Turbulent Times: Forgotten Stories of Singapore’s Early Years

sku: 9789814642002
Author: Arul John, Low Ching Ling, Melvin Singh
Publication Date: 31/03/2025
Publisher: Straits Times Press

Modern Singapore was forged in the flames of a volatile past. Different groups fought to tear Singapore apart during our early years of nation building.

This five-book series traces those turbulent years and tell the stories of the people who witnessed history up close. Written in a clear and down-to-earth way, packed with photographs and with pages of graphic novel storytelling, these booklets will appeal to students, young people and anyone looking for a vivid and concise overview of Singapore’s turbulent years.

The five titles in the series:

Battle for Hearts and Minds: Fighting the Communist Threat, 1948-1963
The fight against the communist threat in Singapore and Malaya in the years immediately after World War II. (76 pages)

The Undeclared War: Konfrontasi
Indonesia’s Konfrontasi (Confrontation) campaign against Malaysia and Singapore in the 1960s, including the 1965 bombing of MacDonald House in Orchard Road that killed three innocent people. (64 pages)

Into The Fire: 1964 Racial Riots
The deadly racial riots of July and September 1964 that took place against a backdrop of growing political tension in Singapore and Malaysia. (52 pages)

Singapore Is Out: Separation and Independence
The fight for merger and the issues that led to political tension between Singapore and Malaysia and, eventually, to independence for Singapore. (48 pages)

War Is Far From Over: Fighting the Communist Threat, 1968-1989
The havoc wreaked when the communists resumed their attacks in Malaysia and Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s. (60 pages)