“Two Slices of Bread is a remarkable, moving memoir. Three months after Ingrid Coles was born in Java, she and her family were incarcerated in a Japanese concentration camp for three years. This memoir goes from heartache to triumph and is highly recommended.”
Biography
Ingrid Coles may appear to be an ordinary person – a wife, mother, grandmother, retired nurse, hobby gardener, and keen church member, but appearances can be deceiving.
She was born in Java, Indonesia, in 1942, during the Japanese occupation and her family’s house arrest. Shortly after they were incarcerated into separate POW camps, for almost three years. Her father died in prison camp. At liberation from the Japanese in August 1945, they then faced the Indonesian War of Independence, so macabre, they had to be evacuated in May 1946 to their motherland, the Netherlands. But Ingrid’s younger brother died en route, and initially Holland was no picnic!
However, Ingrid was not daunted by adversity. Orphaned when barely 16, she had a clear idea of her future calling, and emigrated to New Zealand to begin nursing training four months later. She reveals God to be the secret in her country of adoption, and how she overcame the hurts and hurdles of the past. Ingrid married a New Zealander and has three daughters and ten grandchildren. She published her bestselling memoir, Two Slices of Bread, and is now working on her next book.
Two Slices of Bread
Sale Price:NZ$29.99 Original Price:NZ$34.99
INTERNED IN A JAPANESE CONCENTRATION CAMP—THEN FINDING PEACE AT LAST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD
You will be moved beyondwords, even to tears—a true story of heartaches and triumphs...
As a young child in Holland, Ingrid's uncle offered her another slice of bread. "Two slices of bread?" she asked, never having been allowed that many before! Her memory jumped to the starvation and cruelty her family had experienced at the hands of extremely cruel captors.
Ingrid Coles was born in Java, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), on 28 November 1942, during the Japanese occupation of WWII. Three months after her birth, she and her family were incarcerated in prisoner-of-war camps. Her father died, aged 43, in a prison camp. Her 6-year-old brother died of starvation and pneumonia en route to Holland, when the family was evacuated during the Indonesian War of Independence.
Life changed drastically in the Netherlands for Ingrid and her three siblings, who had to learn how to cope with their mother's post-traumatic stress and their own war-time experiences. However, Ingrid, now orphaned aged 16 in 1958, had a clear idea of her future calling and emigrated to New Zealand to begin nursing training six months later. This memoir traces Ingrid's background and growing-up years, revealing the secret of her successful life in her country of adoption; and how she overcame the hurts and hurdles of the past—even to how she learned to forgive her oppressors.
Ingrid’s website: ingridcoles.co.nz
Format: Paperback | 294 pages
Dimensions: 148 x 210 x 18mm | 500g
ISBN13: 978-0-473-42890-7
Publisher: Wild Side Publishing
Publication Date: July 2018
Publication country: New Zealand
Blog Posts
In the green valley
When I was about six years old, I heard this Dutch hymn sung at a new primary school. I was still very broken by the many things that had happened to me in the past and felt like one of those little flowers in that valley. I felt crushed, overawed and hopelessly tiny, but I didn’t know what to do about it all. There were a lot of nasty people in the world and even some of the children at school were unkind.
Standing on my own two feet
I had toyed with the idea of standing on my own feet for years and do what I’d always wished to: Nursing! However, there was more to it when the time came, and this soon sank in. At 16, going on 17, I thought the world was my oyster, that I was invincible, even though I’d only been in New Zealand a couple of months and my English still needed attention.
Book Reviews
“As an ex-POW during the Japanese occupation of the Netherland's East Indies, aged 16, in men's camps in Pekalongan and Tjimahi, Java, I can honestly say this book describes the hardship and horror of that period (1942-1945). A story worth reading.”
Hans van Leuven born 02/07/1926, Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Retired architect
“I read this book with pleasure and appreciate the way Ingrid writes about her experiences in Japanese Prison camps and her life journey afterward. Her flowing style of writing tells an interesting story which gives a genuine account. A captivating book.”