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If you’ve ever wondered why people keep talking about Palestine, or the point of keeping up with a long-drawn conflict in the Middle East and what difference you could possibly make, this book is for you. Political analyst and podcaster Walid Jumblatt Abdullah takes on questions that Singaporeans have often raised about Palestine, laying out answers that clarify and inform. 

Walid examines myths (“Could Gaza Have Been Singapore?”) and sheds light on the double standards of Western powers, to whom human rights seem to matter, except for where Palestine is concerned. Explaining how the Palestinians have been systematically dehumanised for decades, the book highlights how they continue to exist nevertheless, their very existence an act of resistance. 

Why Palestine? is an illuminating starting point for newcomers to the issue, and a passionate primer that seasoned activists will welcome for capturing the heart and hope of a long-disenfranchised people and those who support them.

The hawker centre is an integral part of Singapore's urban landscape. As they are now easily found all around the island, many may not be aware that the concept of housing hawkers within designated space was not common before Singapore's independence in 1965. Instead, hawkers plied the streets on foot, toting their wares in portable makeshift stalls.

Illustrator Chang Yang captured the street hawkers from the 20s and 30s in a series titled "Our Vanishing Street Hawkers" (消失了的过街小贩), which ran in of the Singapore's Chinese evening dailies, the Lianhe Wanbao, from 1987 - 1988. Accompanying the illustrations were informative passages, describing in details how the hawkers conducted business, where they could be found, the types of customers they attracted and even the hawker's outfits.

This book published by Focus Publishing and the National Heritage Board features the full series of 128 illustrations, with their accompanying text translated into English by Dr. Lai Chee Kien. Dr. Lai also writes in detail on the history of hawker centres in Singapore, and presents a visual and analysis of Chan Yang's illustrations.

There are obscure emotions that reside in every one of us, where language cannot reach, because its waters are too deep. A lot was going on in 1979. Most Malay villages were long gone or in their dying days. Malay rock began its unstoppable rise with the emergence of its first influential rock band, while drugs were just across the street. And on one Friday night that year, during the final months in the life of the once major Malay village of Engku Aman in Geylang Serai, 15-year-old Alia left her house and vanished without a trace. In the aftermath of her disappearance, the protective layers in the lives of three other young people who knew her begin unpeeling as they struggle to make sense of her disappearance and their lives in a period of immense social and cultural change.

A poignant coming-of-age historical novel that captures what it might have felt like to live in Engku Aman, for which there is little formal historical accounting. While there are many historical novels in Sing Lit that centre the Chinese Singaporean experience,  Neverness  centres the Malay experience and immerses readers in the heyday of Malay rock. Suitable for both young adults and adults.

Mummy, why do you always have to leave for 17A…

17A Keong Saik Road recounts Charmaine Leung’s growing-up years on Keong Saik Road in the 1970s when it was a prominent red-light precinct in Chinatown in Singapore. An interweaving of past and present narratives, 17A Keong Saik Road tells of her mother’s journey as a young child put up for sale to becoming the madame of a brothel in Keong Saik. Unfolding her story as the daughter of a brothel operator and witnessing these changes to her family, Charmaine traces the transformation of the Keong Saik area from the 1930s to the present, and through writing, finds reconciliation.

A beautiful dedication to the past, to memory, and to the people who have gone before us, 17A Keong Saik Road tells the rich stories of the Ma Je, the Pei Pa Zai, and the Dai Gu Liong—marginalised, forgotten women of the past, who despite their difficulties, persevered in working towards the hope of a better future.

This New Edition of This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn features a new Afterword by the author, and a Foreword by Kwok Kian Woon, Professor of Sociology at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

What is poverty? What is inequality? How are they connected? How are they reproduced? How might they be overcome? Why should we try?

The way we frame our questions shapes the way we see solutions. This book does what appears to be a no-brainer task, but one that is missing and important: it asks readers to pose questions in different ways, to shift the vantage point from which they view ‘common sense,’ and in so doing, to see themselves as part of problems and potential solutions. This is a book about how seeing poverty entails confronting inequality. It is about how acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves. And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee.

