PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
David Van Reybrouck is considered 'one of the leading intellectuals in Europe' (Der Tagesspiegel) and is a pioneering advocate of participatory democracy. He founded the G1000 Citizens' Summit, and his work has led to trials in participatory democracy throughout Belgium and The Netherlands. He is also one of the most highly regarded literary and political writers of his generation, whose most recent book, Congo- The Epic History of a People, won 19 prizes, sold 500,000 copies and has been translated into a dozen languages. It was described as a 'masterpiece' by the Independent and 'magnificent' by The New York Times.
An astounding feat of both research and storytelling. History at its best -- Yuval Harari A wonderful and important book. David Van Reybrouck has written an authoritative and powerful history of Indonesia that not only reframes the birth of a nation but helps challenge ideas about the end of the European Age of Empire -- Peter Frankopan A magnificent fusion of oral history, sparkling analysis, and historical wisdom. Revolusi has it all: a masterpiece -- Sebastian Mallaby A rare blend of formal daring, intellectual resourcefulness and journalistic fluency, Revolusi briskly ushers Indonesia onto the centre stage of modern history. It reveals, too, decolonisation as the main event of the 20th century — what has shaped our present and will decisively define the future -- Pankaj Mishra David Van Reybrouk's book on the Democratic Republic of Congo was an extraordinary tour de force, setting a new standard for accessible and intelligent historical writing about sub-saharan Africa. His new work, Revolusi, is as passionate, rigourous, perceptive, powerful and highly readable. Again, Van Reybrouk combines a historian's clear analytic eye with a journalist's joy at discovering and recounting the experiences of participants in great events. The Indonesian revolution, with all its complexity and horror and excitement and influence, comes alive over these 600 or so pages. This is a magisterial but gripping account of events of urgent importance to us now -- Jason Burke History as it should be. Carried by a democracy of ordinary voices, meticulous research, an eye for decisive detail, vivid language and drama, Van Reybrouck forges a fantastic visionary compass to where history was heading at the time: the imagining of a new world order by people of colour -- Antjie Krog David Van Rebyrouck's Revolusi is a major account of one of the most unlikely and astonishing sagas of decolonization. A fully embodied chronicle that combines the skills of a journalist and a historian, the book is a towering achievement. It was the last chance to tell the story of the Indonesian revolution while some of its participants were still alive, and Van Reybrouck seized it -- Thomas Meaney
