Big Mole
Ming Cher
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2015
ISBN: 9789814655354

In the fight for independence, one girl seeks freedom for herself. Born an orphan with an unlucky blemish under her eye, Big Mole is stuck running a fish shop with her roguish boyfriend Hong. When their friend is killed in cold blood on his first day as a secret society gangster, Hong forms a band of brothers and swears ruthless revenge. Big Mole finds herself reeled into a brutal mass murder and tumultuous opposition politics, with the colonial police and local investigators hot on their heels.

This thrilling sequel to the seminal Spider Boys marks Ming Cher's long-awaited return after two decades. Crackling with the seedy spirit of 1950s Singapore, rife with possibilities, Big Mole will transport and invigorate you as, with the tenacity of an exotic fighting fish, one blemish turns to beauty spot.

Caring for Our People: 50 Years of Healthcare in Singapore
Ministry of Health
Singapore: Ministry of Health, 2015
ISBN: 9789810962102

Commemorating the advances in Singapore's public healthcare across 50 years since Independence, the book chronicles the transformation of our healthcare system, from one that was focused on basic issues such as health education, personal hygiene and sanitation, to one where we have gained international recognition as a biomedical research and innovation hub and a leader in the delivery of healthcare services. Over 50 interviews are featured in the book spanning seven chapters.

Key thought leaders and healthcare providers share their personal experiences of their profession and how the Singapore healthcare landscape has transformed. The stories and experiences of patients and volunteers are also captured in this book. Besides paying tribute to the men and women who have built up Singapore's healthcare system, the SG50 Healthcare Commemorative Book also takes a look at the way forward, in terms of the transformation of care that is needed to meet the healthcare needs of Singaporeans.

Singapore: A Portrait in Diversity
Tom Soper
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2015
ISBN: 9789810977177

Singapore is a melting pot of nations: people from all over the world come to this small island to live and work. Tom Soper captures 50 stunning portraits of people from 50 different countries, where they and Soper share their thoughts and feelings about Singapore, their home countries, photography and portraiture. A beautiful parting gift to the city-state on her 50th birthday, Singapore: A Portrait In Diversity is a photography project celebrating the incredible diversity within this pulsing, red dot.

Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore
Lily Kong (ed.)
Singapore: World Scientific, 2015
ISBN: 9789814641210 / 9789814641227

This fascinating and insightful volume introduces readers to food as a window to the social and cultural history and geography of Singapore. It demonstrates how the food we consume, the ways in which we acquire and prepare it, the company we keep as we cook and eat, and our preferences and practices are all revealing of a larger economic, social, cultural and political world, both historically and in contemporary times. Readers will be captivated by chapters that deal with the intersections of food and ethnicity, gender and class, food hybridity, innovations and creativity, heritage and change, globalization and localization, and more.

50 Years of the Chinese Community in Singapore
Pang Cheng Lian (ed.)
Singapore: World Scientific, 2015
ISBN: 9789814675406 / 9789814678780

Singapore's success story is essentially a "people" story. Singaporeans have good reason to celebrate the nation's golden jubilee with pride. In the short space of five decades the country has moved from Third World to First, and its real GDP has grown by 40 times! For this phenomenal progress, credit must go to its people, the Republic's primary resource.

Against all odds and amidst dire predictions, Singaporeans proved that a united and resourceful community could build a nation from scratch. This book is dedicated to one segment of these Singaporeans -- the Chinese community. In particular, this collection of essays focuses on the Chinese speaking members of the community whose many contributions are less familiar to those brought up on a strict diet of the English language.

This celebratory book is divided into four broad categories. The first section examines the major Chinese organisations and their contributions in the past five decades. These include the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, the Chinese Development Assistance Council and the Chinese Heritage Centre. In addition, it looks at the history and work of some of the social clubs and charitable organisations in the Chinese community.

The second section examines some community issues that have engaged the Chinese community in Singapore's first 50 years. Two senior journalists and two academics review the evolution of the Chinese language, the integration of new immigrants from China and the influence of Chinese religions. The five essays in the third section trace the development of Chinese visual and performing art in the Republic. The last section looks at the interactions between Singapore's Chinese community and China on the one hand, and with the regional Chinese communities on the other.