　　冠病疫情把全世界攪得天翻地覆，讓各國一時窮以應付。在這一代人面對的嚴峻危機中，新加坡採取了怎樣的決策之道，管控、甚至與疫情共存？本書記錄了新加坡抗疫的全過程，由《聯合早報》採訪團隊專訪新加坡哈莉瑪總統、李顯龍總理和多位部長，剖析新加坡如何在艱難中作出抉擇、動用國家儲備設立「應對冠病堅韌配套」，在海內外協助國人抒困等。各領域及前線工作的抗疫勇士也接受訪問，暢談他們如何在瞬間變化的疫情下突圍。

“One of Singapore’s most visible poets, Pang grows with each book. In his poems we hear a voice unhurried, confident, and capable of carrying diverse humors, and read a rhetoric shaded to ironies, surprising us with glimpses of contemporary experience that affirm yet mock, celebrate and unsettle. His poetry adds a rich and complex presence to the critical mass of urban literature now fully emergent from Singapore. His poems, at once recognizably national and international in reach, offer a fresh edgy energy to this tradition.”

- Professor Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, 1992 and author of Joss and Gold

Disability is neither strange nor distant. Part autobiography, part reflections of social advocate Cassandra Chiu’s experiences as a person living with visual impairment, A Place For Us is the story of the first woman to be a guide dog handler in Singapore and the first Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in Southeast Asia who happens to be blind.

Cassandra’s story starts with her growing-up years in 1980s Singapore, chronicling how her life unfolds with the onset of Stargardt disease, which causes progressive vision loss. From pursuing an education, navigating motherhood, to building a career as a psychotherapist, Cassandra openly discusses the attitudes towards disability and her journey towards true independence with her guide dog Esme.

In inimitable frankness, A Place For Us offers an illuminating perspective of a person living with disability beyond the pity party of her life, and advocates for a more equal and sustainable future for people with disabilities.

Advocates and activists in Singapore contribute to policy discussions and positive change through a combination of deft manoeuvres and patient politics. Yet civil society is often unacknowledged, their skill and labour instead frequently misunderstood, even earning them the label of “troublemakers” or “enemies of the state.”

This collection of essays and interviews is a candid reflection on the intentions, beliefs and strategies behind the practice of advocacy across a spectrum of causes. The contributors come from varying backgrounds and include academics, artists, lawyers, journalists, non-profit and advocacy organisations, student and community organisers. They share practical insights into their aims and community-building work, and the tactics they employ to overcome obstacles, shedding light on how to navigate a city-state with shifting socio-political fault lines and out-of-bound markers.

With an introduction, “It is Time to Trim the Banyan Tree”, by Constance Singam, and a conclusion, “Their Struggle is Ours to Continue”, by Suraendher Kumarr.

Ethos Books has also partnered with the Community for Advocacy and Political Education (CAPE) to produce The CAPE Handbook to Advocacy in Singapore. Authored by CAPE and produced by Ethos Books, this concise guide dispels misconceptions and offers practical action steps, easing readers into strategies for effective advocacy and activism in the city-state.

Contributors: Alex Au, Alfian Sa’at, The Community for Advocacy and Political Education (CAPE), Cherian George, Corinna Lim, Disabled People’s Association, Irie Aman, Kenneth Paul Tan, Kirsten Han, Ng Kok Hoe, Pink Dot, Reetaza Chatterjee, Remy Choo, SG Climate Rally, Suraendher Kumarr, Thirunalan Sasitharan, Walid Jumblatt Bin Abdullah

Disability is all around us—among people we meet, the media, sports, our own family and friends. Undeniably, all of us have or will one day come to experience or encounter disability. But how can we reckon with the realities of those who live with disability, or its reality in our own lives? In a city-state slowly moving towards inclusion, how do those meant to be 'included' feel about such efforts? Not Without Us: perspectives on disability and inclusion in Singapore is a groundbreaking collection of essays that takes a creative and critical disability studies approach to centre disability, and rethink the ways in which we research, analyse, think and know about disability in our lives. Across multiple domains and perspectives, the writings in this volume consider what it means to live with disability in a purportedly inclusive and accessible Singapore.

