Pierre Schwenke Schwenke itibaren 25331 Tornabous, Lleida, İspanya
Akhirnya Annelis – Isteri Minke meninggal dunia. Buku lanjutan Bumi Manusia ini lebih banyak menceritakan perjalanan Minke terjun ke “Dunia Pribumi” sesungguhnya. Desakan orang-orang terdekat kepada Minke agar menulis dalam bahasa Melayu sangat luar biasa. Apalagi setelah bertemu dengan beberapa tokoh baru menambah luas cerita. Di mulai saat kedatangan Khoew Ah Soe yang membawa misi angkatan muda Cina untuk menyamai pencapaian Jepang karena disegani Eropa namun di buang bangsanya sendiri, sempat juga diceritakan beberapa kecurangan dan kelemahan surat kabar yang dipimpin oleh Tuan Nijman yang bersekongkol dengan Pabrik gula, setelah Minke bertemu seorang Pribumi – Trunodongso. Dan yang paling membuka “mata” Minke untuk menulis Melayu ketika pertemuannya dengan Ter Haar. Pembunuhan Tuan Mellema juga terungkap di buku ini, hingga menyebabkan tertundanya keinginan Minke untuk melanjutkan sekolah di Betawi. “Karena kau menulis: Suaramu takkan padam ditelan angin, akan abadi, sampai jauh, jauh dikemudian hari.” [Hal – 112]
Told from the point of view of a bright, keenly observant 13 year old living in a suburban British town in the 1980's, this novel is a brilliant evocation of adolescence. Jason has an overweening desire to improve his social status among his peers, but his stammer and, ultimately, his human decency, keep getting in the way. He also has to deal with battling parents who are headed for divorce and with losing a schoolmate to the Falklands War. The best coming of age stories tell it like it is without imposing an adult perspective and Mitchell does just that. The casual cruelty of peers, the insane desire to be popular no matter what the cost, the awakening of sexuality...it's all there. The Brit slang can be difficult, at times. But I was so captivated by the character of Jason that I doubt anything could have slowed me down in my desire to keep reading his remarkable narrative. My high school book discussion group is reading this one this summer. I wonder what they'll make of it. It will be fascinating to find out.