The Life and Times of Gerald de Cruz: A Singaporean of Many Worlds
Asad-ul Iqbal Latif
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2015
ISBN: 9789814620680

Gerald de Cruz's life overlapped many of the spheres of Singapore's history after World War II. As a Eurasian, a nationalist, a communist and then a democratic socialist, as a journalist and a writer, he represents the insurgent energies of a truculent time when a nascent nation was seeking the basis of statehood. His commitment to progressive ideas and movements reveals a man of integrity in search of himself in a better world. This book seeks to portray his place in time, particularly for younger Singaporeans who did not live in an era that has inaugurated the history of independent Singapore.

Peranakan Tiles: Singapore
Anne Pinto Rodrigues & Victor Lim
Singapore: Aster by Kyra, 2015
ISBN: 9789810955298

In the early part of the 20th century, decorative tiles popularly known as 'maiolica' or 'majolica' tiles across the world, found favour with the affluent Peranakan Community of Singapore.

The Peranakans decorated their houses, furniture and other surfaces with these colourful tiles. Soon enough, these tiles became a distinctive feature of this community and they began to be referred to as 'Peranakan Tiles'. This book attempts to showcase some of these exquisite tiles seen across Singapore today. It also aims to create awareness about this fragile legacy that needs to be conserved for the generations to come.

It Changed My Life: Inspirational Stories
Wong Kim Hoh
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789814642286

Inspiring real-life stories by The Straits Times Senior Writer Wong Kim Hoh about lives that have been dramatically changed by events, people or circumstances.

The story of turning the other cheek: Her nose was hacked off 25 years ago by a man wielding a cleaver. Her attacker also chopped off her ears, hewed her cheeks and blinded her in the right eye by pouring boiling water onto her face. "The nurses had to cover all mirrors and reflective glass in my ward. I was hysterical. When my son saw me for the first time after the attack, he screamed and ran away and said I was a ghost," she recalls.

The story of piloting a nasi lemak business: He was unhappy when his dad asked him to give up his aviation dream. He relented after his father said: "If you go and pilot aeroplanes, who is going to pilot my stall?" Today, his nasi lemak is famous. The Sultan of Brunei requests his nasi lemak for breakfast each time he visits Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong served it to Indonesian President Joko Widodo when the latter visited the Istana.

The story of the girl with something special: Isabelle Lim weighs only 30kg, is deaf and has has just four fingers on each hand. She has Nager Syndrome -- of which there are only 200 documented cases worldwide -- and has undergone multiple operations.

... and many more stories that celebrate the human spirit, broaden the mind, encourage the weak and downtrodden, and instil greater hope and faith in the inner strength of humanity.

From Kilts to Sarongs: Scottish Pioneers of Singapore
Graham Berry
Singapore: Landmark Books, 2015
ISBN: 9789814189651

Farquhar, Crawford, Cavenagh, Thomson, Anderson, Napier, Fullerton, Henderson, MacRitchie, MacPherson, Outram, Purvis, Spottiswoode. These are some of the Scots who have played a part in making Singapore.

Guthrie, Fraser & Neave, Rodyk & Davidson, Sime Darby, Swan & Maclaren, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Straits Trading Company. These are just a few of the numerous companies with Scottish founders who continue to play an active role in the economy of Singapore.

The old Parliament House, Raffles Institution, Raffles Hotel, Stamford House, Goodwood Park Hotel, Cairnhill, Horsburgh Lighthouse, MacDonald House. All these places and more have Scottish connections in one way or another.

Written in a popular style, this book tells the story of the Scots -- administrators, engineers, traders and various professionals -- who helped to develop early Singapore and lay some of the foundations for its undoubted growth and success.

The first book on the subject, it appeals to not only the large Scottish community in Singapore, but also all who are interested in the history and heritage of Singapore.

Singapore Chronicles: Law
Goh Yihan
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2015
ISBN: 9789814747066

This book tells the story of the Singapore legal system. Beginning with the British years, it moves on to the post-independence period, when a new Singapore had to grapple with the judicious mix of legacy laws and new laws that the new environment demanded. That was followed by the years of expansion as the complexity of the local environment deepened. The legal system had to be further refined as Singapore embraced technological advances and globalisation. This is a story of a fast changing and yet remarkably stable legal system that has been the cornerstone of Singapore's commitment to the rule of law.