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Ikal and his ten classmates, who call themselves “the rainbow troops”, attend the only free school in the poorest part of Belitong in Indonesia. They learn their times tables with twigs; there is no toilet and, when rain leaks through the roof, they study under umbrellas at their desks. But these resourceful kids know that education is the key to breaking the cycle of illiteracy and hard labor that runs through their families.
This autobiographical novel, written in simple, conversational prose by Andrea Hirata, was a record-breaking bestseller in Indonesia when it was published in 2005. Now in English, the story follows the students from their first day to their teens as they discover their strengths, build friendship, learn courage and grace from their teachers and dream of a better future.
The rainbow troops must constantly defend their extremely poor school against plans to close it. The biggest threat comes from the state-owned mining company, which wants to demolish their school. In a battle of state capitalism versus local livelihoods, the kids remain defiant and united.
The noun “illiteracy” in “the cycle of illiteracy” (R.6-7)