Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Sold for Silver: An Autobiography of a Girl Sold into Slavery in Southeast Asia” as Want to Read:
Sold for Silver: An Autobiography of a Girl Sold into Slavery in Southeast Asia
by
Janet Lim
The true story of China-born Janet Lim, who was sold into slavery as a young girl in 1930s Singapore. When Singapore falls to the Japanese in 1942, she escapes by ship, but when it'ss bombed and sinks, Janet floats at sea for days close to death. Rescued by fishermen then captured by the Japanese, she narrowly escapes sexual-imprisonment as a comfort woman and is tortured.
...more
Paperback
,
240 pages
Published
December 15th 2004
by Monsoon Books Pte. Ltd.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Sold for Silver
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about Sold for Silver
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
68)
A very personal account of a Chinese girl, sold into slavery as a young girl in Singapore. Her story takes place in Singapore and Malaya during the war. It's okay, but I would have liked some kind of epilogue to see how things turned out -- she makes reference to meeting some of the people in the story after the war, but then the books ends just after the end of the war, and I would haven liked to have some questions I had about some events explained.
view 1 comment
An autobiography of a woman who lived under three regimes: Traditionalist China, British Empire and Japanese Empire. Her impoverished widow mother sold her to be a household servant to a Singapore merchant. These contracts were made illegal by the British administration, and she was taken into a Christian missionary school, later training as a nurse. Briefly an army nurse, after capture by the Japanese and an attempt to force her to be a mistress for senior japanese with trial as a spy after her
...more
Lovely, sweet book - simply and straightforwardly written. It is the account of a rather intrepid Chinese girl, Janet Lim, who survives being 'sold for silver' (ie. into slavery), being cornered by wolves, dreadful bomb attacks, a torpedoed ship, and not to mention randy Japanese officers, among other hair-raising escapades, all before the age of about 18! The novel was published in 1958, and I was lucky enough to unknowingly order a first edition with a fabulous original dustjacket from Amazon
...more
It's an autobiography. That fact alone will strike a string in your heart. She had a very unfortunate childhood but how she rises from the ashes is something to read about. The delivery is simple, but you will hear the author's voice when you read it. It's a very personal account, how brave is Janet for being able to share her story to the world.
i love the way Ms. Lim told her story. slowly, like the way a grandmother would tell a granddaughter. it's also the first novel that tells a little about indonesia during japan occupation, through the eyes of a chinese that i read.
Very interesting story. It isn't necessarily a classic with regard to the writing story, but it is a succinct, matter-of-fact telling of a hard life.
It's an important true story, but not written in a captivating way. I plowed my way through it and handed it off.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
