Tapestries: A Teaching Life
Mrs Toh Kah Beng
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810934736

Mrs Toh Kah Beng -- a teacher's name which brought both fear and respect into the hearts of generations of students from one of Singapore's top schools.

Growing up in the early years of post‐war Singapore, Mrs Toh experienced hardship and poverty, but also learnt discipline and perseverance, which she brought to the classroom when she became a teacher; she sought to imbibe in her students at that stage of their young lives.

Tapestries is a collection of reflections by Mrs Toh on her life, her principles, her (at times) harsh actions and outlook on dealing with life and young lives in a country coping with the throes of change. Whether in the area of politics, public service, medicine, engineering, real estate or others; students from the schools where she taught never forgot the stern discipline or quiet compassion which she demonstrated as a teacher.

Many are now top political leaders, policy makers, leading professionals and leaders in their industries. Arguably, the lessons they learnt from those years have been formative in shaping their own careers and attitudes to a life of service.

Immigration in Singapore
Norman Vasu, Yeap Su Yin, & Chan Wen Ling (eds.)
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789089646651

This study traces the socio-political effects of immigration on Singapore and its population, a topic that has been the subject of intense debate in the nation as its population grows increasingly diverse. Beyond the logic of economic imperatives, the book aims to explore the larger consequences of taking in large number of immigrants, and its analysis should appeal to scholars of migration, social change, and public policy.

Singapore's Dunkirk: The Aftermath of the Fall
Geoffrey Brfooke
South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2014
ISBN: 9781473822917

When Singapore fell so ignominiously to the Japanese in February 1942 many tens of thousands of men, women and children were left to their own devices. It was truly 'every man for himself'. To stay in Singapore meant certain captivity and every probability of barbarity at the hands of the Japanese that so many tried to escape. This book tells of some of the remarkable and shocking experiences that lay in store for those who chose this option. The only way out was by sea and every sort of craft was pressed into service. Ahead lay terrible dangers; storm, shipwreck, piracy, capture by a merciless enemy, starvation and death through lack of water to name but some. This is a shocking and inspiring book that embraces great courage, extraordinary endurance, appalling atrocities and even cannibalism.

One Fierce Hour
Alfian Sa'at
Singapore: Landmark Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814189552

One Fierce Hour is Alfian Sa'at's first and breakout work. It was hailed as 'truly a landmark' for Singaporean poetry when it was published in 1998. The collection, which has entered the canon of Singapore literature, contains the anti-anthem "Singapore You Are Not My Country". Alfian remains an intelligent writer with an unabashedly social and political voice. He has written 37 plays, 3 works of prose and 2 poetry anthologies.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Walter Woon
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2014
ISBN: 9789814561020

After the British surrender, life has to go on for the inhabitants of Japanese-occupied Singapore. Dennis Chiang finds himself in the Kempeitai dragnet during the Sook Ching operation but is unexpectedly freed by one Captain Takeda -- whom he thought an innocuous barber but turns out to have been a high-ranking Japanese intelligence officer -- and taken under Akihiko's wing as a writer for a propaganda magazine.

Meanwhile, ghosts from his past reappear. Communist agitator Siew Chin seeks sanctuary with the Chairman of the Malayan Communist Party, while his previous solicitor boss, Clarence d'Almeida poses as a Malay driver and takes a job with Akihiko. Dennis finds himself teetering on the edge of a samurai sword between the devil and the deep blue sea. All while trying to find Daphne, his missing lady-love.

Things come to a head when the Japanese surrender. Dennis finds himself accused of collaboration and is targeted by the Communists. Must he throw in his lot unequivocally with the Japanese to survive?

Part of The Advocate's Devil series, this exciting installment fills the gap between The Devil to Pay and The Devil's Circle.

Daniel Boey: The Book of Daniel: Adventures of a Fashion Insider
Daniel Boey
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2014
ISBN: 9789814516631

He's been anointed the "Godfather of Singapore fashion" and "Singapore's Fashion Royalty" but Daniel Boey is not a fashion designer.

Just who exactly is he and what does he do? On the cusp of his 50th birthday, and several months shy of his 25th anniversary in fashion, we take an unabashed, no-holds-barred look at his colourful life in the industry. From his clueless early days as a shy kid through the time he picked up his first fashion magazine (not Vogue), his early dalliances with fashionistas, packing his bags for an uncertain future in the West to his rise into the realms as a feared industry personality and eventual mentor to many of Singapore's top fashion labels and models, Daniel takes us on a dizzy roller-coaster ride through his tumultuous time in a tough, unforgiving, unpredictable, cut-throat, often superficial industry.

This is the untold story of a man who refused to confirm, who went from a glittering life to a shocking knock on death's door, and who still continues to write his own rules.

With forewords by Singapore's top couturier, one of the nation's most beloved actors, two of Singapore’s most popular radio personalities and a bevy of supermodels, the book is a fantastical journey of one singular sensation.

