Name: Homeless
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9789814845571

Liyana Dhamirah

The Untold Story of a Mother's Struggle in 'crazy Rich' Singapore

Homeless

The author spent the first third of the book detailing her mistakes and missteps growing up which inadvertently led to her unfortunate life experience. The middle part of the book was focused on her tent living situation (or lack thereof), what she couldn't do, what her husband would or wouldn't do – all of which directly impacted her situation at that time. By now, I was already feeling bitter and found myself blaming her for her situation. My mind was filled with endless "could've, should've" that I believed would have changed their fate. I was ready to toss the book into the DNF shelf, but decided to read on. I was just left with a few chapters, I thought, I could finish this in an hour. And I'm glad I did. The last third of the book detailed the efforts she went through that were unfortunately in vain – even leading to humiliation – and the strokes of luck she received not once but numerous times, that finally took her out of this dark hole. As a reflection point, this book made me realise that just like the government officers she went to for help (I'm looking at you, Mr Tan) I was speaking from a place of privilege. I received an education, I have a home, and most importantly, I have the luxury of options. This book is a must-read for all Singaporeans. The homeless people here are one of the most unseen and misunderstood communities. With the rising cost of owning a home now in 2024, the contributing factors which are low education and low wages need be looked into as well. There needs to be more alternative to owning a home here in Singapore, that is not as pricey as renting in the open market either. There are so many topics to be discussed and areas to be improved on, but these will forever be swept under the rug for as long as the ruling party of Singapore is made up of people who grew up in the elite class; completely detached from the common Singaporean's everyday struggle. I will leave these excerpts here: "One of Singapore's biggest mysteries is its actual number of residents who are homeless." "... these homeless individuals weren't necessarily frail; they were able-bodied and held jobs, yet they received wages that couldn't sustain a roof over their heads." "(Mr Tan, an MCYS officer for Family Services said) I would suggest you this – maybe consider staying in a backpacker's hotel at Geylang. They only charge $12 per night."

Sarah Pino

To say that I admire Liyana is an understatement. Liyana, to me, personifies the grit and gumption women have within themselves to survive. I thank Liyana for highlighting a problem in Singapore, lots often overlook or choose to be ignorant over: the homeless situation in "crazy rich Singapore".

I honestly love the length of the book as well. I feel like Liyana had many stories and details she could've added but she chose not to. She got to the point that she wanted us readers to see and left the minute details to our imagination.

I listened to the audiobook. I think i would've loved to have heard her voice as well either her narrating or her in dialogue.

Nevertheless, this is an important book and I would recommend highly.

Homeless The Untold Story of a Mother's Struggle in 'crazy Rich' Singapore

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