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.

The Battle for Merger
Lee Kuan Yew
Singapore: National Archives of Singapore & Straits Times Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814342773

The Battle for Merger charts the crucial years of 1961-1962, when the PAP government was in a precarious position and the future of Singapore was hanging in the balance.

This commemorative book retains the authenticity of the transcripts of Lee Kuan Yew's twelve radio talks and appendices, which are exact reproductions of the original 1962 edition.

Complete with nostalgic photographs of historical events as well as painstaking reproductions of secret letters and codes, this book also includes new material to give a comprehensive coverage on the intriguing subject of merger between Singapore and Malaysia.

This publication contains the following:
1. A new message from Lee Kuan Yew that reveals the former prime minister's hindsight on merger
2. A comprehensive essay by Associate Professor Albert Lau that provides the historical background to merger
3. Concise notes to key players, places and events
4. MP3 audio recordings of the twelve radio talks in English, Mandarin and Malay

The battle for merger is a story worth retelling. This book is for all who want to understand what was at stake during those tumultuous times. Reading this would be akin to reliving the sensational moments created by Lee Kuan Yew's timely revelations during the twelve radio broadcasts. It tells of how the Old Guards stood up and fought back against the communists and later the communalists, of how they refused to be cowed and thus won the confidence of that generation, which went on to help build modern Singapore.

LKY: Political Cartoons
Morgan Chua
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814615723

The urban legend goes that Morgan Chua's first political cartoon of Lee Kuan Yew in the Singapore Herald led to the newspaper's closure in 1971. Undeterred by this, Lee's near mythic status became fodder for Morgan's creative imagination and incisive pen as he continued his satirical sketches of the prime minister in the Far Eastern Economic Review.

For the first time, over 100 of Morgan's LKY cartoons -- along with new ones -- have been collected, covering Lee's pioneering years up to the present day. In LKY: Political Cartoons, the fearless Morgan meets the fearsome Harry.

The Bicycle
Cheah Sinann
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789814615501

In one of the last remaining jungles in Singapore, an old bicycle is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Its discovery brings the elderly Lim Ah Cheng back to a time when he rode with his life on the line…

Meticulously researched by the creator of Singapore's first daily comic strip The House of Lim, cartoonist Cheah Sinann, The Bicycle tells the tale of Toshiro Iwakura, an aristocratic, battle-hardened private haunted by his desire to cycle in the Olympics, and five-year-old street urchin Ah Cheng, who dreams of nothing more than learning how to ride a bike. Their paths cross during the Japanese Occupation, when a unique bond formed over two wheels is quickly put to a life-or-death test.

Let the People Have Him: Chiam See Tong: The Early Years
Loke Hoe Yeong
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810791735

Chiam See Tong (b. 1935) is Singapore's longest serving opposition politician. A member of parliament for nearly three decades, Chiam is also one of Singapore's most iconic, influential and beloved political figures. Through his efforts in shaping Potong Pasir into a "model constituency", the veteran statesman has greatly contributed towards an increasingly pluralistic Singapore.

When he first entered politics in 1976, there was not a single opposition member in Parliament. As the founder of the Singapore Democratic Party, and later the Singapore People's Party, Chiam has long rallied for the need of an opposition as the essential democratic check on a one-party system. He is respected for his level-headed and non-confrontational stance, and is the only opposition member to have received public apologies and out-of-court damages from cabinet ministers of Singapore's ruling People’s Action Party.

Based on extensive interviews, family documents and party archives, Let the People Have Him is the first biography of an opposition politician from post-independence Singapore -- a biography of a man who, through his accomplishments and devotion, struggled to build a fairer, more balanced and diverse country.

Tracing the first half of a life fully lived, this book sheds light on Chiam's circuitous and colourful route to Parliament at the age of 4 -- from his revolutionary family background to his days as a champion school swimmer; from his political awakening in New Zealand to his stint as an inspiring school teacher in Malaysia; from training as a lawyer to his cross-continental romance with his wife Lina; from standing as an independent candidate in 1976 to winning the Potong Pasir seat in 1984 as the leader of the fledging Singapore Democratic Party. Let the People Have Him draws a humanistic picture of Chiam in his early days -- as his country changed around him before he was to change it -- while revealing the guiding values that have made this humble and unassuming man revered for generations to come.