Welcome to our 24th episode in the monthly book discussion series hosted by Marisa Serafini (@serafinitv) and myself, Phil Svitek. If books are your passion, you've come to the right place!

In this episode, we delve into This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer which is the first book in his epic quartet called Buru Quartet, first published by Hasta Mitra in 1980. The story is set at the end of the Dutch colonial rule and was written while Pramoedya was imprisoned on the political island prison of Buru in eastern Indonesia. The story was first narrated verbally to Pramoedya's fellow prisoners in 1973 because he did not get permission to write. The story spread through all the inmates until 1975 when Pramoedya was finally granted permission to write the detailed story.

The central character and the narrator of This Earth of Mankind is a Javanese boy, Minke, who is fortunate to attend an elite Dutch school because he is a descendant of Javanese royalty (the character is based on Tirto Adhi Soerjo). Minke faces a complex and dangerous world when he meets Nyai Ontosoroh, a njai or concubine of a Dutch man. Minke's life becomes more dangerous when he falls in love with Annelies, the beautiful Indo daughter of Nyai Ontosoroh. In This Earth of Mankind, Pramoedya portrayed the unjust life of the Indonesian people during the Dutch colonization period when social status was governed by the amount of European blood running through their veins. Pramoedya characterized Minke as an outspoken person, who refuses this hierarchical society by becoming a writer instead of a speech-maker, which bears a resemblance to Pramoedya's life who was jailed for two years after carrying anti-Dutch documents and then became a writer.

Join the conversation! Share your thoughts, queries, and viewpoints in the comments or connect with Marisa (@serafinitv) and me on social media.

In our upcoming discussion, we'll explore There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones.

And be sure to catch Marisa's new podcast, "Friends & Favorites w/Marisa Serafini," available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/friends-and-favorites-w-marisa-serafini/id1693327509.

For more insightful resources from your 360 creative coach, visit my website at http://philsvitek.com. Also, it'd mean the world to me if you check out the crowdfund for my latest film project: http://bit.ly/FundArbiters.

Thank you for tuning in, and we're eager to hear your thoughts on this captivating book!

#bookclub #bookreview #thisearthofmankind

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe!

Yours truly,
Phil Svitek
Filmmaker, author, podcaster & 360 Creative Coach
⁠http://philsvitek.com⁠