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Book Summary

Gemes is a word that only exists in Indonesian. Have you ever been overcome by the intense desire to pinch a baby’s cheeks? That’s gemes. Psychologists call this phenomenon “Cute aggression.” I wonder if the first colonists looked at us and our land and felt a perverse sense of gemes. Were we so adorable that they had to squeeze everything out of us?

That contorted craving lasted for over three centuries. After European colonial rule ended, Japanese occupation ensued during World War Two, leading to a decades-long fight for political and financial freedom. Our wrists were then slapped during the Cold War before we persevered under a military regime that lasted over thirty years. Now, we are starting to reemerge. We have no choice but to move forward. We must keep up. But at what cost?

The Most Gentle People is my attempt to unravel this past and recast it in a new light. As I do so, I am forced to grapple with the parts of Indonesia that I have ignored, misunderstood, and, in some cases, shunned. No matter how much denial we drink, the past always pangs when the present touches its bruises. This is a story of candor, redemption, and rediscovery. It is about growing up Indonesian and Indonesia growing up. The Most Gentle People is a hybrid memoir and historical narrative.

What’s the Latest on My Book?

The manuscript is complete and ready.

Interested in publishing it? Please contact me: dakotasinder8@gmail.com.

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