Lately, I've been reading something a little more controversial than the usual mainstream type of books. Behold:

SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century.

The book is maid up of interviews of 14 gay Singaporeans and 1 mother with 2 gay sons. The accounts by the interviewees were frank and funny; some stories were told candidly, with a sense of humor I did not expect to find, while some stories were a touch more serious. But each and every story told was heartrending and struck home some sense of truth. I truly admire the courage of these people who stood out and told their stories to the masses, and was touched by their stories of unconditional love, and loss, and standing up for what they believe in.

I'm strongly recommending this book as a good read for anyone who wants to gain an insight to the lives of homosexual people in Singapore, as well as the people who love them. It is a beautiful thought that at the end of the day, no matter what you do, you are still loved by your parents.

On another note, I'm currently reading this gay novel by local author Johann S Lee, "to know where i'm coming from". To sum up the story, I quote this comment by Ng Yi-Sheng, a poet and playwright:

"A gripping story of love, caught between the gay worlds of London and Singapore, unashamedly describing queer life as it is today: sexy and sordid, romantic and political, frustrated and ecstatic."

This book is pretty different from the first one I mentioned. Here, it's a story of a man travelling back to his homeland to nurse a broken heart - a novel, that I understand was inspired by the author's personal experience, rather than a compilation of interviews. The alternating of past and present in the writing somewhat appeals to me in addition to the telling of the story in a first person narrative. This is actually the author's 2nd novel, the first being "Peculiar Chris", which I have yet to manage to lay my hands on, so anyone who has the book or know of where I can get the book, do let me know. Many thanks in advance.

Ok. That's it for book recommendations for now.

josh, signin off.