IN THIS TOGETHER: SINGAPORE’S COVID-19 STORY
by Sumiko Tan (ed)
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 resident 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.
AMERICA A SINGAPORE PERSPECTIVE
by Tommy Koh & Daljit Singh (ed)
The United States of America is the largest investor in Singapore.
And in 2019, it channelled more resources into the city state than what it put into both China and Japan.
That year, the value of US direct investments in Singapore was US$288 billion, or about 4.8 per cent of US direct investments abroad. This sum exceeded the combined value of those in China (US$116.2 billion) and Japan (US$131.8 billion), based on data from the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
This illustrates the economic significance of the US to Singapore. Beyond that, the US is also a very important partner of Singapore in security, education and culture.
And so, Singaporeans should learn more about the superpower, thought Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large who had served as its Ambassador to the United States, and Mr Daljit Singh, Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
They gathered 27 other writers with a good understanding of America to pen a collection of 29 essays, America: A Singapore Perspective.
The compendium reveals insights into the various aspects of the US: its governing, election and political systems; business and economy; defence and foreign policy; as well as culture and culture wars.
It includes a foreword written by Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee, who had also been Singapore’s
Fifty Secrets of Singapore’s Success
Tommy Koh (ed)
Singapore has evolved from a developing country to a developed one, in only a few short decades. Its gross domestic product per capita has soared from just US$517 (S$697) in 1965, to US$64,582 (S$87,128) in 2018.
Impressed, visiting university students from Mexico and the United States, in early 2019, asked the city state’s Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh for its secret of success.
His reply: there was not a single secret but many, which he would consider curating a new book on.
The result: Fifty Secrets of Singapore’s Success.
The collection of 50 essays, written by leaders and experts in their fields, sheds light on how the small state has scored significant success in not only economics but also eight other areas.
Among other things, Singapore is one of the world’s least corrupt countries, has one of the highest home ownership rates worldwide — of more than 90 per cent — and has world-class schools, healthcare and environments.
Singapore has also been a good global citizen. It has played a significant role in the development of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At the United Nations (UN), Singapore has played a leadership role in the negotiations of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation) and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
GOVERNING: A SINGAPORE PERSPECTIVE
by S Jayakumar
Professor S. Jayakumar, a former minister, diplomat and law dean, shares his candid views on many facets of Singapore’s governance, including fascinating first-hand and behind-the-scenes accounts.
- On Lee Kuan Yew: first-hand recollections of events revealing the founding prime minister’s working style as well as his human side.
- On world leaders: his impressions of monarchs, prime ministers and ministers, with many of whom he developed close relations.
- On the relationships between the Government, Ministry of Law, Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Judiciary: how they interact in actual practice.
- On challenging legal issues, including: how Singapore should deal with issues such as the rule of law; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues; and tough penalties such as the death penalty and caning.
- On contemporary issues, including:
- Transition to 4G: should Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong review his handover timeline?
- General Election 2020: what are the scenarios which the election portends for Singapore’s future?
- Fight against COVID-19: was it a failure or a success story?
- Reserved Election of Presidency: was it justifiable or not?.
CAN SINGAPORE SURVIVE? NEW UPDATED EDITION
By Kishore Mahbubani
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew once famously said “when I project myself forward 100 years for Singapore, I cannot tell you that it will exist.” As a small island city-state in what has been hitherto a turbulent region, the fundamental question of “Can Singapore Survive?” will remain an eternal dilemma for Singapore.
This is why this revised and updated edition of Kishore Mahbubani’s 2015 collection of essays is as relevant as ever. The issues addressed in the first edition remain of concern – water, transportation, carbon emissions, education, economic development, globalisation, inequality, uncertainty.
This edition covers these topics and also discusses more recent developments in 16 new essays and a new preface. Indeed, since this first edition appeared in 2015, Singapore has experienced major challenges: the passing away of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew; the major Covid-19 shock; the turbulence in neighbouring countries; the rising US-China geopolitical contest.
However, the biggest danger Singapore faces is complacency. One key goal of this book is to encourage the development of such a culture of constant reflection and self-examination.
For young Singaporeans who never experienced third-world Singapore or direct contact with the great founding fathers of Singapore, these essays may provide a glimpse of the hard-headed thinking that also explains Singapore’s exceptional success over the years.
ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH MONEY
by Tan Ooi Boon
Which of the following is the best investment that you can ever make? A stock that has the potential of becoming very valuable in the future, a property in a distressed sale that is under-valued by almost 100 per cent, or an invitation to invest in a totally new venture that can produce profits that are possibly 10 times of your initial sum?
The answer is none of the above. The reason is simple – the best investment that you can ever make is YOU – in growing your wisdom and knowledge.
For without wisdom and knowledge, even the wealthiest person can end up poor.
And million-dollar income earners can end up with a mountain of debt.
This book aims to guide you to make informed judgments yourself, by learning ways on how you can be better in your financial planning and make all the wise decisions. You can do so only if you confront the reality that there are truly no shortcuts in planning for a comfortable life and retirement. Not everyone can become rich. But all of us can certainly try to avoid being poor – if you succeed in doing so, it means you will always have enough money.
DOING GOOD BETTER: CHOICES AND PARADIGMS IN THE SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM
by Willie Cheng
How can the social ecosystem transform in the new normal? If a charity is in dire need of cash, should it accept a donation that might be tainted? What happens when we place a value on all things in our marketised society? Can the corporate beast be harnessed without reconstituting corporations? Should charities be allowed to run businesses?
Willie Cheng provides his perspectives to these questions and more in his new book, a collection of essays on issues including the social ecosystem in Singapore, market values in society, the role and future of nonprofit organisations, corporate responsibility, “new capitalism”, volunteerism and values.
His analyses and logic are supported by research, case studies and examples gleaned from his many years of experience in both the social and business sectors.
Written in an easy, friendly and readable style, this book provides valuable insights for volunteers, executives and leaders in nonprofits and corporates who want to know how they can succeed in doing good better in the new world order.
With a foreword by Professor Tommy Koh, Professor of Law, National University of Singapore, and Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
UBIN ELEPHANT WRITTEN
by Alan John (author) & Quek Hong Shin (illustrator)
Is there an elephant on Pulau Ubin? Everyone gets a fright when Ubin Elephant turns up, swiping some bananas here and gobbling some rambutans there.
Where did it come from?
Where is it hiding?
And how will it find its way home?
This delightful tale, written by Alan John and illustrated by Quek Hong Shin, was inspired by the true story of an elephant that appeared on Pulau Ubin in 1991 and caused great excitement among the island’s residents for about a week.
Beautifully and vividly illustrated, this book will enthrall young readers with the question of how to get poor little Ubin Elephant (frightened and shedding a tear at one point!) safely home to his mama again.
The book includes information about the real-life elephant appearance in 1991 and facts about elephants.
Alan John and Quek Hong Shin’s previous collaboration, The One and Only Inuka, about the Singapore Zoo’s much-loved polar bear, won the POPULAR People’s Choice Award 2019 for the Best Children’s Book in English.
Mastering English with the Straits Times: The Upper Primary Edition, 2nd Edition
The Straits Times School Team
This is the second edition of Mastering English with The Straits Times: The Upper Primary Edition. Like the first edition, launched in 2017, it is based on the latest Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) format. It is aligned with the English syllabus issued by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Produced by The Straits Time Schools team, it contains guided practice and sound tips to help pupils prepare for the various components in the examinations. With The Straits Times articles and photographs, pupils will be able to work on authentic texts and find themselves better equipped to manage the PSLE English examinations.
The first edition of the book sold more than 12,900 copies.
Mastering English with the Straits Times: The Secondary Edition, 2nd Edition
The Straits Times School Team
This is the second edition of Mastering English with The Straits Times: The Secondary Edition. Like the first edition, launched in 2017, it is based on the latest O-level English examination format and is aligned with the English syllabus issued by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.
With completely new content, it provides more of what the first edition was valued for – excellent guided practice, The Straits Times articles and photographs, and sound tips, to help students prepare for and be better equipped to manage the various components in the O-level English examinations.
The first edition of Mastering English with The Straits Times: The Secondary Edition won the Best Education Title award at the Singapore Book Awards in 2018.
It has, to date, sold more than 12,900 copies.
Get these books now with promotion price at https://www.stbooks.sg/
