About this Event
Join Brian Kimmel in the readings Gallery to celebrate the launch of his co-authored book, Blue Skies, Troubled Waters: An American Twin's WWII Odyssey in Minahasa, Indonesia, that tells the story of his grandmothers life during WWII!
Blue Skies, Troubled Waters, tells the remarkable true story of twin sisters Ath and Kath, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1933, whose family is uprooted and deported to the jungles of Indonesia due to their father's undocumented status. Their new life is quickly shattered when, in 1941, Japan invades, and the family is imprisoned as civilian prisoners of war.
Co-authored by her grandson, this memoir blends Ath's personal narrative with newly uncovered historical records, maps, and photographs, bringing to life a forgotten chapter of history and the enduring spirit of survival.
Brian Kimmel is a second-generation multiheritage Dutch Indonesian American and third grandchild to Pacific Northwest author, Martha Walandouw Lohn. He co- authored Lohn's memoir, Blue Skies, Troubled Waters, edited the first Indonesian language version, and has a published chapter in Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices (North Atlantic Books) and Dancing With The Dharma: Movement and Dance in Western Buddhism. A Buddhist teacher ordained by Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Kimmel incorporates decades of engagement with deep songs and light-hearted banter.
Martha Walandouw Lohn was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to a naturalized American Polish Mama who escaped the Russian occupation of Poland in the 1920s and an undocumented Minahasan-Indonesian Papa who disembarked a Dutch military ship in New York and never reboarded—Lohn is not just an author; she's a living testament to resilience and the human spirit.
As a survivor of World War II's Japanese occupation of Indonesia, formerly known as the Dutch East Indies, and as a child who saw her father getting deported from the United States, Lohn's experiences have become a wellspring of inspiration for her writing. Her evocative storytelling captures the nuances of history, weaving together the threads of personal experience with the grand tapestry of global events.
She is an avid gardener. Much like the strong ties she has cultivated with family, both by blood and by heart, anything she puts into the ground — even a twig — will grow and flower. She is a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother of multi-heritage descendants and a Tanta (Auntie) and great Tanta to many family members in the United States, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and has continued to find inspiration, healing and hope through gardening.
*Feel free to call Village Books and Paper Dreams for further assistance at 360-671-2626!*
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Village Books and Paper Dreams, 1200 11th Street, Bellingham, United States
USD 6.24 to USD 23.83
