Eb en vloed - Ronald Havenaar

Europa en Amerika van Reagan tot Obama

Ronald Havenaar toont zich in de eerste hoofdstukken van zijn nieuwe boek Eb en vloed - Europa en Amerika van Reagan tot Obama een pleitbezorger voor het beoefenen van 'mentaliteitsgeschiedenis', van waaruit men de recente en komende politieke gebeurtenissen moet trachten te begrijpen. Hij schetst daarom eerst zijn kijk op de grote mentaliteitsverschillen tussen de bevolkingen van Europa en de Verenigde Staten, voordat hij de wereldpolitieke geschiedenis van de afgelopen bijna 30 jaar behandelt.

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters - Barack Obama

"If Barack Obama wants to quit his day job (and maybe he might), he can probably make it as a childrens book author. Certainly, this is a beautiful package: thoughtfully conceived, handsomely illustrated and designed, and with a tight yet evocative text that brings children into the world of 13 famous Americans. Framed as a letter to his daughters (Have I told you lately how wonderful you are? the book begins), each double-page spread then asks a question that is exemplified by a person of note. Have I told you that you are creative? introduces Georgia O'Keeffe, who helped us see big beauty in what is small: / the hardness of stone and the softness of feather. Most of the people briefly profiled are expected names George Washington, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, César Chávez but there are a few outliers here as well, including Billie Holiday and Sitting Bull.