Book Review: Iban Woman Patriot of Sarawak

Tra Zehnder – Iban Woman Patriot of Sarawak represents a worthy effort to document a female public personality in Sarawak. As noted by the authors in their preface, the biography is ‘the first of its kind to be written about an Iban woman leader in Sarawak’ (p.i). Divided broadly into two parts, the easy-reading book presents the private life of Tra Zehnder (1926-2011) in three chapters followed by two more on her public roles in her community, and politics. The short concluding chapter sums up the overall impression of the authors on Tra’s perspective of her own life.