"In this book, Peranakan author Josephine Chia brings us into the world of her childhood in a kampong. Though deprived of modern comforts like electricity or running water, her multi-racial neighbours lived harmoniously with each other in their attap homes, and had a wonderful zest for life and a strong sense of community. This vibrant kampong spirit, or gotong royong, was a significant aspect of living in a kampong. The period 1955 to 1965 was also a dramatic era for Singapore. As the country struggled towards nationhood, the social and political events of this time and their effects are seen through the eyes of the common folk."--Back cover.

Sequel to Josephine Chia’s 2014 Singapore Literature prize-winning book, Kampong Spirit - Gotong Royong: Life in Potong Pasir, 1955 to 1965. Kampong life in Singapore did not end in 1965 with her independence. In Josephine Chia’s new collection of non-fiction stories, the phasing out of attap-thatched villages, the largest mass movement in Singapore, is set against the backdrop of significant national events. Weaving personal tribulations—her teenage angst—and the experiences of villagers from her kampong, Josephine skilfully parallels the hopes and challenges of a toddling nation going through the throes of industrialisation and rapid changes from 1966 to 1975. These delightful, real-life stories, sprinkled with snippets of her Peranakan culture, reveal the joie-de-vivre of gotong royong or community spirit, despite impoverished conditions, in the last days of kampong life.

This book is based on the true story of the author, of how her own mother struggled for her right to educate her daughters despite her own parochial experience in a small kampong. This highly nostalgic and evocative book pays tribute to her mother's courageous journey from the bloom of youth to her affliction with Alzheimer's disease in old age.

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.

The author is a winner of the Singapore Literature Prize.

Written by author and speaker Shawn Seah, My Father's Kampung delves into the social history of Aukang and Punggol as it traces a son's journey to better understand and appreciate the kampung life his father lived. The book is rich in personal stories and oral histories of those who lived there from the 1940s to 1970s, brought to life by Seah's passionate narrative as well as illustrations and photos.This book is supported by the National Heritage Board, with Forewords by Robert Yeo and Montfort Alumni.