Preview

Book Review of Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
498 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Book Review of Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas
Book Review on Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas

The book authored by senior journalists of The Strait Times namely Han Fook Kwang, Warren Fernandez and Sumiko Tan is about Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee has come to be known as one of the world’s most respected statesmen, the man who brought social and economic transformation to the island republic of Singapore for over five (5) decades.
A short description about Lee Kuan Yew: Lee was born in 1923, the first prime minister of Singapore. He was born to a wealthy Chinese family, studied at Cambridge England and was admitted to the English bar in 1950. After his return he became a popular nationalist leader, and in 1954 he formed the People's Action Party. Lee was a member of the delegation that negotiated Singapore's independence from the British in 1956-58. After his party's victory in the subsequent elections, he became prime minister in 1959. Lee brought Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, but Malay fear of Chinese domination forced Singapore to withdraw in 1965. Under his increasingly restrictive rule, the city-state became a center of international trade and relative prosperity in Asia. He resigned as prime minister in November 1990, but retained his leadership of the ruling People's Action Party.
Although there were several books written about Singapore’s Senior Minister, the book entitled Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas (1998) is his first authorized biography. The book is divided into four (4) topics namely: The making of a politician; Ideas that made a nation; The man behind the ideas; and In his own words: selected speeches and interviews.
The book is based on Lee’s own memoirs, excerpt on exclusive interviews with Lee Kuan Yew, his life and ideas, from his early political awakening in Cambridge up to his present position as an elder statesman who is widely sought after for his views on international affairs. From being an anti-colonial rabble rouser to a state

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Jan Wong starts out as a naïve, nineteen year old, Canadian student who is displeased with the capitalistic nature of her surroundings. It was the early seventies and to the author, she was experiencing a cultural revolution all her own. Opposition to the Vietnam War was strongly prevalent, the notion of feminism was beginning to arise, and there was a strong desire against conformity of any nature. The author grew up middle class to second generation Chinese citizens and was fueled by bourgeois guilt, and by a feeling of separation from her roots. “Curiosity about my ancestry made me feel ashamed that I couldn’t speak Chinese and knew so little about China” (14). After devouring every morsel of information that she could, she firmly believed Mao and his “comrades” were the only people who had a legit shot at establishing a utopic society. It was official. Jan Wong was going to Beijing.…

    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The long anticipated attack launched by the People’s Liberation Army, the military division of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on January 6, 1949 was the start of a five month offensive that culminated in Chiang Kai-shek’s departure to Taiwan. After much self-reflection, Chiang privately concluded that “the major reason for this defeat…is that we are in a transitional period where the old system has been abolished but the new system is yet to be built” (400). The Generalissimo also recognized his inability to build an effective organization and lack of party discipline as major factors contributing to the fall of his regime. This blunt and accurate analysis of the situation is a reflection of Chiang Kai-shek’s experience; his early childhood…

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The second Chapter, the author looks at Ho Chi Minh and why he was so well liked among…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chiang embraces his identity as a foreigner and begins his book by defining himself as an Oriental, “One of those strange Chinese people who ‘belong to an age gone by’”(ix). He is not embarrassed by his race or ethnicity and does not attempt to hide his background as he travels. Chiang celebrates his Chinese upbringing and the alternative perspective that this experience brings to life in London by disputing the fundamental differences between nations and nationalities. Chiang negates the idea that the peoples of the world are capable of differing greatly from one another given our fundamental sameness; “They may be different superficially, but they eat, drink, sleep, dress, and shelter…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cannery Row Research Paper

    • 2066 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The first man we meet in this book is Lee Chong. He is the owner and operator of the local grocery store. Chong is a stubborn man that cherishes the value of a dollar and a hard day 's work. He is…

    • 2066 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Who Is Cherished Lee

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page

    Several early Lee historians frequently told their readers that they cherished Lee and were momentously influenced by him, which is extremely evident in Freeman’s work. On the other hand, that affection one might have felt for Lee depended on a picture of righteous flawlessness and near divine nature. Freeman’s perspective is by an accounts that it is Lee’s flawlessness we should respect and be inspired by, regardless of how unattainable for mere mortal creatures. This might be a perspective that is just a result of that earlier period. Then again, later histories demonstrate to us a Lee who was controlled by his own personal demons, as many people can identify with. Further, these demons may have characterized him and probably determined…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Born in a culture that prioritize social duties and the sacrifice of individual needs, Lee is known as a faithful husband, a good father, a role model to the Chinese population. Being gentle, modest and courteous, Lee practices Confucian doctrines emphasized by his late father in his interaction with the world. In the Taipei Review, Lee is framed as a filial Chinese son by dutifully bringing the Oscar he won for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon home to his mother on her seventy-sixth birthday. To compensate for his failure in fulfilling his late father’s expectations, Lee has found “a way of making up for his lack of filial piety: his films kept winning awards.” (Martin, 2005, p.151) Depicted as the faithful son returning triumphant from his…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    David and Goliath Essay

