Polite Fiction
Colin Cheong
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2011
ISBN: 9789814351546

From the award-winning author of The Stolen Child, Tangerine and The Man in the Cupboard comes a new novel of gratuitous sex, casual violence and twisted motivational messages.

What's a girl to do? Smart, athletic and obscenely wealthy, Yuki Moh is the embodiment of girl power and looks like she's got it all. She also has an insanely possessive and protective father who wants to keep her in the family money-laundering business. Luckily for Yuki, she's got friends who owe her favours. But with her lover's mother dying from cancer and her best friend gang-raped, she's got more on her mind than freedom.

Polite Fiction is about the rude reality behind the stories we tell about ourselves. Colin Cheong's latest work weaves a central story through the lives and issues of a cast of characters hiding behind their own polite fictions. Each chapter sends sanitized fairy tales back to the realm of shadows where they lie in wait - to remind us of just how much we lie.

Liu Kang: Colourful Modernist
Yeo Wei Wei (ed.)
Singapore: The National Art Gallery, 2011
ISBN: 9789810886745

This monograph positions Liu Kang, one of Singapore’s first generation artists, as observer, commentator, and visionary of modernity in Singapore art history. The contexts in which his works were created consist of a colourful map of diverse cultures, places, influences, from China, Europe and Southeast Asia.

The cross-cultural richness in Liu Kang’s way of seeing and art making are explored in four essays by curators and art researchers. These essays present fresh insights about the artist’s engagement with European and Chinese modernisms in a Singaporean context.

The book also contains close to 200 colour illustrations and archival photographs as well as an index and a glossary.

In Memory of Madam Kwa Geok Choo, 1920-2010
Morgan Chua
Singapore: Sang Kancil Publications, 2011
ISBN: 9789810879723

Madam Kwa Geok Choo was great in many ways - as a legal luminary, as a mother of an illustrious family, and more than that, for her stoic presence next to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew during times of turbulence and tension in the many years of his political struggle. She was always by his side, giving him her full support in his chosen path in politics, sharing his preoccupation with the good of Singapore before anything else. She was his companion, confidante and counsel.

As she walked that long road with Mr. Lee, she made quiet but important contributions to Singapore, many of which younger Singaporeans only came to know about, after she passed away in October 2010.

This publication of sketches by Morgan Chua presents the milestones in Madam Kwa's life in a light-hearted manner. I hope that it would stir interest among younger Singaporeans to get to know this remarkable lady better.
-Foreword by Mr. S.R. Nathan

A Gentle Journey: A Personal Poetry Collection
Tan Jing Quee; Tan May Yun (compiler and editor)
Singapore: May Publishing, 2011
ISBN: 9789810893521

A Gentle Journey is a private and thoughtful collection of poems by Singapore-born poet Tan Jing Quee (1939-2011). A lawyer and former political detainee with a strong interest in politics, history and literature, his poems tell a story of his gentle life and reflections at each turn.

Covering streetscapes from his early childhood in Singapore, to his detention under the ISA, London days as a Law student and subsequent travels far and wide, these poems offer glimpses into his deep insights and tender moments with his family.

The title of this book is adapted from his last poem written just six months before his demise, in which he vividly described his gentle departure from this world, with a refrain "I Shall Go Gently". It has served to provide a source of comfort and strength to his loved ones.

Beyond the Myth: Indian Business Communities in Singapore
Jayati Bhattacharya
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2011
ISBN: 9789814311366

This book is a macro-study of Indian business communities in Singapore through different phases of their growth since colonial times. It goes beyond the conventional labour-history approach to study Indian immigrants to Southeast Asia, both in terms of themselves and their connections with the people's movements. It looks at how Indian business communities negotiated with others in the environments in which they found themselves and adapted to them in novel ways. It especially brings into focus the patterns and integration of the Indian networks in the large-scale transnational flows of capital, one of the least studied aspects of the diaspora history in this part of the world. The complexities and overlapping interests of different groups of traders and businessmen form an interesting study of various aspects of these trading bodies, their methods of operation and their trade links, both within and outside Singapore. The book also charts their mobility and progress, in terms of both business and social status. The research aims to construct linear threads of linkages through generations and situate them in the larger framework and broader paradigms of business networks in Singapore.

In shedding light on aspects of Indian connectivities to Southeast Asia, the narrative is particularly relevant in the context of India's economic rise. This study raises economic, social and cultural issues regarding the transition.

Financial Services and Wealth Management in Singapore
Tan Chwee Huat
Singapore: NUS Press, 2011
ISBN: 9789971695767

During the last decade, many changes have taken place in the Singapore financial marketplace. The Montary Authority of Singapore has implemented numerous reforms to liberalize the financial services sector. Since 2002, two new laws have come into effect. The Securities and Futures Act and the Financial Advisors Act have important impact on the financial community. Institutions must hold the Cpaital Market Services (CMS) licence and the Financial Advisors licence and their representatives must pass the CMFAS examinations. This book discusses the changes in detail. Part A provides details of the reforms and discusses the impact of the new laws and regulations. Part B highlights the wide range of financial services and products provided by the institutions. In this edition, two new chapters have been added. They focus on issues related to wealth management which has become the recent focus of many banks that provide services to high net worth individuals or HNWIs. This book should be of interest to all financial institutions and professionals. It is also a must-read for investors who have to choose from a wide range of financial products.

