Blue Skies, Troubled Waters

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Praise for Blue Skies, Troubled Waters

“In today’s climate, where refugees and immigrants around the world are once again facing persecution and displacement, this story feels more relevant than ever.”

Ellen Laura
author

“Ath and her family’s story remain relevant to our times, demonstrating how our stories intertwine across the world, and how the tremors of history continue to shape lives today. ”

Jeddie Sophronius
author of Interrogation Records

“Sparkling with energetic, visual prose, this page-turner invites us into a child’s direct experience of World War II in what is now Indonesia (then a Dutch colony)…Today’s readers will benefit from this history as we face into our own generation’s world-wide struggles with immigration, deportation, violent warfare, racial hatred, oppressive governments, and changing weather patterns.There is much for us to learn from this touching and remarkable gift from the heart.”

Louise Dunlap
elder, teacher, and author of Inherited Silence: Listening to the Land, Healing the Colonizer Mind

“If I had to use one word to describe Blue Skies, Troubled Waters, it would be Love.”

Martha Cinader
for Listen & Be Heard

“…A unique perspective on a pivotal moment in history through the eyes of those who lived it, resulting in a history-rich narrative that will appeal to fans of World War II literature and Asian-American narratives alike.”

James Weiskittel
for IndieReader

“...An important look into an otherwise under-explored chapter of World War II history. It’s also a story that resonates with today, especially as communities worldwide continue to face displacement and persecution. As Kimmel explains, his grandma’s story “is a message of hope in a time of despair. A miraculous feat for all who have experienced similar atrocities.”

James Weiskittel
for IndieReader

About the Authors

Brian Kimmel (pronouns: he/dia) is a second generation multi-heritage Indonesian American, and third grandchild to Pacific Northwest author, Martha Walandouw Lohn. He co-authored Lohn’s memoir, Blue Skies, Troubled Waters: An American Twin’s Odyssey in WWII Minahasa, Indonesia, and edited the first Indonesian language version. As a child, Kimmel’s earliest memories revolved around the melodies that filled his home, handed down from generations of musicians, singers, and storytellers. A poet, memoirist, lyricist, composer, musician, scholar-practitioner, and Buddhist teacher ordained by Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Kimmel guest lectures and recitals internationally. He incorporates into his offerings, decades of engagement with deep songs and light-hearted banter. He has published articles with The Lion’s Roar, The Mindfulness Bell, Under 35 Project, Buddhism & Culture, and chapters in Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices, One Buddha is Not Enough, and Dancing with The Dharma: Essays on Movement and Dance in Western Buddhism. He lives with his spouse in Seattle, home to the Coast Salish, and works as a mental health counselor, supervisor, and educator for the Brian Kimmel Guidance Center.

Martha Walandouw Lohn was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to a naturalized American Polish Mama who escaped the Russian occupation of Poland in the 1920s and an undocumented Minahasan-Indonesian Papa who disembarked a Dutch military ship in New York and never reboarded—Lohn is not just an author; she’s a living testament to resilience and the human spirit.

As a survivor of World War II’s Japanese occupation of Indonesia, formerly known as the Dutch East Indies, and as a child who saw her father getting deported from the United States, Lohn’s experiences have become a wellspring of inspiration for her writing. Her evocative storytelling captures the nuances of history, weaving together the threads of personal experience with the grand tapestry of global events.

She is an avid gardener. Much like the strong ties she has cultivated with family, both by blood and by heart, anything she puts into the ground — even a twig — will grow and flower. She is a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother of multi-heritage descendants and a Tanta (Auntie) and great Tanta to many family members in the United States, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and has continued to find inspiration, healing and hope through gardening.