Book Review
Where others would not tread Lim Kean Chong's story
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Book Review
Where others would not tread Lim Kean Chong's story |
AT A TIME where autobiographies and biographies of everyone who is remotely known (or not, as is often the case) fill the bookshelves, one is likely to overlook "My Life". So understated is the cover and so unassuming the title, one is likely to pass it over as yet another of the boring, self promoting books which only friends would buy out of loyalty. Lim Kean Chong's "My Life" is not one of those. It is the story of a remarkable man and his family who lived life to the full. Going where less adventurous souls would not tread Lim Kean Chong did not go in search of his fortune. What is untypical is that he went where he felt he could contribute to the community he lived in. He wanted to make a difference. The author comes across an adventurer and idealist - a pragmatic idealist, if that is not a contradiction in terms; in this case definitely not. We get a peep into the life of the rich in prewar Penang. How at an early age Lim had community service drummed into him - not consciously, but by the example set by his mother. His time as a pilot was the stuff of "Biggles". The author's impressions of China before and during the Cultural Revolution and in Tanzania under Nyerere give us first hand insights into life in those third world countries. In doing that, the author did not try to impose his views on the reader. The reader is allowed to draw his own conclusion. This is a book about a remarkable man and his zest for life. It is refreshing in that it is not one of those "how I made it big" rags to riches book which seems to hog the bookshelves. If you are looking for a book which will show you how to get rich, don't buy "My Life". But if you want a book which shows you how life should be lived then "My Life" is for you. The style is direct, uncomplicated and honest as I suspect is the man. It is an easy read, and surprisingly a page turner for this genre. My only complaint is that one hundred and two pages only just whetted my appetite. I get the feeling this is not the complete biography. I look forward to the more complete version.# |
Yin Ee Kiong Book reviewed My Life by Lim Kean Chong Trafalga 2006 |
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