An Unexpected Journey: Path to the Presidency
S R  Nathan with Timothy Auger
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2011
ISBN: 9789814260732

Once a teenage runaway, living rough in a colonial port city, S R Nathan rose to become two-term president of prosperous, independent Singapore. In this exceptional book, he shares the story of his personal journey, set against the backdrop of modern Singapore history.

He tells his own story, simply and vividly: Accused of theft at the age of 16, he ran away from home. Living by his wits through war and occupation, he found new self-belief in unexpected sources, and experienced the political awakening that shaped so many of his generation.

Rejected for years by the family of the girl he was to marry, Nathan worked hard to better himself, serving as a junior clerk in the Johore civil service and joining the pioneer batch of Singaporeans to study social work at the University of Malaya in 1952.

The story of the struggle between the left and right wings of the student and labour movements comes alive in Nathan's retelling of his experiences as an activist, social worker and unionist. In 1965, with Singapore's unexpected separation from Malaysia, S R Nathan joined the fledgling Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and came to hold a number of senior civil service positions, including a term as director of intelligence.

Throughout the book, he describes vividly and frankly the momentous events he witnessed, casting new light on many decisive moments in the Singapore story. Here we read about his experience of ethnic violence during the war; of his working relationships with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam and Devan Nair; negotiating with terrorists during the Laju hijacking; sensitivities with Malaysia; and the dilemmas facing the Singapore media.

In 1999, Nathan was elected president of Singapore. In the book's last chapter he takes the reader behind the scenes in the Istana, and describes his duties and responsibilities as elected president, and how he worked to develop the office and institution.

S R Nathan's compelling story depicts more vividly than ever before the people and circumstances that have made Singapore what it is today.

Heart Work 2: EDB & Partners: New Frontiers for the Singapore Economy
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2011
ISBN: 9789814342018

Heart Work 2 continues the narrative from where Heart Work (published in 2002) leaves off, into the unfamiliar challenges that EDB encountered during the first decade of the 21st century, in its effort to chart new frontiers for Singapore's economic development.

Fifty years is a solid milestone for any organisation. For the Singapore Economic Development Board, it is a time to recharge for the challenges ahead, but also to reflect on core values and the course of its evolution. The agency's drive and determination are derived from a resilience embedded in its organisational culture – in particular, the exercise of leadership at all levels, from the formulation of strategy to adroitness on the ground in anticipating and meeting the needs of investors and rallying the necessary partners from all quarters. Looking to the next half-century, as new frontiers are crossed, the focus shifts to fostering an even deeper connectedness to Singapore. The city-state is being enhanced, in every  way feasible, as a "home" in Asia, in all its senses, for business, innovation and talent. The Republic's well-honed and well-known key attributes of trust, knowledge, connectedness and high standard of living make it very well-placed to be a "living lab" to develop new sustainable solutions for tomorrow's global opportunities in emerging areas such as the urban environment, health and wellness, lifestyle and entertainment.

Singapore is aiming to equip itself to be always ready to be a home for the high-growth industries of the future. And, so long as the EDB and its partners keep in touching distance of the most promising new frontiers, Singapore should remain "future-ready".

Singapore: From Place to Nation [2nd ed.]
Lee Soo Ann
Singapore: Pearson Education, 2011
ISBN: 9789810686840

This book chronicles Singapore's tumultuous journey from a newly established British settlement to the developed city-state as it is today. With a particular focus on Singapore's economic development, this book is divided into two parts: Understanding the Present by examining the history leading up to Singapore's independence, and Living for Today, which chronicles the country's post-independence growth.

The book covers topics such as the growth of commercial banking and currency use in 19th century, commodity exports, nationalisation and industrialisation in the post-World War II era, the history of the Singapore dollar, as well as the push for manufacturing growth and welcoming multinational companies in Singapore. 

This is a useful reference volume about Singapore’s modern history, written in an easy-to-read and succinct manner that is appealing to educators and students alike.

Trees of the Istana: Treasures in the Domain
Wong Tuan Wah
Singapore: National Parks Board & Suntree Media, 2011
ISBN: 9789810874810

Commissioned by President Nathan, Trees of the Istana features over 70 species of trees out of some 150 species found at the Istana. It provides readers with a glimpse into the greening of the Istana domain since its completion in 1869 and how it has been lovingly nurtured into a stately arboretum that has welcomed foreign dignitaries, statesmen, royalty, and local visitors. The Istana domain is also a flourishing sanctuary for wildlife including birds, butterflies, squirrels, dragonflies and more.

Some of the interesting trees featured in the book include an unusual nutmeg tree which has produced several fruits with 'twin' seeds instead of one seed, the Pride of Burma tree which produces beautiful orchid-like flowers, and Heritage trees that have grown into majestic giants.