Fiction Flashcards
Non-fiction books that deal with our societal climate and lifestyles
‘Dealing with an Ambiguous World” and ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’
Millionaire Authors
David Baldacci and J.K. Rowling
$ Stephen King’s ‘It’
Titles like Stephen King’s ‘It’ earned millions as a novel on the bookshelf, and went on to break box office records as it made over $2 million in its first weekend in cinemas.
Fiction books that illuminates aspects of the human condition and highlights salient social issues in society
George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, despite featuring sentient animals like pigs, revealed insights into communist and Fascist society that was highly applicable to the global climate following World War II and the subsequent Cold War.
Another example would be Jane Austen’s seminal novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’,where human complexities are brought to the force as the reader follows Elizabeth, the protagonist, in her attempt to navigate through a pragmatic society that placed emphasis on material wealth and status over genuine happiness.
‘The Thing Around Your Neck’
Nigerian author Adichie’s anthology ‘The Thing Around You Neck’ calls out the failings of the Nigerian government and gives voice to the marginalised, a potent call for action.
‘The Art of Carlie Chan Hock Chye’
Closer to home, Sonny Liew’s ‘ The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye’ offers an alternative narrative to the state sanctioned Singapore story, provoking Singaporeans to think about possible issues with the otherwise seemingly infallible government.
‘Wonder’- allows people to understand cultures and experiences outside of their own.
‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio puts the reader in the shoes of the main protagonist- August, who is born with a facial disability- while also putting us in the shoes of those around him. It shows how ordinary situations like going to school and making friends are scary and overwhelming from August’s perspective.
‘The Curious Incident of the Boy in the Nighttime’- allows people to understand cultures and experiences outside of their own.
‘The Curious Incident of the Boy in the Nighttime’, which follows a boy with autism as he tries to solve a mystery, put the readers directly in the shoes of the protagonist. The first person perspective in the book portrays odd habits, like never eating yellow or brown foods, as something perfectly natural. Other ordinary situations like taking a train are shown as scary and overwhelming from his perspective, and the details described in the book help neurotypicals to understand more of what it’s like to be born with autism.
$ Crazy Rich Asians
“Crazy Rich Asians,” the film based on the 2013 novel by Singaporean-American Kevin Kwan, delivered $34 million in box office sales in its first five days in theaters. The impressive debut made it the number one film, which features popular Asian-American actresses such as Constance Wu and Ken Jeong.
The STB said that organic search interest in Singapore increased by more than three times in the US during the movie’s release, according to Google data, while there was a 110 per cent spike in searches on travel planning site Orbitz. Hence, SG tourism sector benefitted.