Teaching Science in Culturally Relevant Ways: Ideas From Singapore Teachers
Teo Tang Wee & Khoh Rong Lun (eds.)
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814618175

This book encapsulates the vision of Singapore science educators to bring the local elements of the country to bear in the science curriculum. In experimenting with familiar materials used and consumed in our everyday lives, and applying scientific knowledge to analyse and provide explanations of the observed phenomena the editors and contributing authors hope to introduce culturally relevant science activities for enactment in the formal and informal science curriculum. This work is premised on the collective belief that learning science in culturally relevant ways underscores the importance of ones culture embodied with funds of knowledge to make the learning of science meaningful. They see this as a step toward achieving the broader and long-term goal of developing a scientifically literate citizenry.

Cases That Touched Our Lives
S. Chandra Mohan, Low Kee Yang, & Bryan Tan
Singapore: LexisNexis, 2014
ISBN: 9789814406987

This book contains a compilation of cases that have been selected to portray how the law affects various aspects of the lives of Singaporeans and those who work and live in Singapore. The aim of this book is to make the judgments of the Singapore Courts more accessible to the public. Even though the reading of judgments is part of the day-to-day work of lawyers and those in the legal field, the public seldom gets a chance to experience reading the judgments of the courts. Even when they do, it is quite a challenge to locate the more interesting cases to read.

This book contains an eclectic mix of cases. They were selected so as to cover as many issues with regard to the man in the street. This way, we hope, that by reading the judgments, you can gain more insight and understanding to the legal system here in Singapore

25: Histories and Memories of the Singapore International Film Festival
Ben Slater (ed.)
Singapore: Singapore International Film Festival Ltd., 2014
ISBN: 9789810933234

The first edition of the Singapore International Film Festival was held in 1987. It was the first major 'film' showcase to take place in Singapore and it was truly independent, created by a small group of passionate people who wanted to expand the horizons of cinema for local audiences. As the 25th edition of the festival looms, this publication takes a clear look back -- through articles, interviews and images -- on the festival's past, gathering together histories and memories, stories and insights into how the festival came to be, its growth, the spaces and places it inhabited, the struggles that were part of its existence, and the profound impact it had on both cinema-going and film-making in Singapore.

Sayang Singapura: Re-Imagining Singapore's Past and Present
Lee Xin Li
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2014
ISBN: 9789814561075

Inspired by Hergé, the creator of Tintin, Lee Xin Li blends Hergé's playfulness with meaningful nostalgia for Singapore's iconic past.

The historic Adelphi Hotel, the iconic Great World Amusement Park, the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the former National Library at Stamford Road are among the nostalgic locales and moments in time lovingly depicted in beautiful and imaginative detail.

Xin Li has captured these cherished memories and immortalised them with his drawings even as Singapore continues to undergo intensive restructuring and makeovers, and heritage buildings of yesteryears make way for new and ever-modern architecture.

Singapore 365: A Retrospective on 2013
Amin Zainotdini and Dominique Husken-Ulbrich
Singapore: Husken-Ulbrich Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810776985

Singapore 365 is essential reading for anyone interested in Singapore. Based on interviews, illustrations, maps, articles, pictures, and infographics, this first annual edition of Singapore 365 looks back at the main events of 2013, and thereby witnesses history in the making on the eve of Singapore's 50th birthday. Singapore 365 is designed to give a comprehensive view of the city-state's dynamism on politics, society, business, culture, sports, and sustainable development. It aims to provide an up-to-date image of Singapore today in a way that will both inform and entertain.

Sarong Kebaya: Peranakan Fashion in an Interconnected World 1500-1950
Peter Lee
Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2014
ISBN: 9789810901462

This book traces the history of the costume of Peranakan women; specifically, the sarong, kebaya, and baju panjang. The sarong kebaya is only a starting point, however, for a rich history of language, women, trade, slavery, community formation, and education. Profusely illustrated with a wealth of historical photographs and beautiful images of sarongs and kebayas from a large donation to the Peranakan Museum, as well as those in a private collection, the book will become a valuable reference. Independent scholar Peter Lee has amassed impressive documentation from primary and secondary sources in this highly readable, visually stunning book.

The Singapore House: 1819-1942
Lee Kip Lin
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Asia, 2015
ISBN: 9789814634014

The Singapore House is a comprehensive study of the various domestic architectural styles that thrived in Singapore from 1819 until the outbreak of the Pacific War, from English, Georgian, Victorian, Eclectic, Edwardian, Baroque, Arts and Crafts and Modern International to the home-grown Coarsened Classical. Beautifully illustrated, The Singapore House marks a major attempt to document a rich and beautiful architectural legacy. The over 400 illustrations include rare historical materials, remarkable photographs and fascinating architectural drawings.

Quest for Political Power: Communist Subversion and Militancy in Singapore
Bilveer Singh
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, 2014
ISBN: 9789814634069

The history of communism in Malaya (including Singapore) almost coincided with the rise and fall of communism worldwide, best epitomized in Europe by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Operating through the Malayan Communist Party, communism posed an existential threat to Malaya. While the communist threat in peninsular Malaya was manifested dramatically in armed struggle with guerrillas in the jungle, in Singapore it was primarily in the form of united front subversive activities, interspersed with episodes of violence and assassinations.

