{"product_id":"the-house-on-silat-road","title":"The House On Silat Road","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAdventure-loving Sing and her enormous family are back in\nthis sequel to \u003ci\u003eThe House on Palmer Road.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSet in World War II Singapore, \u003ci\u003eThe House on Silat\nRoad\u003c\/i\u003e tells the adventures and experiences of nine-year-old Sing and\nher family during the Japanese Occupation. Barely have they moved into their\nbig new house on a hill which Father built, that the first Japanese bombs fall\non Singapore and their idyllic life is turned upside down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThrough Sing’s simple but vivid storytelling, readers\nwitness some of the most iconic events in Singapore’s history—the Battle for\nSingapore, the fall of the island, the Sook Ching and finally the return of the\nAllies. Follow Sing and her family as they do their best to survive the\nJapanese Occupation—buying groceries under ration, growing their own\nvegetables, outwitting the Japanese while having English lessons, and listen to\nrumours of the outside world from people with hidden radios. Then through Sing’s\neyes, witness historic events that are not often described—the first Allied\nbombings as they re-take Singapore, the incredible shower of leaflets that\nannounced the end of war, the seaborne return of the Allied Fleet, amongst\nothers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBased on the childhood of 85-year-old author Si-Hoe S.S.,\nthe authors hope to bring readers into the life of an ordinary family in\nSingapore in these tumultuous times—from how unprepared people were for the\nreality of war to their tenacity and resilience when the worst actually\nhappened.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThis book also brings alive again the exceptional house\nbuilt by Si-Hoe’s father, a self-made man of particular foresight. Anticipating\nthat the war would come, the contractor had bought land on a hill and expressly\nbuilt the house as high as he could to gain a vantage point of the\nsurroundings. In the house, he also built a secret hidden floor, and a garage\nstrategically tucked into the hillside which turned into a bomb shelter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAll these and more are captured vividly in over 40\nillustrations by Singaporean artist Lim An-ling who drew them using references\nfrom photos and models of the house which had long been torn down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAbove all, \u003ci\u003eThe House on Silat Road\u003c\/i\u003e is a\nstory about hope and strength of ordinary people who lived through\nextraordinary times, and indeed the triumph of the child. For even in the\ndarkest times, Sing and her siblings found happy moments, from the simple\npleasure of getting scraps of candy, catching worms for chickens to sneaking a\nride on a stubborn mule.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIn its happy ending, \u003ci\u003eThe House on Silat Road\u003c\/i\u003e pays\ntribute to the brave Singaporeans and all others who endured the war here, and\nwho emerged the finest generation of our times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThis book is supported by the National Heritage Board and\nOur Singapore Fund.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Authors \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSi-Hoe S.S\u003c\/b\u003e. is Sing, the real protagonist in The\nHouse on Palmer Road and the House on Silat Road. She was born in the house on\nPalmer Road in 1933, and lived there with her family until 1941. She was one of\nthe very rare girls in her time who went to what was then the University of\nMalaya (now National University of Singapore), and an ever rarer one who\ngraduated with a Master’s Degree in Chemistry. She became a chemistry teacher\nand taught Anglo-Chinese School, St. Patrick’s School and Temasek Junior\nCollege. Retired since 1994, she is a first-time book author at the youthful\nage of 83. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eA food and travel journalist of 30 years, \u003cb\u003eSim Ee\nWaun\u003c\/b\u003e is more recently a published children’s book author. Her books\ninclude\u003ci\u003e The Little Singapore Book\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe House on Palmer Road\u003c\/i\u003e and\nits sequel\u003ci\u003e The House on Silat Road\u003c\/i\u003e, all delving into Singapore’s\nhistory. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Language \u0026amp; Literature and an MA\nin International Journalism. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eLocal artist \u003cb\u003eLim An-Ling\u003c\/b\u003e has illustrated\nbooks for both young and not-so-young readers as well as Singapore’s current\nVanishing Trades series of postage stamps. Her love for drawing started when\nshe was a child. Being surrounded by many beautiful curiosities and books which\nher father collected, her passion grew and grew. She hopes that her humurous,\nplayful illustrations in this book would keep young audiences in good company\nas they take this nostalgic, fun-filled journey through old Singapore. An-Ling\nholds of BA in Visual Communications, and her portfolio can be viewed on\nwww.musingcats.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ALKEM COMPANY (S) PRIVATE LIMITED","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44931126427855,"sku":"9789811192777","price":16.35,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0574\/5662\/3823\/files\/download_e9cc0ed9-6f45-4f41-9326-032699c9be02.webp?v=1774151026","url":"https:\/\/popular.com.sg\/products\/the-house-on-silat-road","provider":"Popular Book Company Pte Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}