After a presentation I make an effort to answer as many questions as I can. When there is no limit to time my answers and explanations could be in itself a presentation. Which I don’t mind.
One frequently asked questions is: “Do you speak in the schools about this history”.
The answer is “yes”. I have been in numerous schools during the past years; spoken to students and teachers and answered many interesting questions. One of the history teachers added “The Remains of War” to his curriculum which made me feel really honored.
Another question is: “How do people react after they have read your book?”
Believe it or not, that is a more difficult question to answer. So instead of answering it I have added some of my favourite endorsements with you. Truly, I could devote more than a page or even ten with the incredible feedback readers have shared with me.
“In this book, G. Pauline Kok-Schurgers courageously recounts the heartbreaking experience of a young family torn apart by the ravages of world War II while imprisoned in a Japanese concentration Camp. Told with remarkable clarity and sincerity, this book is a powerful depiction of how war forever robs one’s childhood…thank you for allowing me to read the book. It is beautiful and painful and I applaud you for writing it.” – Radio: Rosie Fernandez, CBC
“This book is an unforgettable account of a dark page in world history which has been mostly neglected. Mrs. Kok-Schurgers has provided a very powerful voice to the children who suffered so much cruelty and hardships at the hands of their captors and whose stories remain untold.” – Dr. Ulrich Frisse, LL.M, Publisher — Transatlantic Publishing
“This is a must read for this and future generations. Through the eyes and heart of a child, Pauline Kok-Schurgers has captured in detail another dark era of men’s inhumanity to men, women and children. A time that never must be erased from history. Pauline is a courageous, true survivor who has put her experiences and inner heart to pen. – Rev. Robert Beer, Director: Paladin International.
“I completed this book this weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly although I’m not sure that ‘enjoyed’ is the proper term. The book was well written and well expressed, giving words to the feelings of a young girl. It was a tragedy. It took great courage to put her experiences into words and thankfully her story has been told. It is a testament to those who lost their lives and to the amazing feats of survival that she was a part of. I deeply felt the loss of her childhood. The change in family dynamics, her relationships with others, and the roles she was forced to assume would reshape the woman that Sofia was becoming.” – Karen Mallet – Registered Nurses