Diplomacy of a Tiny State by Lee Khoon Choy

The Author is the first elected politician since Singapore's independence to be sent overseas as an ambassador halfway through his elected term. In his book he narrates his experience as the ambassador of Egypt, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

Lee Khoon Choy is frank in the sharing of his experience. It was not an easy task for a diplomat of a young country. It was not as glamorous a job as what Ministry of Foreign Affairs is right now.

This book is a good read for anyone who wants to understand how it's like to be an ambassador and the many little details that could affect diplomatic ties positively or negatively.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Beyond the Age of Innocence by Kishore Mahbubani

Beyond the Age of Innocence is a book that explains how America benefits the World and has harmed it concurrently. The Author, Kishore Mahbubani, is a Singapore's former Ambassador to United Nations.

By exploring into the topics of America and Islam, America and China, the nature of American Power and Managing American Power, Kishore Mahbubani writes about the unintended consequences of American policy actions.

He then wraps up by suggesting the direction for the way ahead.

The book is simple to read and good for Political Science dummies.

Overall Rating: 9/10

March 8 The Day Malaysia Woke Up

Kee Thuan Chye is a noted dramatist, poet and journalist. His high level of enthusiasm in the March 8 event is evident in his compilation of writings and interviews in this book.

So what happened on March 8?

For the first time since 1969, the rakyat (citizens) denied the ruling coalition (Barisan Nasional) the two-third majority in Parliament. With the absence of a two-third majority, the ruling coalition would not be able to amend the Constitution at will.

March 8 The Day Malaysia Woke Up is highly biased against the Barisan Nasional. With articles contributed from Malaysians, most of them were filled with emotions. Some even had expletives.

Even the interview questions were posed in a way to put BN at a negative light.

This could be a good reading material for people who share the same grievances towards BN. Otherwise, time could be better spent understanding Malaysian politics from other books.

Overall Rating: 3/10

Across the Causeway: A Multi-dimensional Study of Malaysia-Singapore Relations

Across the Causeway is a compilation of essays by Singaporean and Malaysian academia, edited by a Japanese, Takashi Shiraishi.

This is an ideal book for anyone who wants to learn more about the history between Singapore and Malaysia and how history had played a dominant role in present bilateral relations between both states.

Not to fret if you do not have prior political knowledge as the book starts with the history of both states, focusing mainly on the merger and separation. It then proceeds on to essays pertaining to more current bilateral boons and banes.

It is a good read, and I personally can't put it down once I read it.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Make it Right for Singapore by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam

Make it Right for Singapore is a compilation of Parliament speeches made by Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam (or more affectionately called JBJ) when he was a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament. JBJ was the first opposition leader to break the dominant one party system when he won the Anson by-election against a PAP candidate.

He was disqualified from being an MP when he insulted the judiciary and was charged in court. In the 1997 General Elections, he was the best loser in the Cheng San GRC ward and thus was appointed as NCMP.

After reading this book, I feel that he had made many repetitive speeches regarding political freedom in Singapore. The speeches were very rhetorical in nature and lacked focus on the bread-and-butter issues concerning most Singaporeans.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Mao Zedong by Delia Davin

There has been many books written about the great revolutionary figure, Mao Zedong. This book focuses on the family aspect of Mao Zedong.

With about 150 pages, it is impossible for the book to completely cover the nitty-gritty details of Mao's life. Hence this book makes a good starter for people to understand this revolutionary leader and take a look a little in depth into his marriages and love life.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism - Asian Values, Free Market Illusions and Political Dependency by Christopher Lingle

Author Christopher Lingle was previously a lecturer in National University of Singapore. After he wrote an article, in which alleging that the judiciary of Singapore is not independent, he was interviewed by the police. He later fled Singapore in fear that he would be heavily penalised by the government.

In Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism - Asian Values, Free Market Illusions and Political Dependency, Christopher Lingle sought to expose the fallacy of Asian Values and how the region is vulnerable in the near future.

The book is severely biased against Singapore's government and the reader would easily detect how the author routinely attempts to defend himself by condemning Asia Pacific states.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Representative Bureaucracy - Classic Readings and Continuing Controversies

Edited by Julie Dolan and David H. Rosenbloom.

Should the Bureaucracy be a representation of the population or the dominant forces of the population? Does the minority group compete with females to being represented in the Administration? This book has it all.

Representative Bureaucracy - Classic Readings and Continuing Controversies focuses on the United States of America as a context.

There are hypotheses and statistics to explain all about Representative Bureaucracy. Each chapter starts with a brief overview of the various views on a certain issue.