(Book cover description: The central visual of the cover is a photo. This photo, taken by photographer Isabelle Lim, is of two performers in the centre of a spacious room, where the wall and floor are both decorated with brown and gold patterns. The foreground is lit by a bright yet warm light, which illuminates the side profiles of the two men against the blackness behind them. Closer to the camera is the rapper Wheelsmith. Clad in a mustard  yellow cap and blue denim jacket, he is riding his wheelchair toward the left of the picture. At a slight distance behind him, and in the midst of walking in the opposite direction, is fellow rapper ShiGGa Shay, sporting an orange, white, and blue puffer jacket and a bun of electric blue hair."

On the book cover, this photo is accompanied by the Book title "Not Without Us" in all-capitals, beige text against the black background on the top of the photo. The subtitle in small caps "perspectives on disability and inclusion in Singapore" is printed in the center-right of the book cover. In the black background of the photo are light blue lines in the shape of Wheelsmith's and Shigga Shay's silhouettes, layered and expanding towards the top of the book cover to amplify their poses in the photo. The editors' byline is at the bottom of the book cover in black text.)

“This is a pathbreaking book. Not Without Us weaves together a rich fabric of voices exploring the politics and poetics of disability in Singapore. Moving between lived reality, representation and struggles for social transformation, the collection excavates hidden or forgotten pasts, documents struggles and community formation in the present, and hints at possible futures. The essay collection challenges contemporary discourses of and scholarship on disability in Singapore by centring disabled subjectivities. In the process, it opens up new spaces of empathy, praxis and critique.” —Philip Holden, Independent Scholar and Counsellor 

"It warms my heart to see another book on disability through the Asian lens. Not just any book or author, but a plethora of contributors who are leaders in the Singaporean disability scene. The tapestry of all the essays inspires the imagination to how we can truly create a place that all of us can call home. Inclusion isn’t just keeping the token seat available, or inviting someone disabled to the party, but truly paving the way forward for all of us to celebrate each other as individuals in all our different shapes, sizes and colours. Thank you Not Without Us for so eloquently celebrating ‘Nothing about us, without us’!" —Cassandra Chiu, Psychotherapist; Social Advocate and Author of A Place For Us

"Not Without Us is a richly edited and profoundly written collection of essays about disability in Singapore. It is part of a new and fresh movement to provide local knowledges and global perspectives to a field that has been for too long grounded in the West, particularly the US and the UK. The book will be extremely valuable not only to readers in Singapore but also to those throughout the world who seek a broader perspective on significant issues in disability studies, arts, policy and activism." —Lennard J. Davis, Distinguished Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois in Chicago

A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters—one in New York, one in Singapore—who are bound by an ancient secret.

Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim and using her charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret: once, they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang dynasty China.

A thousand years later, their mysterious history is the only thing still binding them together. When Emerald experiences a violent encounter in Central Park and Su boards the next flight to New York, the two reach a tenuous reconciliation for the first time in decades. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore so she can keep an eye on her—but she soon begins to worry that Emerald’s irrepressible behaviour will out them both, in a sparkling, affluent city where everything runs like clockwork and any deviation from the norm is automatically suspect.

Razor-sharp, hilarious, and raw in emotion, Sister Snake, a reimagining of The Legend of the White Snake, is a novel about being seen for who you are—and, ultimately, how to live free.

“Amanda Lee Koe’s tale of serpentine sisterhood will wend its way into your heart. Drawing equally from folklore and current events, this fearless novel entertains and delights. Beneath its beguiling surface, Sister Snake explores fundamental questions: Are our destinies determined by our bodies? What forms can family take? And what, in the end, does it mean to be human?”
—Rajesh Parameswaran, author of I Am An Executioner

 “I have had nothing bad happen to me except my own doing. I have let this cowardice envelop me, and I can’t shake it off. I will commit the worst thing you can ever do to someone who loves you: killing yourself. The scary thing is, I’m okay with that.” —Victoria McLeod, Singapore, March 30, 2014

Loss Adjustment is a mother’s recount of her 17-year-old daughter’s suicide.

In the wake of Victoria McLeod’s passing, she left behind a remarkable journal in her laptop of the final four months of her life. Linda Collins, her mother, has woven these into her memoir, which is at once cohesive, yet fragmented, reflecting a survivor's state of mind after devastating loss.

Loss Adjustment involves the endless whys, the journey of Linda Collins and her husband in honouring Victoria, and the impossible question of what drove their daughter to this irretrievable act. A stunningly intimate portrait of loss and grief, Loss Adjustment is a breaking of silence—a book whose face society cannot turn away from.

