A special Book Premiere celebrating the release of From the Dutch East Indies to America: The Life Story of Han Lankhorst will be held this Monday from 6 to 7 p.m. at Red Fern Booksellers in downtown Salina.
According to the bookstore, the evening will celebrate not only the release of Han Lankhorst’s memoir, but also the remarkable life behind it. Han passed away shortly after the first book was published.
Lankhorst, who passed away Aug. 29, spent years recording the memories that became From the Dutch East Indies to America. In the final months of his life, his son Les Lankhorst worked closely with him to compile, edit and prepare the manuscript for publication while preserving his father’s voice and storytelling.
The finished book was released Sept. 1. Before his death, Han was able to hold the first printed copy of his memoir in his hands.
Born in Klaten, Java, in 1937, Han Lankhorst remembered an idyllic early childhood that was abruptly transformed by World War II, the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and the upheaval surrounding Indonesian independence. His story follows his family from Java to postwar Holland, back to Indonesia, into his service with the Royal Netherlands Navy and eventually across the Atlantic to America.
Told through the eyes of a boy growing up amid extraordinary circumstances, the memoir is also a deeply personal story of family, resilience, identity, forgiveness and the meaning of home.
The Book Premiere is intended to be an informal evening of storytelling, remembrance and celebration, giving friends, readers and members of the Salina community an opportunity to learn more about Han’s remarkable journey and the family effort that finally brought his story into print.
The event will be led by Les Lankhorst and will include a reading from the memoir by a family member, stories about the book’s creation, and a question-and-answer session with Les and the whole family.
Admission is free and the public is invited.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
