This beautifully illustrated book celebrates the lives of 99 inspirational immigrants.
From Hans Holbein to Raheem Sterling, Freddie Mercury to Judith Kerr, and Joan Armatrading to Malala Yousafzai, these characters made a new life in Britain – and helped to make us what we are today.
Many of them featured in arrived in Britain penniless, knowing little or no English. They achieved success through their hard work and ingenuity – and their legacies shape society. Without Michael Marks, we wouldn’t have Marks & Spencer. Without Stelios Haji-Ioannou, holidaymakers would not have jetted abroad on easyJet. Without Ludwig Guttmann, there would be no Paralympics.
Without so many others featured in this book, the United Kingdom would be drastically different and immeasurably poorer.
Each entry contains an original illustration and a profile of each individual and their incredible achievements. Readers can add a 100th individual who has inspired them. Who would you add? A mother, father, friend, colleague or neighbour?
This book is an ideal accompaniment to Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, 100 Great Black Britons and Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World.
Here are the inspirational individuals featured in 99 Immigrants Who Made Britain Great:
Ade Adepitan, athlete and TV presenter
Alan Yau, restaurateur
Alec Issigonis, car designer
Alek Wek, model
Alf Dubs, politician
András Schiff, pianist and conductor
Anish Kapoor, sculptor
Anna Freud, psychoanalyst
Arthur Wharton, footballer
Barbara Cooper, RAF officer
Bushra Nasir, headteacher
Carlos Acosta, ballet dancer
Caroline Herschel, astronomer
Charles Kao, physicist and engineer
Charles Yerkes, financier
Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist
Claudia Jones, journalist and activist
Claus Moser, statistician
Connie Mark, campaigner
Deborah Doniach, immunologist
Dennis Gabor, physicist and engineer
Dietrich Küchemann, engineer
Doreen Lawrence, campaigner
Edith Bülbring, scientist
Emma Orczy, novelist and playwright
Erich Reich, entrepreneur
Ernst Chain, scientist
Ernst Gombrich, author
Eugène Rimmel, perfumer
Fanny Eaton, model
Freddie Mercury, pop singer
George Frideric Handel, composer
George Weidenfeld, publisher
Gina Miller, entrepreneur and activist
Graeme Hick, cricketer
Hans Holbein, painter
Hans Krebs, scientist
Harry Gordon Selfridge, retailer
Henry Wellcome, scientist
Ida Copeland, politician
Ida Freund, academic
Ira Aldridge, actor and playwright
Iris Murdoch, novelist
Isaiah Berlin, philosopher
Jacob Epstein, sculptor
Jimi Hendrix, musician
Joan Armatrading, musician
Johanna Weber, engineer
John Barnes, footballer
John Edmonstone, footballer
Joseph Conrad, author
Joseph Rotblat, physicist
Judith Kerr, author
Karan Bilimoria, entrepreneur
Karel Kuttelwascher, fighter pilot
Krystyna Skarbek, wartime spy
Kylie Minogue, pop singer
Lew Grade, broadcaster
Lucian Freud, painter
Ludwig Goldscheider, publisher
Ludwig Guttmann, neurologist
Magdi Yacoub, heart surgeon
Malala Yousafzai, campaigner
Marc Isambard Brunel, engineer
Margaret Busby, publisher and editor
Marie Tussaud, entrepreneur
Mary Prince, campaigner
Mary Seacole, nurse
Maureen Dunlop de Popp, pilot
Michael Marks, retailer
Mo Farah, athlete
Mona Hatoum, artist
Montague Burton, retailer
Moses Montefiore, banker
Nasser Hussain, cricketer
Oscar Nemon, scupltor
Parveen Kumar, doctor
Peter Porter, poet
Prince Albert, royal consort
Raheem Sterling, footballer
Richard Rogers, architect
Sake Dean Mahomed, surgeon
Shanta Pathak, entrepreneur
Sislin Fay Allen, police officer
Solly Zuckerman, military adviser
Stelios Haji-Ioannou, entrepreneur
Steve Shirley, entrepreneur
Stuart Hall, academic
TS Eliot, poet
Tessa Sanderson, athlete
Trevor McDonald, newscaster
Valerie Amos, lawyer and politician
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, biologist
Vera Atkins, wartime spy
Violette Szabo, wartime spy
William Butement, scientist
Yasmin Qureshi, politician and barrister
Yvonne Thompson, entrepreneur
Zaha Hadid, architect
The introduction to 99 Immigrants Who Made Britain Great is by Bonnie Greer, the Chicago-born playwright and cultural commentator. She starts:
'Over a decade ago now, I was invited to be a panellist on BBTV's Question Time. Nick Griffin, then leader of the far-right British National Party, was also invited on as a guest. Then as now, the issue of immigration: good or bad, looked large...'
How does this story end?
Illustrated by: Naomi Kenyon
Foreword by: Bonnie Greer
Assisted by: