010. Gabooktalks: The Rainbow Troops

Laskar Pelangi is one of the most famous novels in Indonesia. It was published first on 2005. Then, it started to translate in English in the end of March 2008. This novel was published on December 2009. The Rainbow Troops or Laskar Pelangi won praise from Christopher Merril, academic literature at the University of Iowa, United States. The Rainbow Troops is an impressive achievement and is a powerful work of imagination that sweeps Belitong life on the island. The Rainbow Troops tells the story of a tight-knit group of Melayu Belitong students and their teachers fighting for education and dignity, even as they face continual hardship. Fabulously rich in natural resources, Belitong is also home to chronic poverty and educational discrimination. This amazing story tells of two teachers – Muslimah and Harfan - and their tireless efforts to fight for their ten students’ right to an education. Together, they take the readers on a journey through the beauty of childhood friendship, the inspiration of love, and the power of education. The Rainbow Troops novel tells the readers about the memoir of Andrea Hirata’s childhood and adolescence.