In This Together: Singapore’s Covid-19 Story is a dramatic insider account of the first two years of the pandemic.

It is a story of suffering and resilience, of miscalculation and foresight, and of grumbling yet cooperation.

The book is written by journalists of The Straits Times who have been in the thick of covering the ongoing crisis.

More than 300 people were interviewed, including the President of Singapore, the Prime Minister, business owners and survivors of the disease.

Through their recollections, the book chronicles how the country came together to fight the virus, even as everyone has had to stay resolutely apart while doing so.

Filled with evocative archival photographs and vivid snapshots of the modern city, Singapore Trails: Singapore River Walk & Jubilee Walk uncovers the island’s rich past and vibrant present via two specially curated walking trails.

This handy guidebook brings together two trails in the heart of the city: the Singapore River Walk, which traces Singapore’s path from a bustling 19th-century port to a modern city, and the Jubilee Walk, created to mark key milestones in Singapore’s nation-building as it celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence in 2015.

These storied paths take readers on a journey not simply through Singapore’s civic district, but through her rich and multifaceted past.

With this guide in hand, tourists, foreign residents, and locals alike will enjoy finding out more about Singapore on foot.

　　Unravel the beauty of choices with "The Red String", a captivating picture book presented by The National Kidney Foundation, featuring the inimitable illustrations of Ah Guo 阿果, along with writer Perry Ho. The story narrates the delightful adventure of a boy as he navigates life’s choices, symbolised by the red string that represents our interconnected existence.

　　Through this heartwarming tale of love, hope, and self-discovery, young readers are encouraged to recognise the impact of the choices today that may shape their tomorrows. This initiative subtly aims to heighten awareness of kidney health, weaving a tale that explores diverse perspectives and fosters new connections.

　　"Planting the seeds of kidney disease prevention in the minds of the young is the key to cultivating a healthier future. By instilling awareness and healthy habits early on, we empower the next generation to make informed choices, fostering a foundation of well-being that reaches far beyond themselves. Investing in the health education of our youth is an investment in a future where kidney disease is not just treated but prevented, paving the way for a generation that values and prioritizes lifelong well-being." Said Tim Oei, Chief Executive Officer, NKF.

　　There is a pressing need for our next generations to be aware of the choices they make. With its simple yet profound messaging, "The Red String" hopes to captivate and capture the imagination of young readers, and spur them on their own journeys of well-being and discovery.

２０２４大众“读者票选好书” 中文组优胜者
Popular Reader’s Choice Award 2024 Winner

　　Unravel the beauty of choices with "The Red String", a captivating picture book presented by The National Kidney Foundation, featuring the inimitable illustrations of Ah Guo 阿果, along with writer Perry Ho. The story narrates the delightful adventure of a boy as he navigates life’s choices, symbolised by the red string that represents our interconnected existence.

　　Through this heartwarming tale of love, hope, and self-discovery, young readers are encouraged to recognise the impact of the choices today that may shape their tomorrows. This initiative subtly aims to heighten awareness of kidney health, weaving a tale that explores diverse perspectives and fosters new connections.

　　"Planting the seeds of kidney disease prevention in the minds of the young is the key to cultivating a healthier future. By instilling awareness and healthy habits early on, we empower the next generation to make informed choices, fostering a foundation of well-being that reaches far beyond themselves. Investing in the health education of our youth is an investment in a future where kidney disease is not just treated but prevented, paving the way for a generation that values and prioritizes lifelong well-being." Said Tim Oei, Chief Executive Officer, NKF.

　　There is a pressing need for our next generations to be aware of the choices they make. With its simple yet profound messaging, "The Red String" hopes to captivate and capture the imagination of young readers, and spur them on their own journeys of well-being and discovery.

　　What is it like growing up in Singapore? This vibrant island is a mosaic of diverse cultures, filled with seemingly ordinary moments that can turn into unforgettable memories. Join a young boy from a new immigrant family as he navigates his unique childhood and discovers the magic in every corner of this equatorial island.

　　What is it like growing up in Singapore? This vibrant island is a mosaic of diverse cultures, filled with seemingly ordinary moments that can turn into unforgettable memories. Join a young boy from a new immigrant family as he navigates his unique childhood and discovers the magic in every corner of this equatorial island.

