"The Singapore Story" is the first volume of memoirs by Lee Kuan Yew, the man who firmly placed this island nation on the world map. In profound detail, Lee recounts the battles against colonialists, communists, and sectarians that led to Singapore's independence. With consummate political skill, he confronted his adversaries, or sometimes used their help against others who opposed him, in loyal pursuit of Singapore's interests. We read how he led striking unionists against the colonial government, how over golf and tea he strengthened ties with prominent players in Britain and Malaya, and how, in midnight meetings in dimly lit rooms, he negotiated alliances with hidden communist leaders to win the support of the Chinese masses. Readers will be inspired to see him fight for the hearts and minds of the people, first against the communists, and then against the sectarians in Parliament, on the streets, and in the media. From his unpublished official papers, archives in Singapore, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, and personal correspondence, he gives us a vivid picture of how others perceived him: stern (Lee would deceive and blackmail until the last moment), agitator (Chow knew I was shedding blood to control the Hokkien), ambitious (he might freely consider himself the leader of Malaya), and dangerous (Crush Lee! Put him in). It is a sometimes contradictory but, for all intents and purposes, harmonious portrait of this Asian statesman. This is not a purely political book: the author draws the reader into his private world with unusual frankness and a touch of humor. We find amusing anecdotes about key moments in his life: his childhood, his escape from Japanese massacres, his experience as a black marketeer, his venture into the local gum industry that led to a lasting bond with Kwa Hiok Cho. He also exchanges views with men who shaped the era, such as Goh Keng Swee and S. Raja Ratnam, Toh Chin Chee, Hon Swee Sin, Lim Kim San, Devan Nair, Lim Chin Siong, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman, Syed Jaafar Albar, and British Prime Ministers: Harold Macmillan, Harold Wilson, and other prominent British leaders, Nehru of India, Nasser of Egypt, and Robert Menzies of Australia. Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore on September 16, 1923, a third-generation Chinese immigrant from Guangdong Province. He studied law at Cambridge University in England. In 1954, he formed the People's Action Party. Five years later, his party won the Singapore general election, and he became Prime Minister at the age of 35. In November 1990, he assumed the position of Chief Minister.