Monday, July 11, 2005
Book Review:
The Power of Courage
By Dr Chee Soon Juan
Unlike other books that simply analyze or comment on the political climate in Singapore, Dr Chee argues with compelling reasons in “The Power of Courage”, why it is necessary for Singaporeans to no longer sit on their laurels but instead start acting.
He did this by opening the chapter with “Empowering the Mind” reminding the average Singaporean that they are not helpless as they might have thought themselves to be before proceeding to explain what non-violence is; and why it is essential in promoting democracy in Singapore.
Jargon free and easy to read, the book contains a concise ideology of what non-violence is; published statistics and surveys to support the need for it; as well as successful examples of non-violent movements that has brought about social changes including but not limited to the civil rights movement in the United States best exemplified by Martin Luther King; and Ghandi’s crusade against the British colonialists.
However, it is the section, “Unjust Laws in Singapore” and Appendix C with its listing of various measures used by PAP since 1993 to stifle democracy in Singapore; that is most disturbing. Both non-exhaustive chapters educate the average and uninformed reader on how the PAP silences its critics by passing unjust laws, interpreting and acting on them.
Aptly titled, The Power of Courage will hopefully persuade its readers to believe that they have the ability to bring about social changes through non-violence.
To lift a quote from the book, “Non –violence challenges us to confront our fears and dispel the notion that we are not capable, competent, or courageous enough to act on our convictions. Non-violence empowers us.”
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
By Epoch Times
Though the “Nine commentaries on the Communist Party” may rehash certain evil-doings of the CCP, it is nevertheless a must read for those who are interested in the Chinese government’s abuse of human rights throughout the years.
In Part One, the commentary “What the Communist Party Is” basically serves as a general introduction on the foundations of communism. Part Five, “On The Collusion of Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party to Persecute Falun Gong” explains with convincing reasons why the CCP is bent on destroying the practitioners.
Pass this on to your friends…
Coma
By Alex Garland
“Waking is rising: you wake up, not down”
“I remembered the sense of surprise as dream life and waking life swapped primacy, and the way in which the most tangible and deeply involved dreams could bleach entirely away”
“I remembered things that make waking life so different from dream life. The crystal qualities, the sense that the world existed in three hundred and sixty degrees rather than in a narrow band of vision. I remembered that waking was a hundred different kinds of clarities, and I braced for them to come as a cascade.”
The latest fiction by Alex Garland explores themes of waking versus dream life; reality versus fantasy.
Written in a simple, zen style, the story of a man who tried to rescue a woman from being mugged on a train but ended up being beaten up by the thugs and sleeping in a coma is as fascinating as sci-fi goes. The protagonist’s encounters defies logic, time and reasoning, almost trance and dreamlike.
The woodcut illustrations by his father, Nicholas Garland, in dual sharp tones of black and white adds another surrealist –zen veneer to the reading experience.
In Your Dreams
By Tom Holts
Harry Potter fans may find Tom Holt’s stories of soccery less fascinating. Nevertheless, it is still quite funny (at times) as we follow the haphazard life of Paul Carpenter, born with innate abilities to use magic. Contracted to Hg & Wells forever, everything went downhill when his girlfriend cum colleague Sophie left him abruptly.
The Hungry Tide
By Amitav Ghosh
Weaving mythical local legends with geography, The Hungry Tide is a fascinating page turner of man’s love with nature.
Piyali is a cetologist, a researcher who studies marine mammals, in her case, dolphins, and whales who comes to Sundarbans, a group of islands between the sea and plains of Bengal. She encounters two men who will help her with her work. Kanai Dutt, a Delhi businessman cum translator, is on his way to visit his aunt Nilimal, who had a book that his uncle, Nirmal had left him after he passed away. She is also deeply grateful to a local fisherman, Folkir, who seems to know about the mammals, the Irrawaddy Dolphins, that she came for in the first place.
By providing historical backgrounds, myths, and tales of the struggles of the local villagers, The Hungry Tide compels the reader to be enagaged.
