RESILIENCE by Jan Jongstra is a fascinating account of a Polish refugee family during World War II and how determination and courage can help us succeed despite the odds. Karl is an unassuming young man in a tiny Polish village in the late 1930s. After tragedy strikes his family, Karl and his mother, Parisian by birth, who tau... ght Karl French and playing classical piano music, decide to travel to Paris, where Karl can fulfill his dream of becoming a classical concert pianist. The voyage to Paris is the start of a long and arduous journey for Karl, driven by his dream of becoming a skilled classical pianist and coloured by tragedy and joy. Readers of RESILIENCE will appreciate Karl’s strength to overcome many setbacks and ponder on the experiences that have shaped their lives.
Jan published his first book HOW BENJI GOT HIS NAME, a collection of stories for 3-7-year-old children in 2020. Since then, he published two fiction novels, THE RELUCTANT CRIMINAL (2023) and RESILIENCE (2024). The three books are available on Amazon.
Jan Jongstra was born in the Netherlands. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and spent his scientific career at the University of Toronto. He retired as an Associate Professor. Jan lives with his family in Toronto, Canada.read more
BIOGRAPHY Jan Jongstra is a scientist and storyteller. He was born in the Netherlands and studied at the University of Basel, Switzerland, where he obtained a Ph.D. in microbiology. To sharpen his scientific skills, he trained at Stanford University, California. He retired from the University of Toronto's Immunology Department... as an Associate Professor.
In his scientific career, Jan wrote many scientific papers. His fiction-writing career started when his 4-year-old-grandson Benji asked him to tell a story. To preserve the most liked stories, Jan made written records of them and published a collection of five Benji stories, HOW BENJI GOT HIS NAME. Benji was inspired by hearing these stories and two of his creative efforts are included in the book. The stories are aimed at 3-6-year-old-children and were published in October 2020. Jan now concentrates on writing novels. When not writing Jan enjoys going to the gym, playing golf and studying Spanish.
Jan is married, has two sons, a grandson and a granddaughter and lives in Toronto, Canadaread more
