--- product_id: 46459164 title: "The Rainbow Troops: A Novel" price: "€ 28.58" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/46459164-the-rainbow-troops-a-novel store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # The Rainbow Troops: A Novel **Price:** € 28.58 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Rainbow Troops: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** € 28.58 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/46459164-the-rainbow-troops-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From Indonesia, an inspiring, record-breaking bestseller―and a modern-day fairy tale Published in Indonesia in 2005, The Rainbow Troops , Andrea Hirata's closely autobiographical debut novel, sold more than five million copies, shattering records. Now it promises to captivate audiences around the globe. Ikal is a student at the poorest village school on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered remarkable. His school is under constant threat of closure. Ikal and his friends―a group nicknamed the Rainbow Troops―face threats from every angle: skeptical government officials, greedy corporations, deepening poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and their own low self-confidence. But the students also have hope, which comes in the form of two extraordinary teachers, and Ikal's education in and out of the classroom is an uplifting one. We root for him as he defies the island's tin mine officials. We meet his first love, the unseen girl who sells chalk from behind a shop screen, whose pretty hands capture Ikal's heart. We cheer for Lintang, the class's barefoot math genius, as he bests the students of the mining corporation's school in an academic challenge. Above all, we gain an intimate acquaintance with the customs and people of the world's largest Muslim society. This is classic storytelling in the spirit of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner : an engrossing depiction of a milieu we have never encountered before, bursting with charm and verve. Review: Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans - Quite a discovery. A modern Indonesian autobiographical novel about growing up among poor Malays in Sumatra. 'No matter how bad their circumstances, they always consider themselves fortunate. That is the use of religion.' (Does anybody feel reminded of a famous quote from another writer?) Belitong, or Billiton, is an Indonesian island to the east of South Sumatra. It is not a poor island, due to its tin mines (the company BHP Billiton originated here), but it has its share of poor people, the laborers, fishermen, and farmers. The book was a commercial success in a country not famous for widespread reading. It is well worth our time. (By the way, the island is also Conrad territory, see The Rescue.) The main theme is poor kids' struggle for schooling: a small elementary school of the Muhammadiya persuasion, or rather, the story of a class of 10 students. One less and the school would have been shut down. Why did the kids enroll in a Muhammadiya school? 3 reasons: first, the school charged no fees; second, the parents didn't want the devil to lead their kids astray; third, no other school would have accepted them. Muhammadiya is a reformist Islamic organization in Indonesia, not a political party, but oriented towards education and charity. Motto: do what is good and prevent what is evil. It has 30 million members and runs thousands of schools. I know nothing negative about them, though I am not normally friendly towards religious organizations. However it is not as if they gave this school much in terms of resources... Apart from an heroical teacher, a 15 y old girl when it starts, who doesn't even get paid for the work, the school is little more than a shack. It leads a bare knuckled struggle for survival and has to stand up against the tin mine and the government. Hirata writes the former boy's memories, he does not impersonate the child that he was. We are not given pseudo childish observations, but those of an adult who looks back. That filter takes out some of the possible reservations that I might have had: there is no romancing or cutifying poverty here. There is also no whining. The tone is often humorous, and mostly practical and effective. When the adolescent boy's 'love of his life' leaves the island to go to school in Jakarta, he discovers reading for consolation (via James Herriot!) and John Lennon's quote (that I put in the review title). A John Lennon poster goes up on the class room wall next to Bruce Lee. If I need to find something to criticize, I would decide to doubt the rather extreme stories about the school's own geniuses, the artsy boy and the science wizard. Too good to be true? If it is non-fiction, we will believe it. It comes perilously near to standard underdog clichés though. It is saved by lack of sentimentality. Similarly, when the big fight against the mine's attack on the school starts, the story is in danger of drifting into kitschland. Such struggles are hard to write about in a satisfactory way. Andrea Hirata also gives us outlines of a social history of tin mining and colonialism, and the ethnic as well as the social caste structure on the island. No tale of Indonesia that is worth its salt can make do without ghosts and shamans. Superstition is deeply anchored in people's lives and minds. The mining dredges and the crocodiles are the ogres of this island. The book was so successful that Hirata gave up his job in the corporate world and became a professional writer. (Though his name suggests some kind of relation to either Italy or Japan, that doesn't seem to be the case. Indonesian names can be bewildering.) Review: This is an inspiring story of a group of children in Indonesia and the positive effects of education on their lives. - The story gives an insight into life in a poorer area of Indonesia and the universal desire of parents to give their children the best opportunities possible. The individual characteristics of each child and their teachers are described with humour and acceptance. There are challenges to be faced and unique solutions are found to achieve the best outcome. There are rebellions but also triumphs that make the reader happy for this disparate little group. This was a very satisfying book to read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,156,715 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,248 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #5,468 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 285 Reviews | ## Images ![The Rainbow Troops: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81MrZm1XygL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans *by H***R on April 12, 2013* Quite a discovery. A modern Indonesian autobiographical novel about growing up among poor Malays in Sumatra. 