My Sister Meda: A Memoir of Old Singapore

MY SISTER MEDA, A MEMOIR OF OLD SINGAPORE is based on direct experiences. It is a visual, engaging, and memorable story focusing on family, human relations, and love in a once British colony. It brings to light a Singapore that few in today’s world know and the phenomenal harmony that existed between the country’s diverse, multicultural population under the umbrella of colonial rule. The author depicts the history of an enclave of Sephardic Jews that arrived and settled on the island, calling their community the Mahalla which includes her family. She then shows a darker side of Singapore – the Japanese occupation of the island during WW2, and in particular, her family’s internment at Sime Road Camp. But it is her sister Meda who changes their lives and ultimately provides a way for the family’s exodus from the East to the West. The memoir presents a rich mosaic that combines a historical and cultural portrait with an interesting and curious family saga that is at once most touching, educational, and entertaining.