The Rainbow Troops

Resumen del libro

From Indonesia, an inspiring, record-breaking bestseller'and a modern-day fairy tale

Published in Indonesia in 2005, The Rainbow Troops, Andrea Hiratas 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 Ikals education in and out of the classroom is an uplifting one. We root for him as he defies the islands tin mine officials. We meet his first love, the unseen girl who sells chalk from behind a shop screen, whose pretty hands capture Ikals heart. We cheer for Lintang, the classs barefoot math genius, as he bests the students of the mining corporations school in an academic challenge. Above all, we gain an intimate acquaintance with the customs and people of the worlds largest Muslim society.
This is classic storytelling in the spirit of Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner: an engrossing depiction of a milieu we have never encountered before, bursting with charm and verve.

Biografía del autor

Andrea Hirata nació en Indonesia. Su primera novela, La tropa del arcoíris, le convirtió en el autor indonesio más vendido de todos los tiempos, así como en el primer autor de su país verdaderamente internacional: La tropa del arcoíris se ha publicado en veintitrés países, y el número continúa aumentando. La adaptación cinematográfica del libro, estrenada en el año 2008 y de producción indonesia, se convirtió en el mayor éxito de taquilla de la historia del país y consiguió hacerse con multitud de premios. Hirata ha escrito tres secuelas de La tropa del arcoíris: Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), Edensor y Maryama Karpov. Vive en Indonesia.