Joke van Leeuwen
Beginnelingen
Twenty-four portraits of bravery, ingenuity and persistence.
This book presents 24 portraits of non-conformist individuals, with Joke van Leeuwen focusing on their youth. Their achievements as adults appear only in separate text boxes. The author chose her characters from all over the world, throughout history and from a variety of disciplines. There are artists and directors (Frida Kahlo, Ingmar Bergman), sports heroes (Pelé) and champions of freedom, equality and children’s rights (Sojourner Truth, Anton de Kom, Janusz Korczak).
The refreshing selection, which steers away from a Eurocentric perspective, combines with Van Leeuwen’s light and easy touch as she deals with difficult events to set this book apart from similar collections. It also helps that all the people portrayed by Van Leeuwen have something subversive about them. They dared to think outside the limitations of their own eras and to perform remarkable deeds. These portraits of bravery, ingenuity and persistence are a source of inspiration for everyone.