This new book examines the MCP's quest for political power in Singapore in the midst of a raging Cold War between communism and the free world, with particular focus on events in the 1950s and 1960s. From its close collaboration with the two leading communist great powers (USSR and China) to its united front strategy of infiltrating student, trade union and political organizations, the MCP's activities are related here in a clear and engaging manner.

S R Nathan In Conversation
Timothy Auger
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2015
ISBN: 9789814610032

Few people have watched the development of today's Singapore as closely as President S.R. Nathan. Born into humble circumstances, he experienced destitution and the Japanese Occupation. After the war he embarked on a lifetime of public service. Having earned a university diploma as an adult student, he worked as a seamen's welfare officer, and then as a trade union mediator. There followed a very distinguished career as a civil servant, notably in the foreign affairs and defence ministries, and as a diplomat -- not to mention a spell as executive chairman of Straits Times Press. At an age when most people contemplate retirement, he served two full terms as President of Singapore.

In a series of informal, wide-ranging interviews conducted specially for this book, Mr Nathan reflects on modern Singapore, its history, and its extraordinary achievements. He shares vivid recollections of some pioneering nation builders, and warns of the real challenges that he sees confronting both government and people today.

Ho See Beng: The Washerwoman's Son
Ramachandran Menon
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814342889

The Washerwoman's Son is the story of a Singapore hero who rose from abject poverty to co-found and lead a national trade union movement. When Ho See Beng dropped out of school to help his widowed mother, he saw how man's exploitation of man had snuffed out the life of his father, a rickshaw puller. Helping the downtrodden and the victimised became his personal calling.

Ho See Beng's journey takes us through the tumultuous years when Singapore workers were confronting employers for better pay and working conditions, and unions were torn by internal tussles for leadership control. In the battle for members between the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU), the scale of defections to SATU had Ho See Beng and his good friend Devan Nair fighting for NTUC's survival.

Following Singapore's independence in 1965, Ho See Beng recognised that the new era called for a reorientation of union activism, that the old confrontational attitudes had to be replaced by tripartite understanding and collaboration for the sake of economic growth. He was in the forefront of a dedicated band of labour leaders to ensure organised labour's support for the reorientation.

Intraco: Blazing a Trail Overseas for Singapore?
Faizal Bin Yahya
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814623865

Through the lens of the now-defunct Singapore government-linked company (GLC) called International Trading Company (INTRACO), this book offers a historical analysis of the country's economic development strategy. Since its Independence in 1965, GLCs like INTRACO were introduced by the former Deputy Prime Minister, the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, a pioneer of Singapore's remarkable transformation from Third World to First, to fulfil strategic economic objectives. As the country's "lifeblood" has been entreport trade, INTRACO was created to "blaze a trail overseas" by facilitating commercial ties behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. The eventual divestment of INTRACO highlights the same way in which the Singaporean state is acutely responsive to changing global economic and geopolitical trends. This book is useful to academics, students, and the interested lay reader for its insights into the role of the state in economic development in post-colonial countries.

Uncle Anthony's Hokkien Recipes
Anthony Loo Hock Chye & Samantha Lee
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810797980

Enjoy the rich culinary heritage of the Hokkiens with this slim, elegant cookbook, which features over 80 authentic family recipes.

Besides Hokkien classics such as braised pork knuckle and bak kut teh, this book features many little-known traditional Hokkien dishes -- some even exclusive to the author's family, such as sticky mee sua soup and Grandma's stewed chicken in soya sauce.

Anthony Loo was born to a quintessentially Hokkien family in Singapore. His parents moved to Singapore from Xiamen, China, in the 1920s; it was from them he learnt the many heritage recipes compiled in this book. Growing up amongst the braises and stir-fries of the Hokkien diaspora, Anthony developed a passion for cooking which culminated in tzechar and hawker businesses. But his greatest joy comes from preparing Hokkien feasts for his friends and family, which he believes has the power to draw people together.

R!ot Recollections
Zakaria Zainal & Prabhu Silvam
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810932381

The riot that struck Little India on 8 December 2013 was the worst outbreak of violence Singapore had experienced in four decades. Within minutes, updates -- and judgments -- poured in thick and fast from netizens around the island and beyond. Both mainstream and alternative media issued their own explanations of the events that unfolded that night. Issues of class, the treatment of migrant workers and the efficiency of the riot force, amongst others, were brought to light for scrutiny in the conversations that followed. When rioters were often simply referred to as a mob -- whether unruly and inebriated or as victims of xenophobia and slack legislation -- it is easy to forget that individuals were involved.

Riot Recollections brings us back to the ground and to the individuals who were in the thick of events at Race Course Road. As the noise from disgruntled and shocked Singaporeans die down, the witnesses now speak, offering a glimpse into a place that still carries the trauma of the riot long after all debris has been cleared.

