Boumans, Toni - Je mag wel bang zijn, maar niet laf

Title: You may be afraid, but not a coward

Author: Toni Boumans

Number of pages: 304

Publisher: Uitgeverij Balans B.V.

Edition: Paperback

Publication year: 2023

Summary:

You may be afraid, but not a coward is the epic story of a remarkable Frisian family: from strictly Calvinist, northern notables to unyielding, homosexual resistance fighters. At the end of the nineteenth century, Popke Bakker, son of the innkeeper of De Drie Zwaantjes in Langweer, decided to start a haberdashery store in Buitenpost with his wife Dieuwke and their nine children – who would eventually number fifteen. The business soon became well-known. In the years that followed, P.S. Bakker grew into a famous fashion house in the north, with branches in Leeuwarden and Groningen. The strictly Calvinist Bakkers were also administratively and politically active. Some of Popke and Dieuwke's grandchildren were homosexual, an orientation they tried not to show due to their Calvinist background. Couturier Sjoerd, his brothers Albert, Popke and Dirk, and their cousin, publisher Bert Bakker, played a prominent role in the artistic milieu of the late 1930s in Amsterdam. After the German invasion, they joined the resistance. Eventually, Sjoerd, who made the police uniforms for the attack on the Amsterdam population register in 1943, would be executed with his fellow resistance fighters. Other Bakkers also faced a dramatic fate. It is the first time that their descendants have allowed themselves to be interviewed about their ancestors. Toni Boumans also gained access to many personal documents. An unforgettable story of an exceptional family with an admirable moral compass.

Relevant tags:

Non-fiction, Biography, True Story, Family, History, History, Homosexual