Diplomacy: A Singapore Experience
S. Jayakumar
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2011
ISBN: 9789814266949

After more than four decades of independence, Singapore has built up a significant corpus of norms, principles and experiences that form the bedrock of its foreign policy. Many of these milestone events and watershed moments in MFA's history are known only to a handful of ministers and officials. There is a need to always remember the fundamentals of our key foreign policy interests. In Diplomacy: A Singapore Experience, Prof. S. Jayakumar records his reflections of selected episodes and events where he was involved as Minister or as Permanent Representative to the UN. They illustrate how Singapore created diplomatic and economic space for itself, and its proactive diplomacy in the UN and ASEAN. The author also recounts Singapore's responses to moves by other countries that were inimical to its national interests, resolving disputes in an amicable manner through third party settlement, now an important feature of Singapore's foreign policy. Included are episodes in bilateral relations with Malaysia, Indonesia and China which demonstrate that such relations must be on the basis of equals respecting each other's sovereign status, and also in compliance with international law and international agreements.

A Watershed Election: Singapore's GE 2011
Catherine Lim
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2011
ISBN: 9789814351706

Political observer Catherine Lim reflects on Singapore's 16th General Election in her own inimitable way.

As she describes it:
"On a personal note, I cannot adequately describe my joy at witnessing this transformation in our society. It is of course early days yet, and many Singaporeans will continue to have a cautious wait-and-see attitude. Well, I have waited for 17 years and I am seeing, for the first time, signs of real change."

This volume consists of six new commentaries and two previously published pieces, "The PAP and the Great Affective Divide" and "One Government, Two Styles".

The Colin Cheong Collection
Colin Cheong
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2011
ISBN: 9789814346382

This volume comprises three published novellas and 23 short stories by acclaimed writer Colin Cheong. Set in Singapore with singularly male protagonists, the stories in this collection are sensitive in their evocation of the male psyche in the various stages of life, and explore the human themes of love and the initiating rites of passage to adulthood with all its expectations and frustrations.

Spaces of the Dead: A Case From the Living
Kevin Y.L. Tan (ed.)
Singapore: Ethos Books, 2011
ISBN: 9789810883911

Seen primarily as final resting places, cemeteries are increasingly under threat from urban redevelopment in land-scarce Singapore. Regarded as 'excess space' by state planners, and as 'taboo places' by the local populace, the rich historical and cultural heritage of our cemeteries have remained largely unappreciated and hidden. Since the colonial era, cemeteries have been moved aside by urban expansion with the fundamental belief that 'the dead should not take up the space of the living.' Today, there are about less than a dozen cemeteries left in Singapore. With the recent exhumation of major cemeteries like Bidadari Cemetery and Kwong Hou Sua Cemetery, concerns have been raised about the status of cemeteries in Singapore. This prompted the Singapore Heritage Society to embark on a larger effort to raise greater public awareness of the richness of our cemeteries, to get people not to view these spaces purely as burial grounds, but also as sites rich in history, nature, activities and memories for the living. Spaces of the Dead: A Case From the Living brings together various authors concerned with the need for conservation of cemeteries in Singapore. This book showcases cemeteries as spaces of historical, architectural and social merit through the writings and photo-journals of the authors.

Dragonflies of Our Parks and Gardens
Robin Ngiam
Singapore: National Parks Board, 2011
ISBN: 9789810885212

Dragonflies have fascinated the human imagination for centuries. Here in Singapore, we live in a region with great dragonfly diversity. Discover the wonders of these beautiful, brilliantly-coloured insects, and their important ecological roles in the parks and gardens where they can be found.

With over 5,600 known species worldwide, dragonflies are of great interest to scientists, conservation groups and nature lovers alike. In Singapore, our parks, gardens and nature areas are excellent places for observing dragonflies. Find out where to watch them in action, and read all about their intriguing habits. Learn also about their importance in the conservation of freshwater ecosystems, and discover how you can get involved.

Teaching is Heartwork: Reflections of Beginning Teachers in Singapore Schools
Goh Kim Chuan, Low Ee Ling, & Sylvia Chong (eds.)
Singapore: Prentice Hall, 2011
ISBN: 9789810686215

This book shares the personal stories of nine newly qualified teachers and two pre-service teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore.

Teaching Is Heartwork showcases these individuals' reflections on their first forays into the classroom. At times candid, wavering and tongue-in-cheek, this highly personal collection gives readers a rare peek into the passions, uncertainties and small victories of teachers as they take those first steps on a very long journey in being educators. More than anything, this book shows that teaching is much more than hard work - that Teaching is Heartwork.

Fun for Kids in Singapore (3rd ed.)
Karen J. Renner
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2011
ISBN: 9789814346429

Tired of hearing your child ask, "What are we doing today, Mum?" Run out of ideas for entertaining your children at weekends? If your answer to these questions is "YES" then Fun for Kids in Singapore is for you!

This new, updated and expanded edition of Fun for Kids in Singapore addresses the ever-increasing demand for information about children's activities and interests in Singapore. You will be surprised to find out how much there is to do. Fun for Kids in Singapore is a wonderful resource for parents that will once and for all dispel the myth that Singapore is boring!

Real Estate Riches: Understanding Singapore's Property Market in a Volatile Economy
Ku Swee Yong
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2011
ISBN: 9789814346511

If you are looking to buy a property in Singapore, whether to live in, lease out, or sell, Real Estate Riches is the essential guide to help you understand the property market and the factors that can affect your investment.

This book brings together a collection of articles on Singapore's property market previously published in Today and The Business Times. The articles address many common questions that real estate investors ask and give a succinct overview of the property landscape. They also clarify government policies, dispel common misconceptions and put into perspective the factors to consider when buying property. New commentaries offer objective insights into the local property scene.

The Mighty Wave
He Jin; Tan Jing Quee, Loh Miaw Gong, & Hong Lysa (trans.)
Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, 2011
ISBN: 9789675832178

A major novel about the anti-colonial mass movement in Singapore in the 1950s which started with the Chinese middle school students assembling on 13 May 1954 at the pavements of Penang Road to petition the Governor for their exemption from national service. This mass gathering was forcibly broken up by the riot police. It ends with the 1959 general election, in which the political party they supported triumphed. The protagonists of the novel look forward to contributing to the new phase in Singapore's political development.

That was not to be.

Set in the more rustic Singapore in the 1950s some of the scenes depicted are recognizable by the older generation, but have disappeared from the modern landscape. They cover locations like Tiong Bahru, Pasir Panjang, Siglap, and the Beach Road vicinity.

The Mighty Wave is a Singapore novel which deserves a place in the country's literary history.

The May 13 Generation: The Chinese Middle Schools Movement and Singapore Politics in the 1950s
Tan Jing Quee, Tan Kok Chiang, and Hong Lysa (eds.)
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, 2011
ISBN: 9789675832161

The May 13 generation was the first belonging to the immigrant communities from China to grapple with the issues of being Malayan/Singaporean, breaking irrevocably with the received wisdoms of their elders, and in a political climate where their explorations were deemed to be subversive.

This book comprises the recollections penned by the participants of the era of the 1950s, where their generation was in the forefront of the anti-colonial movement, and the work of academic researchers who have examined the historical framework and context of the period, as well as how it has been made to fit into the country's mainstream history. The researchers have also examined the students' cultural expressions, whether it is in art, drama, dance or literature and found them to be socially engaged, and grappling with the question of who they were as a people. The cultural explorations of that period have been forgotten or repudiated.  It is revealing just how this amnesia and silence has become so set.

It is also impossible to imagine the demands that the age had put on this generation of youths.