A Luxury We Cannot Afford: An Anthology of Singapore Poetry
Christine Chia & Joshua Ip (eds.)
Singapore: Math Paper Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789810926533

Singapore is a country of many invented, transplanted, or self-made myths and fables, but one looms above them all. 1969 marks the famous declaration of the myth: "Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford."

As our island nation approaches its 50th anniversary wielding extraordinary wealth and prosperity, it is timely to review the narrative that has shepherded us through the past half-century. Indeed, it seems only poetic justice to examine this polarising mythos through the ballyhooed medium of poetry. To praise and appraise this most poetic of figures, 56 of Singapore's finest poets offer up 65 poems that promise to excite, exhilarate, and electrify, to a man.

HABIT©AT
Atelier HOKO
Singapore: Math Paper Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789810921170

HABIT©AT is an inquiry into how street cats in Singapore inhabit the man-made spaces of the suburban landscapes. This publication explores the intrinsic relationship between cats and their surrounding, encouraging the viewing of our urban landscape not simply as public space but one charged with possibilities through the cats' adaptive appropriation. Their ability to discern subtle qualities and identify 'gifts' from the surrounding is a wisdom that human beings can humbly learn from and apply to our own approach towards dwelling.

SingPoWriMo: The Anthology
Ann Ang, Joshua Ip, & Pooja Nansi (eds.)
Singapore: Math Paper Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789810926526

Singapore Poetry Writing Month, or as we affectionately call it, SingPoWriMo.

Write one poem a day for thirty days in the cruel month of April: that was the challenge thrown open to the wilderness of the interwebz. This anthology brings together the best of the hundreds of poems that were submitted, from verses written in response to fiendish "include-all-these-six-words-in-your-poem" challenges, to impromptu poems written on whim. In the spirit of the democratic process of poetry, we feature first-time poets beside established ones, and blackout poems besides long-forgotten forms such as the liwuli.

Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me and Other Stories
Cyril Wong
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814615082

A woman learns of a friend's illness and wonders if she ever truly knew him. A boy who sees ghosts heeds the advice of a fortune-teller, with surprising consequences. A girl wakes up and realises everybody in her Bedok neighbourhood has vanished. This collection brings together, for the first time, both new and previously published stories by Cyril Wong, the award-winning author of The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza. Ranging from the commonplace to the surreal, these short narratives feature characters in crisis, with two stories crossing intriguingly into creative autobiography.

My Pictorial Book of Dialect Idioms & Slangs
Kuan Eng
Singapore: Sibey Nostalgic, 2014
ISBN: 9789810927080

After launching Singapore's first series of dialect pictorial books last year, Kuan Eng explored further the topic of dialects in Singapore. As he commonly uses dialects at home and in his social work, he ventures into dialect idioms and slangs in his new book.

Designed in a colourful and engaging manner, 100 idioms and slangs are accompanied by illustrations. This book strives to stir the interest of young Singaporeans in learning more about dialects and using them to build rapport with the elderly. Presented in Hokkien, it also covers adaptations of the idioms/slangs in Teochew and Cantonese, whenever applicable. The meaning and example of usage of these idioms/slangs are also included.

This book is also published to honour the pioneer generation who brought their dialects to Singapore decades ago. Through this book, readers will be able to get in touch with their linguistic heritage and also discover how dialects play an integral part in our lives as well as the evolution of Singlish.

Coastlands
Aaron Lee Soon Yong
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810924782

Coastlands is Aaron Lee's third collection of poetry. Whether in a small town or frenetic city, the poet has never lived far from the sea. This book documents his life experience as a pilgrim still finding his place in the wider world. In these fifty poems he recollects, explores, embraces and anticipates what is lost and found in each of the places he calls home: Malaysia, Singapore and Hawaii. Everywhere, natural and urban landscapes anchor and influence his identity and connect him to humanity.

In ancient writings "coastlands" means the far reaches of the earth -- places accessible only by crossing oceans of unknown magnitude. Truly, life is a voyage from which the traveller never returns.

Play Things: The Complete Works: 1984-2014
Michael Chiang
Singapore: Really Good Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810920357

The publication of this anthology of Michael Chiang's complete works is a timely clarification that invites the public to 'read' his works as an oeuvre -- in totality and as units to a larger artistic score. For the first time, all his plays, shorts and full-lengths, are collected in one volume that includes updates and additional scenes previously unpublished.

Changes and Chances
Leonard Ng
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810925123

Uncompromising yet accessible, the six sequences in Changes and Chances explore love, sorrow, time, nature, and humanity. By turns passionate, hermetic, and heartbreaking, they simultaneously endure and celebrate all the imperfections of the world. Leonard Ng blends free verse with adaptations of both Western and Asian forms to create a musical poetry grounded in the traditions of both East and West.

Saga Seeds
Patricia Maria de Souza
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810794828

Saga Seeds is Patricia Maria Tan's latest poetry collection. The title of her book refers most aptly to her poems, taut red beads of memory and observation. Nostalgic references such as masak masak transport readers to a time when children played five stones and games involving pure imagination. The personal recollections serve as a tribute to Singapore and our collective memories. We also find poems alive with the beauty of simple folk and nature, and poems awake to darker moods and events. Throughout the lyrical excursion, readers are borne by the poet's steady and reassuring voice, into the intricacies of introspection, and towards a fuller appreciation of the exquisiteness of everyday moments.

