Retnowati Abdulgani-Knapp is a graduate from the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia in 1968. A former banker in New York City, USA, and now a business consultant in Indonesia, she lives in Bangkok and London. Her father, Roeslan Abdulgani, was an Indonesian statesman who had close personal and professional contact with President Soeharto. It was a relationship that has enabled her to capture the essence of his life from a uniquely different perspective. She had direct contact with the former president, his children and family during the writing of the book. This is the author's second book on contemporary Indonesian history. Her background gives her the capacity and authority to explain the country's history and development.

SOEHARTO: The Life and Legacy of Indonesia's Second President is the biography of a man who rose from a humble farming background to become one of the most important political figures in Asia. This insightful narrative traces his life from his birth in 1921, through his long tenure as president to his present life, one that is far divorced from his former days of glory. It also explores the controversy surrounding the charitable organizations (or Yayasan) which were established during his time in power and their links to the Indonesian conglomerates and his family. As president, he was often depicted as a sober-minded and evasive person, making him an enigma to many. This book offers a rare glimpse of his warmth and sensitivity towards those whom he trusts and how his faith in himself and his country remained unshaken through his meteoric rise and dramatic fall from power. (This authorised biography is the first book about him after he stepped down as Indonesia's President).