Stranger To Myself

Winner of Singapore Book Awards 2018, Best Non-Fiction Title

The sacrifices of migrant workers are written in every inch of Singapore – in the bricks of buildings, ship irons, under the floor of houses. Thousands of years later, someone may hear the story of our pain and sacrifice from the walls of this city. After about a decade here, I have many stories and recollections to share with you. This diary contains the collected fragments of my experiences. It is not my intention to write anything against my homeland or this country. No hurt feelings, please. I have just written down the most valuable moments of my life here.

This diary records observations from my reality.

The records from hours between 2008 and 2016 take us on a harsh, profoundly emotional journey. Let us remember that we are meeting a passage of real life that runs concurrent to ours within this alleged city of dreams. The book is therefore urgent because it breaks open the hearts of readers to what our eyes fail to see. As Sharif’s words invade our sense of self and of place, our world cannot be the same again.