had banished them earlier on. She initiated the plans to bring isolated forest people into the 20th century, and founded a hospital, a school, an orphanage and a home for the elderly. In recognition of her efforts, Indonesia’s first president Sukarno started calling her Ibu Maluku — Mother of the Moluccas — and the name stuck.

Though she had a carte blanche with Sukarno, her outspokenness brought her into conflict with him. This forced her to leave the Moluccas and the people who had given her their trust. Apart from a short, memorable visit to the Moluccas, she has lived in the Netherlands, where, on June 6, 2001, she celebrated her 105th birthday.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I ... hope that this book gives Jeanne the recognition she deserves for her devotion and love towards (the) less fortunate -- John Morrow's Pick of the Week

Ibu Maluku is an amazing work - an epic. We, the reader, are receivers of a rare gift. -- Wendy O'Hanlon, APN Newspapers

This compelling, entertaining, and informative book...will provide an unforgettable reading experience. -- Michael Day (former Asia Desk Chief, The West Australian)

About the Author

Ron Heynneman was born in Surabaya (Java), and raised in Makassar (Celebes, now Sulawesi). In 1942, the Japanese invaded the Netherlands East Indies and interned the family — his father and older brother in Pare-Pare; Ron, his mother and younger brother at Malino, and later at Kampili. There he met Jeanne-Marie van Diejen-Roemen, the heroine of this book.

Three and a half years later Australian troops liberated him, and the reunited family left for the Netherlands to recover. The family stayed there so the children could pursue their education in a secure environment.

After an engineer-in-training stage in the Netherlands and Sweden, he immigrated to Canada in 1953. Losing his job after the Canadian Government cancelled the development of the Avro CF-105 "Arrow", he left for Chicago, where he worked on industrial and aerospace projects.

In 1964 he returned to Canada, and made Toronto his home. In 1966 he became a registered professional engineer, and in 1968 earned an MBA from the University of Toronto.

In 1972, he married Mireille Desjarlais from Montreal, a social worker by training, now a full-time writer. They live in Toronto.

In 1974, Ron met Jeanne van Diejen again in the Netherlands and persuaded this gifted raconteur to publish her memoirs. Ron crossed the Atlantic almost every year to record these memoirs. Partly written down and partly conveyed by word of mouth, they were then translated into English and set into a larger historical context. He then chose to tell her story the way it was told to him ­ complete with Malay (Indonesian) words and expressions that the Dutch of the East Indies freely intermixed with their own language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 636 pages
• Publisher: Sid Harta Publishers (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877059080
• ISBN-13: 978-1877059087
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Long Story - but an interesting one! ;-), April 16, 2005

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Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ibu Maluku: The Story of Jeanne van Diejen (Paperback)

It takes a long a time to get through this book - you get to read a lot for your money!
It must be a fascinating reading for those interested in how the Dutch lived in Maluku in the first half of the 20th century.
The first part of the story tells how a young Dutch couple move to North Maluku (first Mangole in the Sula Islands, then to Tobelo on Halmahera) after the First World War to establish their own plantation. This is very much a story of colonial life - information on the life of the native people of Maluku is rather scarce.
The second part describes life under the Japanese occupation - mostly as POW in camps on Ambon and in South Sulawesi. It is interesting for her rather objective description of the Japanese, who are shown to be humans after all.
In the third part, van Diejen describes how she stays on after Indonesia becomes independent, becoming a social worker. With most of the Dutch (and her plantation) now gone, she is now working with Indonesians and spends much time visiting remote regions. This is the part which contains the most interesting descriptions of Maluku and its people.