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The First Fools: B-Sides of Lee Kuan Yew’s A-Team

The First Fools: B-Sides of Lee Kuan Yew’s A-Team


By: Peh Shing Huei (Ed.)
Publisher: The Nutgraf Books
S$32.11
  • Description
  • About the Authors

  • Singapore’s founding fathers are the stuff of legend. Much has been written about the indomitable Lee Kuan Yew who transformed a nation from mudflats into metropolis, as well as his fellow Old Guard who left their stamp on almost every aspect of Singapore’s DNA, from the economy to diplomacy to housing. But that is not the whole story.

    See, the 10 larger-than-life personalities who signed the Separation Agreement in 1965 were the nation’s founding fathers. But they were also men — men who fell in love, who kept secrets, who wrote ghost stories, who played sports (not just golf). They were businessmen, bitter men, and some of the best men Singapore has ever seen. Their names are:

    - Lee Kuan Yew
    - Yong Nyuk Lin
    - E. W. Barker
    - Goh Keng Swee
    - Jek Yeun Thong
    - Lim Kim San
    - Ong Pang Boon
    - Othman Wok
    - S. Rajaratnam
    - Toh Chin Chye

    From the authors of The Last Fools: The Eight Immortals of Lee Kuan Yew comes The First Fools: B-Sides of Lee Kuan Yew’s A-Team. Each chapter in this anthology offers readers a different slice of the same story, one that, in the case of many of the Old Guard, has largely been forgotten. Instead of Lee Kuan Yew, the leader, comes Lee Kuan Yew, the lover; instead of S. Rajaratnam, the diplomat, comes S. Rajaratnam, the fiction writer. Many of these stories are relatively unknown to the public, and yet they are gems in history that capture a softer, more intimate side of Singapore’s first-generation leaders. It is a timely read as the nation they helped build commemorates its 60th year of independence.

  • Peh Shing Huei is a journalist and author of 13 books, including numerous Singaporean No. 1 bestsellers. His book, When the Party Ends: China’s Leaps and Stumbles after the Beijing Olympics, won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2016 and has been cited by major international news outlets. His books have sold over 100,000 copies. He previously served as a news editor and China bureau chief at The Straits Times.

    Sue-Ann Chia is a journalist and editor of the No. 1 bestseller The Price of Being Fair, which won the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards in 2023. She also co-authored the No. 1 bestseller The Last Fools. She was a senior political correspondent with The Straits Times and a copyeditor at TODAY.

    Aaron Low is an author and journalist specializing in economics, finance, and business. He has authored and edited three books, including the No. 1 bestsellers Behind The Banyan and Boardroom Knockout. He was a deputy business editor at The Straits Times.

    Pearl Lee is a journalist focusing on education, politics, and social issues. She authored the children's book Ready, Set, Fiyah and co-authored Boardroom Knockout, Behind the Mask, and One Havelock Square, which won the Best Hybrid Book prize at the Singapore Book Awards in 2021.

    Samantha Boh is a journalist who writes extensively on sustainability and science. She co-authored three No. 1 bestselling titles: The Last Fools, The Price of Being Fair, and Lee Ek Tieng: The Green General of Lee Kuan Yew. She was also involved in Singapore's inaugural Zero Waste Masterplan.

    Derek Wong is a journalist covering business and property. He co-authored three No. 1 bestselling titles: The Last Fools, The Price of Being Fair, and Boardroom Knockout. He also contributed to Behind The Mask: Our Healthcare Story, documenting Singapore’s COVID-19 journey.

    Toh Wen Li is a journalist covering education, culture, and heritage. She co-authored The Price of Being Fair, which won the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards in 2023, and was part of the editorial teams for Boardroom Knockout and Charting Our Path.

    Jaime Niam is a writer focused on healthcare, arts and culture, and social affairs. She has co-authored several books, including the chart-topper Boardroom Knockout, and contributed to The COVID-19 Chronicles, Behind the Mask, and Save & Sound: 70 Years of CPF.

    Puah Rui Xian is a co-author of The Price of Being Fair, a book that spent 10 consecutive weeks on The Straits Times’ Bestseller List and won the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards in 2023. She also contributed to Charting Our Path and had her short film Teeter released on Viddsee in 2022.

ISBN: 9789811777073
Cover Type: Paperback
Page Count: 220
Year Published: 2025
Size: 227mm x 152mm
Language: English