17A Keong Saik Road is a poignant memoir that provides an insider perspective into the life of a daughter of a brothel operator. Charmaine Leung's account is a beautiful dedication to the past and the people who have gone before, recounting the rich stories of the marginalized and forgotten women who persevered in working towards the hope of a better future despite their difficulties. This book is a must-read for those who want to understand the transformation of Keong Saik Road and the struggles faced by those who lived in the red-light precinct in the 1970s.

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Mummy, why do you always have to leave for 17A…17A Keong Saik Road recounts Charmaine Leung’s growing-up years on Keong Saik Road in the 1970s when it was a prominent red-light precinct in Chinatown in Singapore. An interweaving of past and present narratives, 17A Keong Saik Road tells of her mother’s journey as a young child put up for sale to becoming the madame of a brothel in Keong Saik. Unfolding her story as the daughter of a brothel operator and witnessing these changes to her family, Charmaine traces the transformation of the Keong Saik area from the 1930s to the present, and through writing, finds reconciliation.A beautiful dedication to the past, to memory, and to the people who have gone before us, 17A Keong Saik Road tells the rich stories of the Ma Je, the Pei Pa Zai, and the Dai Gu Liong—marginalised, forgotten women of the past, who despite their difficulties, persevered in working towards the hope of a better future.

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