'No matter how bad their circumstances, they always consider themselves fortunate. That is the use of religion.' (Does anybody feel reminded of a famous quote from another writer?) Belitong, or Billiton, is an Indonesian island to the east of South Sumatra. It is not a poor island, due to its tin mines (the company BHP Billiton originated here), but it has its share of poor people, the laborers, fishermen, and farmers. The book was a commercial success in a country not famous for widespread reading. It is well worth our time. (By the way, the island is also Conrad territory, see The Rescue.) The main theme is poor kids' struggle for schooling: a small elementary school of the Muhammadiya persuasion, or rather, the story of a class of 10 students. One less and the school would have been shut down. Why did the kids enroll in a Muhammadiya school? 3 reasons: first, the school charged no fees; second, the parents didn't want the devil to lead their kids astray; third, no other school would have accepted them. Muhammadiya is a reformist Islamic organization in Indonesia, not a political party, but oriented towards education and charity. Motto: do what is good and prevent what is evil. It has 30 million members and runs thousands of schools. I know nothing negative about them, though I am not normally friendly towards religious organizations. However it is not as if they gave this school much in terms of resources... Apart from an heroical teacher, a 15 y old girl when it starts, who doesn't even get paid for the work, the school is little more than a shack. It leads a bare knuckled struggle for survival and has to stand up against the tin mine and the government. Hirata writes the former boy's memories, he does not impersonate the child that he was. We are not given pseudo childish observations, but those of an adult who looks back. That filter takes out some of the possible reservations that I might have had: there is no romancing or cutifying poverty here. There is also no whining. The tone is often humorous, and mostly practical and effective. When the adolescent boy's 'love of his life' leaves the island to go to school in Jakarta, he discovers reading for consolation (via James Herriot!) and John Lennon's quote (that I put in the review title). A John Lennon poster goes up on the class room wall next to Bruce Lee. If I need to find something to criticize, I would decide to doubt the rather extreme stories about the school's own geniuses, the artsy boy and the science wizard. Too good to be true? If it is non-fiction, we will believe it. It comes perilously near to standard underdog clichés though. It is saved by lack of sentimentality. Similarly, when the big fight against the mine's attack on the school starts, the story is in danger of drifting into kitschland. Such struggles are hard to write about in a satisfactory way. Andrea Hirata also gives us outlines of a social history of tin mining and colonialism, and the ethnic as well as the social caste structure on the island. No tale of Indonesia that is worth its salt can make do without ghosts and shamans. Superstition is deeply anchored in people's lives and minds. The mining dredges and the crocodiles are the ogres of this island. The book was so successful that Hirata gave up his job in the corporate world and became a professional writer. (Though his name suggests some kind of relation to either Italy or Japan, that doesn't seem to be the case. Indonesian names can be bewildering.) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an inspiring story of a group of children in Indonesia and the positive effects of education on their lives. *by G***N on April 24, 2013* The story gives an insight into life in a poorer area of Indonesia and the universal desire of parents to give their children the best opportunities possible. The individual characteristics of each child and their teachers are described with humour and acceptance. There are challenges to be faced and unique solutions are found to achieve the best outcome. There are rebellions but also triumphs that make the reader happy for this disparate little group. This was a very satisfying book to read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Sending a child to school meant tying oneself to years of costs." *by K***R on March 2, 2013* Our study opens with the valiant teachers of the tiny Malaysian school breathlessly awaiting their students. They must have ten in order to remain open. It is the poorest school on the island, the only one accepting the children of the laborers in the infamous tin mines. The teachers receive no pay, the students are unpromising. Each of the ten students charmed me to my toes. Ikal and his friends are rainbow troops who seek the heartening rainbows of the rai y season from their perch in the trees. As the author notes, "One of the extraordinary qualities of Malays is that no matter how bad their circumstances, they always consider themselves fortunate." This isn't a Suzy Cream Cheese optimism, it is the outpouring of character. My favorite is Mahar who is gifted artistically. Or it might be the brilliant Lintang. Or maybe Harun, the child with Down's Syndrome stole my heart. This is old culture, rarely heard from in my corner of the world. It is an Islam based on doing one's best toward every human, gentle and loving. Yes there is anger towards the wealthy tin mines taking the value and the labor without fair return. The story isn't precious or sweet. This is simply a lovely book taking us into a new world with page turning brilliance. You will be glad you read it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.at/products/46459164-the-rainbow-troops-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.at/products/46459164-the-rainbow-troops-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-06-07*