Book tips

Koos-Jan de Jager War without mercy Dutch military clergy in Indonesia, 1945-1949

Military clergy were firmly convinced that the War of Independence in Indonesia was a battle between good and evil, in which the Dutch army fought under divine protection. They therefore defended the Dutch military action, although they witnessed extreme violence, burning kampongs (villages), torture and executions, according to research by historian Koos-jan de Jager.

Available at publisher Boon

Rik Peels & Jeroen de Ridder What is actually true? Seven rules to think clearly in confusing times

How do you determine what is true? How do you recognise reliable information in a world full of (alternative) facts, opinions, news and fake news? Professors Rik Peels and Jeroen de Ridder wrote Wat is nou waar? (What is actually true?) with seven practical rules, based on insights from philosophy, psychology and journalism – to help us think more clearly in a time of confusion, misinformation and growing contradictions.

Available at publisher Balans

Marieke van Wieringen and others Invisible but Indispensable Care workers in Individual Healthcare

Care workers in Individual Healthcare (Verzorgenden IG) – the largest professional group within Dutch healthcare – feel structurally overlooked. They experience a lack of recognition and participation. This is shown by research by organisational scientist Marieke van Wieringen. Together with Kim van Erp and photographer John van Hamond, Marieke initiated the photo book Onzichtbaar maar Onmisbaar (Invisible but Indispensable), which literally puts a face to this professional group. The book was made possible with a subsidy from the VU Association and financial contributions from V&VN and VU Amsterdam.

Martine Coene Mila and the Angelfish

“In a busy classroom, a hearing-impaired child sometimes misses as much as 75% of what is being said”, says Professor of Applied Linguistics Martine Coene. That’s why Martine wrote and illustrated Mila en de Maanvis (Mila and the Angelfish) – a children’s book for parents and teachers to use with children, offering guidelines on how to make sure hearing-impaired classmates can follow and understand what’s being said.

Read here how you can order the children’s book.