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jelundberg's review
5.0
A wonderful and necessary addition to Singaporean letters, a fragrant melange of fiction, oral history and narrative nonfiction about being Eurasian in Singapore. Though they make up less than one percent of the population (relegating them to the status of a micro-minority), Eurasians have a distinct culture, language (Kristang) and cuisine that has played a vital role in the region since the 1500s, and Melissa brings this to life in her various writings gathered here. Her considered look at the Eurasian experience is an important window into an Othered community, and she does so with confidence and lyricism. And I'm immensely proud that her story "Blind Date", which I published in LONTAR, was chosen as the anchor piece for such a remarkable collection. Very highly recommended.
apollosmichioreads's review
4.0
‘Others’ Is Not A Race is a short book consisting of multiple genres of narrative fiction, creative non-fiction, literary food writing and family memoir.
It feels like a compilation of various writings from the author, inspired by her desire to discover more about her roots and express her feelings of being part of the micro-minority Eurasian community in Singapore (As of 2015, Eurasians make up only 0.4 per cent of Singapore’s population.).
As a result, most Singaporeans of other races might not find her experiences or stories very relatable. However, this makes it all the more interesting and important for us to read and appreciate the book. Being part of the majority can easily make us blind to the feelings of the minority and so, I would recommend this book to Singaporeans who want to view our collective history and cultural narrative from a different perspective.
4/5
P.S. This book won the Singapore Literature Prize 2018 for Creative Non-Fiction!
It feels like a compilation of various writings from the author, inspired by her desire to discover more about her roots and express her feelings of being part of the micro-minority Eurasian community in Singapore (As of 2015, Eurasians make up only 0.4 per cent of Singapore’s population.).
As a result, most Singaporeans of other races might not find her experiences or stories very relatable. However, this makes it all the more interesting and important for us to read and appreciate the book. Being part of the majority can easily make us blind to the feelings of the minority and so, I would recommend this book to Singaporeans who want to view our collective history and cultural narrative from a different perspective.
4/5
P.S. This book won the Singapore Literature Prize 2018 for Creative Non-Fiction!
beebottoms's review
3.0
Informative, important and necessary insights into being Eurasian in Singapore. The writing is sharp and incisive, the author did loads of research and integrated her personal experiences and family memories with the history and facts well. This slim volume mixes multiple genres like short stories, essays, and oral memories of family members recorded by the author. I enjoyed the more personal narrative essays written in the first-person more than the rest. There were loads about Eurasian cuisine with vivid food images and even recipes, but it was the ones that discuss the Eurasian language Kristang interested me most.
Most of the stories and essays focused on providing historical information and to emphasis the need to recognise Eurasians as Singaporeans, equally and respectfully. I completely agree and love learning more about Eurasian history and their community. But i was hoping for some more narrative to pull me into their world, and personally the book didn’t keep me very engaged most of the time. The pieces didn’t flow very well as one collection, many facts and stuff kept repeating.
Granted, I probably have a lot of things on my mind this week, but I also think it’s because the author worked on getting the cultural setting right, sharing with us the statistical details, setting the gravity of the situation for Eurasians in Singapore, more than she worked on developing some characters for the reader to get personally and emotionally immersed in the world and perspective. The last story, a speculative fiction one, had more of the characterisation i was looking for, so i liked that one.
Most of the stories and essays focused on providing historical information and to emphasis the need to recognise Eurasians as Singaporeans, equally and respectfully. I completely agree and love learning more about Eurasian history and their community. But i was hoping for some more narrative to pull me into their world, and personally the book didn’t keep me very engaged most of the time. The pieces didn’t flow very well as one collection, many facts and stuff kept repeating.
Granted, I probably have a lot of things on my mind this week, but I also think it’s because the author worked on getting the cultural setting right, sharing with us the statistical details, setting the gravity of the situation for Eurasians in Singapore, more than she worked on developing some characters for the reader to get personally and emotionally immersed in the world and perspective. The last story, a speculative fiction one, had more of the characterisation i was looking for, so i liked that one.
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