Overall Rating : 5/10

When Presdients Lie by Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman digs into the history of official deception and its consequences in his book, When Presidents Lie. He recognises the necessity of Presidents to lie under certain circumstances but dread the lies that result in war and subsequently the cause of unnecessary deaths. Yet those lies were created by American Presidents for self politically motivated purposes.

The case studies include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and the Yalta Conference; John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis; Ronald W. Reagan, Central America and the Iran-Contra Scandal; George W. Bush and the Post-Truth Presidency.

Eric Alterman draws on many sources in this heavily footnoted book to display a convincing portrayal of the Presidents. After reading When Presidents Lie, I felt disgusted and remained puzzled why someone of great power would want to wrest it this way...

Overall Rating : 10/10

The Future Role of Singapore by Dick Wilson

Published in 1972, The Future Role of Singapore depicts the problematic issues of the newly independent island-state republic. As the title of the book suggests, Dick Wilson analysed the trend of developments in Singapore and expressed his views on the future role of Singapore amidst a region that is catching up with development as well.

Dick Wilson believed that Singapore would be a step further from its neighbours while ensuring that they do not lag behind in terms of development. Singapore could contribute in their development as well.

Even though the book was published more than 3 decades ago, it is still relevant. The vulnerability of a small state with the absence of natural resources and geopolitical factors are going to stay on.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

What if There Had Been No Lee Kuan Yew? by Anthony Oei

From the condition of the book, you can see that this book had been read by many. The title of the books builds up our curiousity as readers. However, the title is misleading...

In What if there had been no Lee Kuan Yew? by Anthony Oei, the only mention of the question in the title lies in the last paragraph of the book.

Oei traces the life of Lee Kuan Yew from his childhood days to the formation of PAP and beyond. The last few paragraphs highlighted the main criticisms of Lee by his critics.

Oei is a former journalist who has worked for The Straits Times and Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, as well as for the Far Easter Economic Review of Hong Kong as its Singapore correspondent, and other magazines. He subsequently became the head of the EDB's Public Relations and Implementation Assistance Units.

Overall Rating: 7/10

The European Union : a guide through the EC/EU maze by Alex Roney and Stanley Budd

After reading The European Union: a guide through the EC/EU maze, I found myself slightly overwhelmed by the complexity of the European Union.

This book is useful for one to derive a basic understanding of the European Union, i.e. hierarchy, institutional bodies, memberships, etc.

For me, I thought that it served better as a reference than a leisure read due to the dryness of the writings.

Overall Rating: 3/10

From Kuan Yew to Chok Tong and beyond by George Nonis

From Kuan Yew to Chok Tong and beyond is one of the few books that carry political caricatures. In Singapore, cartoon drawings of political figures are seldom seen on newspapers due to the more restricted political expression within the state.

This is a comic book and carries jokes about Singapore. There is a previous comic book by George Nonis, entitled Hello Chok Tong, Goodbye Kuan Yew which caused some stir when it was released.

Meet the Cabinet Ministers aka players in the Singapore Young Lions as illustrated by George Nonis.

Bottom (from left): Abdullah Tarmugi - Mr Rock Steady, Lim Boon Heng - Mr Cupid, Lee Boon Heng - Best Trainee, Mah Bow Tan - Mr Goal 2010, Lim Hng Kiang - Young Player of the Year, Wong Kan Seng - The Singer, Lee Yock Suan - Mr Drama, Yeo Cheow Tong - Mr IT (intelligent tackles)
Top (from left): Goh Chok Tong - Mr Golden Boots, Teo Chee Hean - Mr Long Beans, George Yeo - The Thinker, Lee Hsien Loong - The Super Sub, Tony Tan - The Swinging Sub, Richard Hu - The Paymaker, S. Jayakumar - Mr Smiley, Lee Kuan Yew - Old Player of the Year

Overall Rating: 7/10

Foreign Policy and International Law by Charles G. Fenwick

Published in 1968, Foreign Policy and International Law is written by Charles G. Fenwick, a member of Pan American Union.

Foreign Policy and International Law looked into the following:

1. Character and Scope of Foreign Policy
2. The Community of Nations
3. Who speaks for whom in the World of Nations
4. National Security: 1776-1920
5. National Security: 1920-1942
6. The United Nations
7. The Rule of Law under the Charter, 1945-1968
8. Problems of National Self-government: Citizenship
9. Responsibility of the State for the Protection of Aliens and their Property
10. Special Obligations towards neighbouring States
11. Titles to Territory; National Boundaries
12. The High Seas
13. International Cooperation in the Enforcement and Administration of National Law
14. Treaties and Conventions
15. Diplomatic Agents; Consuls
16. Economic and Social Problems
17. The Settlement of International Disputes: Arbitration and Judicial Decision
18. Forcible Procedure by War

Foreign Policy and International Law is written from an American perspective and majority of it relates to the foreign policies of the United States.

