The first pages of the book drew me in as, with no holds barred, Mr Kishore Mahbubani candidly describes his origins, growing up in a turbulent Singapore. His lively and vigorous writing persists throughout the book as he illustrates his encounters and experiences working in many different countries as a diplomat and as a friend to many. 

His life work in the MFA is full of colour and it is interesting to me as a Singaporean that he describes some of the sometimes chafing encounters and inexplicable penalties that he experienced working in MFA, as well as the deftness he exhibited to extricate himself, with also a keen understanding of delicate geopolitical and also human relationships as Ambassador and UN representative and President of the United Nations Security Council. 

As someone who might be viewed as a maverick, it is impressive, and also provided an angle of human interest, to know that Mr Kishore was often invited to lunch regularly with the two founding leaders of Singapore, Dr Goh Keng Swee and Mr Lee Kuan Yew, along with his colleagues and contemporaries. 

It is not difficult to see why he wrote a memoir. Indeed, there is almost a form of duty for someone who has experienced and contributed to Singapore’s transformation and served the men and women of Singapore as an Ambassador who has devoted his life and sometimes sacrificed personal safety to serve Singapore. From his writing, the style of it which is personable, it is important that there be an oral record of the history of Singapore’s development with regards to the manoeuvring in the geopolitical and national spheres, which he worked on together with his colleagues. His life story is one that inspires as he reveals that his ambitions could be served in academia in his later career, and that he raised SGD$500 million for funding the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy(LKYSPP), including an encounter with a named beneficiary of the LKYSPP. 

His penchant for christening books with provocative titles are an ingeniously simple way to sell books. From one of his youtube appearances, I learnt he spent time in a Zoom presentation flanked by two of his published works. From his words and speeches, one gets the impression that he is a relentless go-getter who isn’t afraid to be excoriated for speaking his mind. This memoir serves to illustrate a well lived life, describing a wealth of lived experiences of diplomacy and friendships. 

I recommend this book if you have an interest in the life of the man himself, Mr Kishore Mahbubani, are looking for a lively and engaging read and am curious about the inner workings of the Foreign Service of Singapore as well as glimpses in the lives of Singaporean leaders and civil servants.

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