　　在新加坡成長是一段怎樣的旅程？在這個多元文化交融的小島上，處處都充滿看似平常卻令人難忘的驚喜。這本童詩繪本通過一個新移民家庭小孩的視角，帶你領略別樣的赤道島國童年，感受獨特而溫暖的瞬間。

　　在新加坡成長是一段怎樣的旅程？在這個多元文化交融的小島上，處處都充滿看似平常卻令人難忘的驚喜。這本童詩繪本通過一個新移民家庭小孩的視角，帶你領略別樣的赤道島國童年，感受獨特而溫暖的瞬間。

　　Modern Singapore was forged in the flames of a volatile past. Different groups fought to tear Singapore apart during our early years of nation building.

　　This five-book series traces those turbulent years and tell the stories of the people who witnessed history up close. Written in a clear and down-to-earth way, packed with photographs and with pages of graphic novel storytelling, these booklets will appeal to students, young people and anyone looking for a vivid and concise overview of Singapore’s turbulent years.

The five titles in the series are:

• Battle for Hearts and Minds: Fighting the Communist Threat, 1948-1963 The fight against the communist threat in Singapore and Malaya in the years immediately after World War II. (76 pages)
  
  
• The Undeclared War: Konfrontasi Indonesia’s Konfrontasi (Confrontation) campaign against Malaysia and Singapore in the 1960s, including the 1965 bombing of MacDonald House in Orchard Road that killed three innocent people. (64 pages)
  
  
• Into The Fire: 1964 Racial Riots The deadly racial riots of July and September 1964 that took place against a backdrop of growing political tension in Singapore and Malaysia. (52 pages)
  
  
• Singapore Is Out: Separation and Independence The fight for merger and the issues that led to political tension between Singapore and Malaysia and, eventually, to independence for Singapore. (48 pages)
  
  
• War Is Far From Over: Fighting the Communist Threat, 1968-1989 The havoc wreaked when the communists resumed their attacks in Malaysia and Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s. (60 pages)

　　After Japan was hit by a triple disaster — an earthquake, a tsunami, and a nuclear meltdown — in 2011, Singapore raised about S$35.7 million, one of its largest contributions for disaster relief in another country.

　　In 2023, the year after Japan had relaxed border measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that erupted in 2020, 591,267 travellers from Singapore visited Japan. This was equivalent to almost 15 per cent of Singapore’s resident population. In 2024, this number grew further by 16.9 per cent to 691,100.

　　The people of Singapore have shown strong support for Japan, even though Japan had occupied their home from 1942 to 1945, during the Second World War.

　　Things improved later. After Singapore became independent in 1965, Japan established diplomatic relations with it in 1966 and contributed significantly to its development. Both countries have also since cooperated in various areas, including the economic, defence, and security spheres.

　　The Land of the Rising Sun and the Lion City: The Story of Japan and Singapore illustrates the growing ties between both countries through their people’s experiences. The collection of 68 essays is contributed by more than 80 writers from various walks of life, including government officials, entrepreneurs, artists, academics, and journalists.

　　They include Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Pang Kin Keong and Japan’s former Special Advisor on National Security Miyagawa Makio, who led the negotiations for the 2002 Japan–Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement; former Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Tan Chin Tiong and Bilahari Kausikan; Nippon Paint Chairman Goh Hup Jin; Albirex Niigata President Korenaga Daisuke; TungLok Group President Andrew Tjioe; chef Willin Low; Enshu Sado School’s Grand Master Kobori Sojitsu; World Toilet Organization founder Jack Sim; Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Singapore Office’s Executive Director Shiraishi Takuya; Gardens by the Bay Chief Executive Felix Loh; Japan Creative Centre Director Kawabe Akiko; Singapore Film Society Chairman Kenneth Tan; Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale 2006 and 2008, Nanjo Fumio; National Gallery Singapore’s Assistant Chief Executive Aun Koh; Cultural Medallion winners Iskandar Jalil, Dick Lee, and Eric Khoo; YouTuber Ghib Ojisan; and journalists Walter Sim and Michiyo Ishida. Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Japan’s former Minister for Digital Transformation Kono Taro penned the forewords.