    • 2198 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Once a small fishing village with almost no natural resources, Singapore has flourished into a point of pride for the world. As Nicolas Berggruen, a famous French investor and philanthropist said, “Singapore was created out of the swamp, with a strong emotional idea: a safe place mostly for Chinese, but accepting other cultures and other races.” Singapore had been at a disadvantage for most of its early age, until the achievement of its first world status towards the end of the 20th century. Much of this success can be attributed to the first prime minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Malcolm Gladwell in David and Goliath emphasizes the results when ordinary people confront giants and categorizes giants as, “powerful opponents of all kinds – from armies and mighty warriors to disability, misfortune, and oppression.” Singapore overcame such odds through the right decisions made by a key leader of this city-state through strong legislation, stringent laws and a favorable geographical location. Based on Singapore’s success, I agree with Gladwell that underdogs can use unconventional methods such as turning disadvantages into advantages. Economists might argue that Singapore’s GDP is lower than most leading countries which I agree with. However, when taking into account GDP per capita, Singapore ranks as one of the world’s most successful countries, proving its ability to turn its disadvantages into advantages. This is important because countries in Asia benchmark themselves against Singapore to judge how well they do, which in turn affects the rest of the world economically. They can also learn from Singapore as an example.…

    • 2198 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jid Lee’s To Kill a Tiger: A Memoir of Korea follows Jid Lee and her family through the struggles and tension produced by the historical events that occurred. Historical events impacted gender roles, education, and family dynamics in South Korea, producing a tension between traditional Korean values and contemporary ideas. The importance of Jid Lee’s book is it has an insight of what it was like to live in Korea during the time were contemporary ideas were becoming a bigger influence in the society, which were brought in by the American influences in the government.…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    kind, and he learned a lot from the books. He used his wisdom and people well…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Robert E. Lee

    • 3672 Words
    • 15 Pages

    of the life of Lee and begins with a detailed account of his family history and…

    • 3672 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Woman Wang

    • 1735 Words
    • 7 Pages

    He was an essayist, short-story writer and a dramatist who lived to the north in Tzu-ch’uan country, separated from T’an-ch’eng by a range of hills. He is a local writer who is devoted to telling the story to how it really is and for those lived there. P’u Sung-ling was one of China’s most gifted and remarkable writers. I believe that Pu Sung-ling’s writings were important to Spence’s story because it gives an inside look to the challenges and issues that the society of T’an-ch’eng faces. These primary sources paint a realistic picture to the overall concept of the novel. I enjoyed the way that Jonathan Spence used P’u Shung-ling to add a personal touch on the story. I felt as if I had a clearly image on what was going…

    • 1735 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Econ

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages

    2.“Singapore in 1965 was a low-skill labour abundant country compared to the rest of the world and exported low skill labour intensive goods like garments. Singapore’s leader Lee Kuan Yew placed a great emphasis on education. Then 25 years later, in 1990 Singapore started exporting high skill labour-intensive computer parts and importing garments.”…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chiang Kai-shek, a disciplined man of high virtue was a Chinese military leader who was the front man that led the Chinese in World War II and battled Mao Zedong and his communist forces with his party the Kuomintang (the Nationalists). As an influential member of the Kuomintang and close alley of Sun Yat-sen, the first president of the Republic of China and founder of the Kuomintang party, he sought out to mainly expel Chinese communists and regain unification in China, Chiang Kai-shek took over Sun Yat-sen’s place as the leader of the Kuomintang in 1928 when Sun Yat-sen was robbed of cancer. Chiang Kai-shek focused on driving out the communists from the party and led a successful unification of China, but as Civil War broke out in…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sun Yat-Sen

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese revolutionary born in 1866 and the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. Though commonly referred to as one of the greatest leaders of modern China, his political career was one of uncertainty and turmoil and being widely revered by the people, Sun was subject to frequent exile and a generally very fragile existence…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays