Singapore: A Biography by Mark R. Frost

Singapore: A Biography Reviews

• 
  Jill

  Back in high school, we had to make a decision at the end of our second year as to which humanities subjects - literature, geography or history - we wished to continue with in our third and fourth year. Choosing to drop history from the list was a no-brainer for me. I loathed the dry history textbook that seemed little more than a collection of meaningless dates and supposedly seminal events that seemed irrelevant to me a few decades after they'd first taken place.
  
  I dare say that if Singapore: A Biography had been my history textbook back in high school, I might not have been so quick to drop history in favour of literature and geography back then (even though as a pragmatic student, I might have been a little intimidated by the weighty tome). History in secondary school was a dry collection of dates and facts, a definitive version of events as endorsed by the curriculum planners, to be memorised and regurgitated during the exams. It never occurred to me until years later, when I had just started college and began reading more non-fiction, that perhaps history was very much a man-made construct, coloured by our perceptions, motivations and biases. And that an accepted narrative wasn't necessarily the truth, it was simply the winner's narrative. Singapore: A Biography tries hard to convey this complexity and to help the reader see a particular event from various perspectives. Whereas the history textbooks presented Sir Stamford Raffles as the Hero and Great Man who Founded Modern Singapore (what would we do without him!), Singapore: A Biography gives a much more complex rendering of the man - his battles with the East India Company, his relationship with William Farquhar and raises the question of whether lionising Raffles and giving him all the credit is really justified.
  
  Then of course, there's the writing. The writing in Singapore: A Biography is vivid and lively, using devices like alliteration and metaphors to pull the reader along. Phrases like: "Leap ahead to the 1930s and we find ourselves in an altogether different world" and "in the late 19th century, rickshaws had to contend with bullock carts, gharries and then steam trams, by the 1920s, they shared the roads with omninbuses, trolley buses, motor cars and lorries - all of which easily outstripped the pace at which the humble rickshaw could safely manoeuvre" help keep the reader engaged. It's amazing how the same dates and events can be communicated so differently.
  
  And let's not forget that Singapore: A Biography offers the uncensored version of Singapore's history when compared to the secondary school curriculum. It would never do to let secondary school students learn about the karayuki-san in Singapore, or the fact that Singapore was once such a violent and chaotic place that it earned itself the monikers of "Sin-galore" and the "Chicago of the East"!
  
  A great read for anyone who's interested in Singapore history. And for those of you who aren't, this book might just do the trick.
• 
  Priscillia

  I loved this work. Reading on my own country's history has never felt more delightful. Most of SG history started from 1965 - as though nothing happened before then. This text not only covers 1819, but most of all, way before that, as early as 1300s. I have read other texts detailing this portion of SG history but never have I encountered such detailed and multi faceted work on this area. I have recommended this text to my friends, for themselves, and for their children, our future generation.
• 
  Simon

  A fascinating and illuminating read on Singapore from pre-1819, to Raffles' scheming and founding of Singapore to the Japanese invasion and occupation, to the roots of merdaka after the Rendell Commission, to the independence struggle among the colonialists, communists and nationalists.
  
  The well-researched book is seldom dry, and often exciting to read with its story-telling style. For example, the chapter of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore, "Fortress December 1941 - February 1942", was peppered with the accounts from Imperia Guard Corporal Tsuchikane Tominosuke's memoirs, how he journeyed down south all the way to the "impregnable fortress". In the chaper "Emporium 1820s-1860s", the Malay poem "Syair Dagang Berhual Beli" was the hook to reel in readers to appreciate the tension between the Malay, Chinese and Indian communities under the British divide and rule policy in the 1800s.
  
  The book is rich with contrarian narratives, reminding readers that history is often contested and varies depending on whose point of view.
  
  Stamford Raffles, the founder of "modern" Singapore, was described as a scheming, ambitious risk-taking adventurer from the East India Company. Major William Farquhar, the "Raja Melaka" as he was affectionately termed by Malacca residents, was the first Resident of Singapore. He steered Singapore to a commercial and trading success, and was the real founder of Singapore as can be inferred from the chapter "Settlement 1819-1824". Sophia Raffles, Stamford's wife, had published in 1830 "Memoir of the Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles" which posthumously projected Stamford Raffles as a visionary-explorer and servant of the Empire, sweeping Farquhar's accomplishments into a dusty corner of Singapore's history.
  
  On controversial Operation Coldstore where communists and leftists were caught in a dragnet in 1963, the book described that the British far from being reluctant participants, wanted the left-wing movement in Singapore crushed but waited for an excuse to give their actions a semblance of "fair play". This opportunity was provided when Lim Chin Siong had lunch at the Rendezvous Hotel with the leftist leader of the North Borneo National Army, A M Azahari, two days before he launched his rebellion in Brunei.
  
  The book is enjoyable to immerse into. It is also well stocked with endnotes e.g. when Lord Selkirk, the British Commissioner General for Southeast Asia, asked Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan whether they were communists during the Eden Hall Tea Party, the book cited the overlooked story that the two "seemed to be embarrassed by this question and failed to give a clear reply" and hinted that they might be communists despite their denials, and old engaging photographs of places and people, windows into Singapore's roots e.g. a 1965 picture of the UMNO building (now PKMS) in Changi Road, a 1950s picture of the riot squad where the police truck displayed prominently a sign "Disperse or We Fire" and with policemen in shorts.
  
• 
  Carolyn Harris

  A illustrated history of Singapore from the 1300s to 1965, incorporating images from the History Galleries of the National Museum of Singapore. The book discusses the history of the region before the establishment of the British colony including the mysterious fire that destroyed an earlier settlement, the goals of Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquar in creating a British outpost there, the cultural and social history of the Island, trade and commerce in the region, and the effects of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. The illustrations include London Illustrated News coverage of the royal visit to Singapore by the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1901. A fascinating and engaging book that presents Singapore's rich history from a variety of perspectives.
• 
  Catherine

  The perfect book if you want to find out about Singapore in story telling manner. it is a breezy read covering they city state's history from 1300s to 1900s. the personal stories provide an interesting perspective of how life was lived in different era, without neglecting the major historical events.
• 
  Gautam Bhatia

  I never thought Singapore would be a place I’d be remotely interested in reading about - or that it could even be a remotely interesting place worth reading about. Someone says “Singapore” and what you tend to think of is a city manicured to the point of tedium, an artificial order achieved through decades of internalised authoritarianism. Of course, I was wrong: like any other place on earth, Singapore has its own palimpsest-like history, and Singapore: A Biography does an excellent job of bringing it to life.
  
  From the early settlements to the colonial era, from World War II to the struggle for independence (and beyond), the book captures both the grand sweep of history, but also, at a more granular level, the struggles and movements that characterised each era. There are fascinating sections on pirates and piracy, secret societies, women’s movements, and of course, the communist movement, especially as a part of the anti-colonial struggle: one of the book’s strongest qualities is that it accords a hearing to those inevitably left out of the national narrative.
  
  For the rest of the review:
  https://gautambhatia.substack.com/p/w...
• 
  Nicola

  Great overview of the history of Singapore, using lots of eyewitness accounts and photos. Would have been better if the book had devoted another chapter to Singapore today and spoke about the current attitudes of Singaporeans to major themes throughout the book such as their relationship with Malaysians, the British, Japanese and Chinese rather than letting events of the 1960/70s have the last word.
• 
  michaelben

  The authors made a glaring error early in the book when they stated Europeans used spices to cover up the taste of spoiling food. This storyline has long been debunked. For me then, every historical fact or claim they made was suspect.
  
  Otherwise, I would have given this book 5 stars. It's an excellent read.
• 
  Sean Patrick Holland

  3.75 stars. A flawed, if lovely, story of Singapore's history. I could do with the WW2 section being about 10% of what it actually was, and readers should know the book basically ends on independence day. but, it's a useful guide to the history of such a wonderful place, and the book itself is gorgeous.
• 
  Anna Groves

  An excellent overview of Singapore's history, complete with interesting illustrations!
• 
  Nat Shirman

  Excellent review, readable, with a lot of pictures, objective. A pity it ends in 1965. Has strengthened my interest to live in Singapore someday.
  
  
• 
  Steve

  Good easy digestible history of Singapore. Read after moving here and wanting to understand the history of this island city.
• 
  Joe Hay

  This is more or less an ideal history book: informative, focused, entertaining, taken from diverse sources, human-scoped. Beautiful illustrations and photographs that are very well integrated with the text. A must-read for anyone interested in Singapore, Southeast Asia, 20th century politics, colonialization and decolonization - it really appeals to a lot of different interests.
  
  Fun fact: the book is a companion to a museum exhibit at the National Museum of Singapore, so I imagine all or most of the artifacts, documents, paintings, maps, and photographs you see in the book were on display. It would have been great to visit. One might think a museum exhibit explainer would be a limited book, but S: A B goes above and beyond and stands on its own beautifully.
  
  The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I found it breezed past a few too many topics for me, granted I'm sure they were struggling to keep it at its current size (which I have no problem with). I often found myself needing to look things up for more information. A good example would be the Maria Hertogh riots - I found the book's explanation confusing and needed to do some research online before being satisfied. I'm also baffled why they didn't explain the deliberate mission of the exhibit/book (to better integrate pre-1965 history with post-1965 history) until the very last paragraph. That belongs in a prologue. The whole time reading, I was wondering why the narrative stops at 1965. Also, more maps please.
• 
  LISA

  Fascinating and complex. I now need a primer for modern Singapore post independence, the historical context is interesting and informs much of the Singapore of today but there remain gaps in explaining the modern landscape of the current island.
  Feel like I should have taken notes and will surely re-read parts of this book in the future!
• 
  David Hull

  A wonderfully presented publication about a fascinating country.
• 
  Samuel

  A very good overview of the city-state from its founding to its full independence. Plenty of engaging primary source quotes, and loads of archival photographs.
• 
  T

  This is a beautifully well-written book about Singapore's history from inception up to shortly after it's founding as a modern nation. Includes detailed pictures, anecdotes, and first hand sources. It progresses in chronological fashion similar to a history textbook but is anything but dry.
  
  It starts with the relatively unknown history pre-Britain and then progresses into the history of western expansion into the region and local Sultan politics. It then quickly transitions to city planning, governance, and growth as a trading hub under successive governors. The period of pre-world war is well covered through the lenses of immigration, social dynamics, economic trends, and broader political winds. The WW2 and Japanese occupation period of Singapore is well documented due to being relatively recent and serves as a turning point for it's history. The book then goes into the Merdeka movement and establishment of modern Singapore as various factions joust for political power. The book ends with the PAP securely in power and Singapore separate from Malaysia. I would highly recommend "From Third World to First" by Lee Kuan Yew for an account of Singaporean history after this.
  
  All in all - this book is a gripping read that provides some important context to a dynamic and vibrant modern city and unique society.
• 
  Susu

  The history of Singapore through the centuries, wired into personal details and all told in a very readable way
• 
  Luis

  This was an excellent pre-trip read about a place I'm now quite fascinated by. Sadly ends essentially with independence - would love a followup on the next 30-40 years in the same readable, deep style.