Sound of Mind: A Teacher-Writers Anthology of Poems and Prompts
Philip McConnell and Genevieve Wong (eds.)
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810922719

This is an exciting offering of poems from a constellation of teacher-writers, including published and familiar authors such as Ann Ang, Ken Mizusawa, Eric Tinsay Valles, Christine Chia, Heng Siok Tian, David Leo and Oliver Seet.

What makes this anthology worth the reader's precious time is more than the poets' acuity of perception, and their particularities of style; being educators, they have contributed with a view to inspiring the reader's imagination. The poems have been arranged in a manner to stimulate the creative writer in each and every reader.

Singapore Siu Dai 2: The SG Conversation Upsize!
Felix Cheong
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810925499

Bolder and edgier! Felix Cheong's follow-up to Singapore Siu Dai finds him poking his pen once again in topical issues. And he doesn’t shy away from spoofing highly-paid ministers and asking tough questions. Like: Are we really a nation of top problem solvers? What if Sentosa Cove becomes a rich man's republic?

Singapore Siu Dai 2 will delight you with its off beat humour and its short, sweet and sharp storytelling.

Tales From the ECP: A Collection of Short Stories
Russ Soh
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810922702

Acronyms are peculiarly Singaporean -- short forms created to deliver information with optimal efficiency. An acronym very familiar to Singaporeans is ECP. Extending about 20 kilometres or so, the East Coast Parkway is a vital transport channel, running parallel to another ECP for a large part of its length. It is this other ECP that Tales From The ECP celebrates. Featuring incidents set in or around the East Coast Park, the stories take us into the heart of Singaporean-ness.

East Coast Park is the unsung hero in the ten short stories in this collection. As a meeting point, it brings together people of different age, race, class and nationality. Chance encounters lead to consequences that are frequently comic, sometimes unexpected, variously touching and heartwarming. As a point of conversation, the ECP and its surrounds allow characters to reflect deeply on their sense of self, their identity, and their relationships with others who share the same space.

The Space Between the Raindrops
Justin Ker
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814615068

Pablo Neruda tries to compose a poem on Isla Negra, as a man considers cheating on his parking coupon at a Maxwell Road car park. A bed thief breaks into a HDB flat every day, only to steal a few hours' rest. Singapore is interviewed as a psychiatric patient on National Day.

Newcomer Justin Ker's imaginative and compelling forays into the field of flash fiction carry on that tradition made so popular in the US over the past three decades, by such luminaries as Joyce Carol Oates, Stuart Dybek and Margaret Atwood. The possibilities in such a short, sharp form are limitless and potentially profound, and Ker reveals his deftness by providing full narratives within only a few pages. Each evanescent story inhabits the fleeting, unrepeatable place between the falling droplets on our island of rain. Perfect for a brief subway ride or the interval spent waiting for the bus, as well as that languid afternoon spent contemplating a thunderstorm, The Space Between the Raindrops is a remarkable collection of short stories told by a startling new voice.

Trivialities About Me and Myself
Yeng Pway Ngon
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814615105

The Chinese protagonist of Trivialities about Me and Myself, a journalist turned entrepreneur, possesses a split personality. "Me" is a figure consumed by greed and sexual desire, two impulses that undermine his careers, his two marriages, and his relationship with his son. Throughout the novel he engages in a dialogue with his other identity, the moralistic "Myself", whose principled stances try but usually fail to win over his other half.

The protagonist's lifetime, from childhood to his dying days in a rest home, parallels the modern history of Singapore itself and its evolution from a colonised city to a consumer-oriented nation, one in which an English-language educational system and commercial interests suppress indigenous languages and traditions. While the meticulously described action takes place in the city, the real setting is within the psyche of the narrator, whose two halves are engaged in an epic struggle for dominance.

Red Pulse II: Poetry to a Local Beat
Kevin Lam and Tan Xiang Yeow (eds.)
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810923464

Red Pulse II is a rich chronicle illuminating the growth of twenty‐two young Singapore poets, who, as a community, write to shape and order private and collective, national worlds, to reconcile tensions within fragile and fraught relationships, and to split open unspoken pasts toward a future forward in poems that crystallise philosophy, pain and play.

Singular Acts of Endearment
Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé
Singapore: Squircle Line Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789810913410

This is a story where nothing happens. Think William Gaddis minus the unattributed dialogue. Think Joyce's Ulysses when the citizen's biscuit tin gets hurled through the air. It's dramatic but the act doesn't have a purpose. It doesn't translate. After twenty years abroad, Jasmine Lee-Heschel has returned to Singapore to read literature at college. Jasmine is Jewish-Chinese. He insists on email correspondence, so she pays attention to what he's saying. Ma is a cursory presence, and Prof is an accidental father figure. Uncle Han checks in on Ah Gong, who's dying of cancer. A year to live is the doctor's prognosis. A caretaker at a plant nursery, Ah Gong is bent on building a garden for their HDB flat. To appease him, Jasmine seems tasked to take Ah gong to what small enclaves of nature still exist on the island. There's, of course, a boy. And there's the dead Nina who saw an angel. But everything stands still, like a tree in the middle of pasture. And everything, shifting in and out of perspective, attempts to dip into the eminently unreadable.

