The Great Reclamation

 I read a story called The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng. The book is about the history of Singapore. The book starts out in the 1940's. The main character is Ah Boon who is the third son in the family. His father catches fish and sells them for a living. His older brother helps the father as does the mother's brother. Ah Boon is fearful of the water and a better student so he ends up going to school. Times are changing in Singapore now that the British are leaving. People in the new government look down on poor people living in huts where air comes  up through the floor boards. They prefer people live in condos with electricity. This was a fascinating story about the growth of the city of Singapore from the perspective of one fishing family and a boy named Ah Boon.