Sold for Silver: An Autobiography of a Girl Sold Into Slavery in Southeast Asia

Readers will quickly get caught up in this fascinating narrative, which takes the author from her birth in 1923 to the end of WWII. Written in a detached, yet detailed style, Lim relates how she was abandoned by her mother, transported to Singapore and sold as a slave-all before she turned 10. By the time she turned 20, the author met with several more disasters and every imaginable calamity, including being taken prisoner by the Japanese: ""The door was closed, bolted and locked from the outside. In the darkness, I sat leaning against the concrete wall when suddenly I felt something stirring in the room."" Lim's straightforward storytelling style allows readers to take in the information without feeling overwhelmed by the tragedies that beset her. ""Fearing to be left alone in Padang and sad to see my friends going away, I chose the internment camp rather than to remain free,"" she reveals with typical sang-froid. The author rarely reflects on how she felt about the decisions she made or the events that took place. As the biblical title implies, this volume will be of particular interest to Christians and others who enjoy reading autobiographies of people in search of their faith, for Lim often describes her longing for spiritual reassurance. History buffs will enjoy this unusual, first-hand glimpse of the war; however, some readers will wish there was more historical information to serve as a backdrop for the events in the book. Originally released in 1958 and again in 1984, this compelling story of endurance, faith and friendship will be of general interest to contemporary readers.