Of Robbe-Grillet, Barthes writes: "Description for Robbe-Grillet is always 'anthological' - a matter of presenting the object as if it were in itself a spectacle, permitting it to make demands on our attention without regard for its relation to the dialectic of the story". If Robbe-Grillet's novels are prolonged expositions on the objects around us with no implicit judgement, this story represents an inversion, revelling in a sort of violent catachresis. The metaphors are mixed, heaped in a huge mess. Everything seems at first to have meaning, and meaningful import. A branch, a flower, a kind of leaf, a tree. The epistolary provides the illusion of a continual epiphany, but for Jasmine , the explosive declarations or introspections lead to no real denouement, no real insight to life. At least not for her, when she starkly exposits that "nothing makes sense". Indeed, in the anticipation for death, there is little to no sense. No sense to be made of it at all. And by association, the language, its narrative and all the rest of it.

Eating Together: Food, Space, and Identity in Malaysia and Singapore
Jean Duruz and Gaik Cheng Khoo
Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014
ISBN: 9781442227408

Accepting the challenge of rethinking connections of food, space and identity within everyday spaces of "public" eating in Malaysia and Singapore, the authors enter street stalls, hawker centers, markets, cafes, restaurants, "food streets," and "ethnic" neighborhoods to offer a broader picture of the meaning of eating in public places. The book creates a strong sense of the ways different people live, eat, work, and relax together, and traces negotiations and accommodations in these dynamics. The motif of rojak (Malay, meaning "mixture"), together with Ien Ang's evocative "together-in-difference," enables the analysis to move beyond the immediacy of street eating with its moments of exchange and remembering. Ultimately, the book traces the political tensions of "different" people living together, and the search for home and identity in a world on the move. Each of the chapters designates a different space for exploring these cultures of "mixedness" and their contradictions -- whether these involve "old" and "new" forms of sociality, struggles over meanings of place, or frissons of pleasure and risk in eating "differently." Simply put, Eating Together is about understanding complex forms of multiculturalism in Malaysia and Singapore through the mind, tongue, nose, and eyes.

Warm Nights, Deathless Days: The Life of Georgette Chen
Sonny Liew
Singapore: National Gallery Singapore, 2014
ISBN: 9789810910914

Warm Nights, Deathless Days: The Life of Georgette Chen is Eisner-nominated comic artist Sonny Liew's response to the legacy of one of Singapore's most prominent pioneer artists Georgette Chen (1906-1993). The result is a moving portrait of Chen's life, thoughts, and dreams, a charming chronicle of her days as a precocious young painter to her winning of Singapore's prestigious Cultural Medallion in 1982. Richly illustrated in a soft, milky palette, the comic captures the quiet space of art and friendship that Chen sheltered amid a turbulent backdrop of political turmoil and personal hardship.

The Babas [4th ed.]
Felix Chia
Singapore: Landmark Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814189569

This fourth edition of the social history of the Babas and Nonya makes the seminal work by Felix Chia available again after being long out of print.

Now illustrated throughout by full-colour pictures of a rich array of Baba artefacts sourced from private and public collections, this beautifully designed full-colour book will capivate and entrance both readers who are familiar with and new to Baba culture.

Baba Felix Chia gives a witty, frank and lively exposition of the way of life he grew up in. His reminiscences and personal anecdotes are given additional weight by oral history and research. The result is an exceptional book where text and pictures combine to encapsulate the fascinating origin, language, practices, festivities and character of the Baba.

The Babas, first published in 1980, won the Highly Commended Award for English non-fiction by the National Book Development Council of Singapore.

Home: 50 50-Word Stories to Celebrate Singapore's 50th Birthday
Andre Yeo
Singapore: Andre Yeo, 2014
ISBN: 9789810917876

There are numerous books on life in Singapore. But none like this. In the first of its kind, veteran journalist, Andre Yeo, captures everyday life here in 50 stories, each 50 words long. To celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday in 2015, it is a book Singaporeans can relate to.

From serving National Service, to breathing in the haze, to wasting food, to raising a family and buying property, Andre captures these experiences and much more. You'll smile, laugh and chuckle to yourself as these passages remind you of days gone by.

The Other Singapore Story: One Man's Journey From PSLE Failure to University Graduate
Ravindran Kanna
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2014
ISBN: 9789814561198

This book tells the story of a young man who failed his PSLE examinations, but through sheer determination, perseverance and hard work is now a graduate teacher at a primary school in Singapore.