The Power of Courage
By Dr Chee Soon Juan
Unlike other books that simply analyze or comment on the political climate in Singapore, Dr Chee argues with compelling reasons in “The Power of Courage”, why it is necessary for Singaporeans to no longer sit on their laurels but instead start acting.
He did this by opening the chapter with “Empowering the Mind” reminding the average Singaporean that they are not helpless as they might have thought themselves to be before proceeding to explain what non-violence is; and why it is essential in promoting democracy in Singapore.
Jargon free and easy to read, the book contains a concise ideology of what non-violence is; published statistics and surveys to support the need for it; as well as successful examples of non-violent movements that has brought about social changes including but not limited to the civil rights movement in the United States best exemplified by Martin Luther King; and Ghandi’s crusade against the British colonialists.
However, it is the section, “Unjust Laws in Singapore” and Appendix C with its listing of various measures used by PAP since 1993 to stifle democracy in Singapore; that is most disturbing. Both non-exhaustive chapters educate the average and uninformed reader on how the PAP silences its critics by passing unjust laws, interpreting and acting on them.
Aptly titled, The Power of Courage will hopefully persuade its readers to believe that they have the ability to bring about social changes through non-violence.
To lift a quote from the book, “Non –violence challenges us to confront our fears and dispel the notion that we are not capable, competent, or courageous enough to act on our convictions. Non-violence empowers us.”
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
By Epoch Times
Though the “Nine commentaries on the Communist Party” may rehash certain evil-doings of the CCP, it is nevertheless a must read for those who are interested in the Chinese government’s abuse of human rights throughout the years.
In Part One, the commentary “What the Communist Party Is” basically serves as a general introduction on the foundations of communism. Part Five, “On The Collusion of Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party to Persecute Falun Gong” explains with convincing reasons why the CCP is bent on destroying the practitioners.
Pass this on to your friends…
Coma
By Alex Garland
“Waking is rising: you wake up, not down”
“I remembered the sense of surprise as dream life and waking life swapped primacy, and the way in which the most tangible and deeply involved dreams could bleach entirely away”
“I remembered things that make waking life so different from dream life. The crystal qualities, the sense that the world existed in three hundred and sixty degrees rather than in a narrow band of vision. I remembered that waking was a hundred different kinds of clarities, and I braced for them to come as a cascade.”
The latest fiction by Alex Garland explores themes of waking versus dream life; reality versus fantasy.
Written in a simple, zen style, the story of a man who tried to rescue a woman from being mugged on a train but ended up being beaten up by the thugs and sleeping in a coma is as fascinating as sci-fi goes. The protagonist’s encounters defies logic, time and reasoning, almost trance and dreamlike.
The woodcut illustrations by his father, Nicholas Garland, in dual sharp tones of black and white adds another surrealist –zen veneer to the reading experience.
In Your Dreams
By Tom Holts
Harry Potter fans may find Tom Holt’s stories of soccery less fascinating. Nevertheless, it is still quite funny (at times) as we follow the haphazard life of Paul Carpenter, born with innate abilities to use magic. Contracted to Hg & Wells forever, everything went downhill when his girlfriend cum colleague Sophie left him abruptly.
The Hungry Tide
By Amitav Ghosh
Weaving mythical local legends with geography, The Hungry Tide is a fascinating page turner of man’s love with nature.
Piyali is a cetologist, a researcher who studies marine mammals, in her case, dolphins, and whales who comes to Sundarbans, a group of islands between the sea and plains of Bengal. She encounters two men who will help her with her work. Kanai Dutt, a Delhi businessman cum translator, is on his way to visit his aunt Nilimal, who had a book that his uncle, Nirmal had left him after he passed away. She is also deeply grateful to a local fisherman, Folkir, who seems to know about the mammals, the Irrawaddy Dolphins, that she came for in the first place.
By providing historical backgrounds, myths, and tales of the struggles of the local villagers, The Hungry Tide compels the reader to be enagaged.
