The Soul Conquers

About the Book

A young boy who spent the first fourteen years of his life wealthy and protected suddenly faced five years of fighting to stay alive in Japanese concentration camps. Author Pieter R. Wiederhold wonders how he managed to survive at all during that difficult and horrifying time. He shares the untold story of the “other holocaust” and the courage and endurance of the persecuted people in his biography The Soul Conquers.

Indonesia was a three hundred-year old Dutch colony at the time of the World war, and during its Japanese occupation the country suffered greatly. Many historians called this brutal occupation, with lasted until 1945, “the other holocaust”. The harrowing event provides the setting for a mesmerizing true story. In this memoir, Wiederhold bares his life story, recalling his experiences in the intern camps with his father and a fellow prisoner named Aaron Vandenberg – God-loving man who became a source of strength for the author and his father.

The Soul Conquers is a fascinating story of a young boy and his father struggling to stay alive. The author’s vivid childhood experiences give us a glimpse of the sufferings during war and the inner strength that comes from the people’s will to survive. This captivating tale is Wiederhold’s tribute to the strength of the power of human spirit and a friendship of epic proportions.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

When the book arrived; I opened it immediately and read for a straight eight hours.....cover-to-cover nonstop. To me it was a "page turner", and with a reading glass to boot. I think Pieter has created a masterpiece......he tells a story that, as far as my past reading on WWII goes, has not been told before. I have only known Pieter professionally. I had no idea how much he suffered in his youth. Clearly it made his soul stronger........the title is well chosen.
—David Beaubien, Retired Sr. Vice President of E.G.&G., Inc.

I finished your book last week and believe me, I was overwhelmed by it. It brought back so many memories and I used to wonder if the government made some of it up, but they could not do justice to it like your book does. I am so glad you put it down into a book. I hope someone puts it into a movie. Your bonding with Aaron van den Berg was so touching. I had tears in my eyes. You certainly are very versatile. So many different careers in one lifetime. Thanks for a wonderful and informative book".
—By Joan Fetterman

About the Author

As outlined in Who’s Who in America, Pieter R. Wiederhold, now retired, was a successful business owner and executive. A graduate of the University of Delft in the Netherlands, he is also the author of “Water Vapor Measurement” published in 1997 and an active member of the World Affairs Council