Attending a full-time vocational course (Maintenance Fitting) in the day and part-time night classes, he scored his first success -- a GCE N Level certificate in 1989. While in National Service, he studied and sat for the O Level exams, not once but twice so as to get better results to enter a polytechnic. While holding full-time day jobs, he attended night classes at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and in 1997 obtained a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. In 2000, he joined the Ministry of Education and attended teacher training courses in the day while continuing at the polytechnic at night; by 2002, he had two more diplomas to his name -- a Diploma in Education and an Advanced Diploma in Industrial Engineering and Management. Capping it all is a Bachelor of Arts in English with Psychology awarded by UniSIM in 2005.

The author did not let failure set him back nor problems or challenges defeat him. He forged on with an iron will. He took a shot at every available educational opportunity Singapore offered to better himself -- and he succeeded. A firm believer in lifelong learning, his 16-year journey of part-time studies covers true events of the many people who have helped him in one way or other.

Teens and the Law [2nd ed.]
Singapore Association of Women Lawyers
Singapore: Singapore Association of Women Lawyers, 2014
ISBN: 9789813065970

Teenagers face many challenges navigating through the physical and environmental development of their teenage years. It is during this difficult period that they may break the law unintentionally. As a result the consequences can leave emotional, financial and legal scars that can last a lifetime.

This book, Teens & the Law provides teens with the basic principles of legal protection and helps them understand the real life consequences and penalties of breaking the law. It also provides sources of additional information such as websites on the issues faced by teenagers in today's context and where they can turn to for counselling solutions. It is the only book in Singapore that explains the law relating to teenagers in simple English.

Today's teens are spending more time on social media like Facebook and Twitter. New in this book are the inherent dangers associated with using or visiting social networking sites -- the perils of the internet, information security threats, human vulnerabilities and traps on the internet. Teens need to be aware of the enormous consequences of posting personal information online and how to handle these situations.

50 Things to Love About Singapore
Susan Long (ed.)
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814342803

As Singapore marks 50 years of independence, The Straits Times (ST) has put together a book about love. This intimate study of the things we know and love about Singapore is written by some of ST's most authoritative beat reporters.

It is a dossier of modern Singapore halfway through her first century, an often surprising composite portrait of the little quirks, incongruities and rhythms of life in Singapore, which we chortle, ruminate and worry over, with familial affection but sometimes also exasperation.

It delves into the ironies of nanny state policies and political instincts that die hard among rulers and ruled alike, pricey cars and real estate, a land-scarce city which prizes greenery to the point of fashioning vertical gardens, Singapore's prowess at the most oddball sports and penchant for setting all manner of world records, her own brand of guided multi-racialism, her citizens' preference to complain rather than protest, the fast-growing global cult that is Singapore maths, and the skilful code-switching that makes it so natural for Singaporeans to eat across many cultural and culinary cost divides.

But enduring love is not blind. The writers do not flinch from looking at where Singapore is showing her age and what she has had to leave behind in the quest for her next edge.

There is much to love about Singapore at 50. But this has been no easy ask-no-questions, take-her-as-she-is love.

The Quah Kim Song Story: Pass Kim Song the %#@* Ball!
Quah Kim Song & Jacintha Stephens
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814342810

The Quah Kim Song Story is about football in Singapore and the region, told in Kim Song's colourful football vernacular to Jacintha Stephens. This book, she says, "is of a special time and place in Singapore's social history. Of a moment in time when a young nation suddenly found a common goal and identity -- and roared their allegiance as their football team played their hearts out. This was the birth of the great Kallang Roar."

For almost three decades, there was a Quah in the national team. A legacy started by Quah Kim Beng in the late 1950s ended with Quah Kim Song in the early 1980s. In between there were Kim Swee, Kim Siak and Kim Lye, and three sisters, Theresa, Doreen and Rosa, who also donned national colours.

In his book, Kim Song delves deep into what the Quahs were all about. His anecdotes and experiences, particularly on the football pitch, added to his lively sketches of crucial games, teammates, coaches and competitors, make this a rich memoir of the Kallang Roar era.

Prof Tommy Koh, in his Foreword, writes that "When the Singapore national team was playing at its peak, the whole nation was proud of it and followed each match with bated breath. ...Every great team must have an inspiring striker. Quah Kim Song was our inspiring striker in the 1970s."

Mr SIA: Fly Past
Ken Hickson
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814596442

Introducing the life and times of a legend in international aviation -- Lim Chin Beng -- the man they called Mr SIA.

