閱讀雨天

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.

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

 　　《會說話的肥貓》融合本土、寫實、懷舊與奇幻的風格，講述小女孩小梅和一隻會報恩的肥貓的生活故事。

　　故事從小梅的媽媽進醫院後開始。由於醫藥費昂貴，小梅和爸爸就從公寓搬進舊三房式組屋。

　　自從媽媽生病後，小梅突然發現爸爸很偉大，除了要照顧她，也得努力賺錢養家。為了減輕爸爸的負擔，小梅學會了照顧自己。

　　有一天，小梅救了一隻小貓，愛吃的它越吃越胖，甚至變得比她爸爸還要高，所以小梅為它取個外號，叫作「肥貓」。為了不要嚇到小梅的爸爸，當爸爸在家時，肥貓就化身為一張大地毯。

　　肥貓帶給小梅很多歡樂，也把她帶入時光隧道里，讓她回到父母從戀愛到結婚的時光，體驗上一代的美好回憶，也讓小梅看到老一輩很懷念的新加坡舊景物。

　　後來，小梅的媽媽出院了。一家團圓之後，小梅重新展開笑臉，肥貓又變回可愛的小貓，成為小梅家的一分子。

　　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。