Wee Kim Wee

Dr Wee Kim Wee was a pioneering Singaporean journalist and diplomat with a most improbable rise and rise in life. Among his many other accomplishments, he helped end a regional war; kept one of the world’s oldest newspapers alive till today; and rescued the presidency of the Republic of Singapore from a spell in the gutter. Just as water softens stone, he overcame the grimmest odds with his winsome ways and unimpeachable character.

This meticulously researched book brims with fresh insights about the man most Singaporeans claimed as “my President”. They include telling facets from the author’s interviews with more than 30 people who knew Dr Wee best in every decade of his storied life. Dr Wee started out being too poor to complete secondary school to holding Singapore’s highest office. His lightly worn shrewdness and genuine regard for all living things plucked him out of obscurity and thrust him into moments that shook Singapore, eventually making him a beloved household name.

Dr Wee was the embodiment of Singapore exceptionalism and this biography is the last word on a sort of man that Singapore will rarely, if ever, encounter again.