Absorbing the life and work of Lim Chin Beng is like watching a fly past of airlines and aircraft old and new. In this book, his past comes to meet you in many forms -- designs, shapes, figures, photographs, episodes, places, people and you discover the connections with business, society and international aviation today and into the future. Here's a man who was instrumental in taking the very basic components of a business -- like a potter taking the clay -- and creating what has become one of the world's leading brands, Singapore Airlines. But this airline "specialist", trained as an economist, had more jobs to do. His broad range of interests -- arts and sports, property and tourism -- led to him being called on to do his "national service" for Singapore. He was Ambassador to Japan for two terms and trade negotiator, chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport International, Singapore Airshow, Singapore Press Holdings, Ascott Group, and ST Aerospace. Described as a quiet achiever and a visionary, this modest gentleman was not afraid to make bold decisions and take risks, even to the extent of setting up a budget airline, Valuair. Here was one man, who in his time, played many parts, on the world's stage and at home

Black and White: The Singapore House, 1898-1941 [updated ed.]
Julian Davison
Singapore: Talisman, 2014
ISBN: 9789810903282

The unique Black and White house in Singapore is the most distinctive and imposing of the island's colonial architectural legacy. Surviving examples are testament to their physical and aesthetic durability - a unique tropical style with a colourful pedigree of architectural influences. In this updated edition, an additional chapter on residential life in these extraordinary homes adds depth and added information to an already comprehensive book. The colonials of yesteryear enjoyed a life of undisputed privilege - and even today, many of these beautiful houses continue to serve their original purpose as gracious family homes. Others have been adapted successfully as restaurants, offices and artisan's studios. Researched, written and photographed with flair, Black and White traces their evolution through the architects and practices that designed them - houses as relevant today as when they first appeared over 100 years ago.

World Film Locations: Singapore
Lorenzo Cordelli (ed.)
Bristol: Intellect Books, 2014
ISBN: 9781783203611

A vibrant city and country nestled at the foot of the Malaysian peninsula, Singapore has long been a crossroads, a stopping point, and a cultural hub where goods, inventions, and ideas are shared and traded.

Though Singapore was home to a flourishing Chinese and Malay film industry in the 1950s and 1960s, between independence in 1965 and the early 1990s, few movies were made there. A new era for cinema in the sovereign city-state started with the international recognition of Eric Khoo's first features, followed by a New Wave comprised of graduates from local film schools. In recent years the Singapore film industry has produced commercially successful fare, such as the horror movie The Maid, as well as more artistic films like Sandcastle, the first Singaporean film to be selected for International Critic's Week at Cannes, and Ilo Ilo, which won the Caméra d'or at Cannes in 2013.  Covering the myths that surround Singaporean film and exploring the realities of the movies that come from this exciting city, World Film Locations: Singapore introduces armchair travelers to a rich, but less known, national cinema.

Narrating Presence: Awakening From Cultural Amnesia
Azhar Ibrahim
Singapore: Malay Heritage Foundation & Select Publishing, 2014
ISBN: 9789810916299

In addition to celebrating the intellectual tradition of a past generation of Singaporean Malay thinkers, social and cultural activists, this series provides unique insights and perspectives into the lived-experience and collective memories of the Malay community in Singapore. This book investigates and raises questions on the background and social-historical conditionings that have shaped and coloured Malay thinking and world view, from the past to contemporary thought, through its literary heritage and letters.

The sound of Sch: A Mental Breakdown, A Life Journey
Danielle Lim
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810918538

The Sound of Sch (pronounced S-C-H) is the true story of a journey with mental illness, beautifully told by Danielle Lim from a time when she grew up witnessing her uncle's untold struggle with a crippling mental and social disease, and her mother's difficult role as caregiver. The story takes place between 1961 and 1994, backdropped by a fast-globalising Singapore where stigmatisation of persons afflicted with mental illness nevertheless remains deep-seated. Unflinchingly raw and honest in its portrayal of living with schizophrenia, The Sound of Sch is a moving account of human resiliency and sacrifice in the face of brokenness.

The Big Ideas of Lee Kuan Yew
Shashi Jayakumar and Rahul Sagar (eds.)
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814342797

Lee Kuan Yew was born in 1923, a time when Singapore was under British rule. After experiencing the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, he travelled to England to study Law.

Mr Lee's legal career in Singapore was marked by increasing political involvement. Together with a group of like-minded individuals, he formed the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954. Following the PAP's victory in the 1959 Legislative Assembly general elections, Mr Lee became the first Prime Minister of Singapore, at the age of 35. He held this position until 1990. After stepping down from the premiership, he remained in the Cabinet until 2011,serving as Senior Minister and subsequently as Minister Mentor.

Mr Lee oversaw Singapore's transformation from a Third World country to a First World country. This remarkable achievement has long prompted admiration and debate. This volume makes a distinctive contribution to our understanding of Mr Lee's legacy because for the first time the men and women who worked closely with him have come together to discuss his ideas. The resulting essays shed valuable light on a wide range of topics including law and politics, society and economics, and governance and foreign affairs.

Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 and Other Facts About Malay Culture
Hidayah Amin
Singapore: Helang Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810910518

Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 is a collection of 42 articles which serves as a guide to Malay culture and heritage, lifestyle and personas. The book highlights some Malay customs and practices, including controversial issues such as virginity, circumcision, supernatural beings, and the infamous '$50-Malay-wedding' remark that triggered a heated debate on racism in Singapore in October 2012. It also includes a number of stories originally published under the "Let's Lepak!" (Let's Chill!) column on the now-defunct website of Singapore International Foundation (www.singaporekopitiam.sg), delighting many Singaporeans and foreigners who wanted to understand more about the Malays.