The Most Gentle People

The Most Gentle People is a story about growing up Indonesian, and Indonesia growing up. This book recasts Indonesia—from the Dutch slave markets of Batavia to the U.S.-backed mass killings of 1965, and into Sinder’s privileged Jakarta childhood and challenges to fit in America—this is a new retelling of the Indonesian story. The Most Gentle People illustrates that we cannot understand ourselves without understanding history, and we cannot understand history without understanding Indonesia. The Most Gentle People will be released on November 17th, 2026.