Referring to case studies, Fenwick poses many questions for the reader to stipulate and think about the irrationality and abnormacy of certain acts by states.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

Emphasising on the power of the individual to make a change on oneself is the main theme of Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. In the more than 500 pages, Anthony Robbins literally talks to you as a reader.

More than just a motivational book, Anthony Robbins show readers how to better manage relationships, health, concerns from how to reduce crime rates to global warming. What's marvellous is that Anthony Robbins draw all the reference from the first part of the book, in which he explained how the human mindset worked.

Awaken the Giant Within gives a clear scope of how the brain works, how emotions work and how we can take control of them instead of the other way round.

Overall Rating: 10/10

How to Talk to Anyone - 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships by Leil Lowndes

The 92 Tricks for Big Success in Relationships are categorised into the following 9 parts:

• How to intrigue everyone without saying a word?
• How to know what to say after you say "Hi"
• Hot to talk like a VIP
• How to be an insider in every crowd: what are they all talking about
• How to sound like you are peas in a pod: "Why, we are just alike!"
• How to differentiate the power of praise from the folly of flattery
• How to direct dial their hearts
• How to work a party like a politician work a room
• How to break the most treacherous glass ceiling of all: sometimes people are tigers

Leil Lowndes, in her book, not only covered on how to talk to anyone, but it also revised and inspected some old methods and critically offered an updated alternative to them.

I really learnt a lot from her book. Every little thing count. You never know when you are going to be in a situation and you are not equipped with these tricks. Never waste your interviews or lose a prospect client ever again!

Overall Rating: 10/10

From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong by Shin Min Daily News

From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong is a compilation of news publications by Shin Min Daily News, a newspaper under the Singapore Press Holdings Corporation.

The first part of From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong provides coverage on Mr Lee Kuan Yew. From how he became the leader of Singapore, the book then interviewed the grassroots leaders and various individuals that had worked with him.

The second part of From Lee Kuan Yew to Goh Chok Tong then focuses on Mr Goh Chok Tong. Interviews from people who knew him before he stepped into politics shed some light into the nature and character of this great leader.

Overall Rating: 7/10

I Can Make You Rich by Paul McKenna

I Can Make You Rich consists of two parts - The Psychology of Wealth & Let's Go Make Money!

In the first half of the book, The Pyschology of Wealth includes methods of revamping your financial blueprint. McKenna adapted some concepts from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich as well as Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. The book is equipped with a free hypnosis CD to be used in conjunction with the various book exercises. Part I of the book seeks to unravel all the negative thoughts about money that one could have, so that one is ready for the next part of the book...

Part II, Let's Go Make Money! consists of the following chapters:

• How to Make Money
• Assembling your Wealth Team
• A Proven Formula for Success
• The Simplest Business Plan in the World
• The Three Skills that Lead to Riches
• The Secrets of Living Rich

I Can Make You Rich is a very simple book to read. It is centred around the psychology of the human mind and how influencing the mind could lead you to a richer (not necessarily in the money sense) and happier life.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Business The Dell Way by Rebecca Saunders

Revealing the 10 Secrets of the World's Best Computer Business:

1. Mass Customise!
2. Get rid of Inventory
3. Love your Suppliers...
4. ... But Love Your Employees Even More
5. Be Direct!
6. You Are Your Customers
7. Never Stop Improving
8. Think and Act Global
9. Stay True to Your Talents
10. Manage Hypergrowth
    

Business The Dell Way is published in year 2000 but the content itself is still much relevant to date.

Rebecca Saunders provided an informative analysis on the success of Dell by quoting articles from various business analysts. She also added a summary of the pointers of success at the end of each chapter, which makes it easy for future reference.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework by Gabriel A. Almond, G. Bingham Powell, JR. Robert J. Mundt

Comparative Politics: A Theoretical Framework is a good text to study for an introduction into comparative politics.

Contents:

The Study of Comparative Politics
The Environment of the Political System
Political Socialisation and Political Culture
Political Recruitment and Political Structure
Interest Groups and Interest Articulation
Interest Aggregation and Political Parties
Government and Policymaking
Public Policy

Overall Rating: 8.5/10