Letters to Home

by Ooi Kok Hin (editor), Aish Kumar (editor), Nik Mohamed Rashid Nik Zurin (editor)

24 universities. 7 countries. 1 hope.
These are the voices of young Malaysians all over the world--penning down our dreams, fears, concerns, aspirations, and hope to our nation, our home.
Featuring letters by: Azalia Zaharuddin, Fikri Fisal, Ng Jung Kian, Aish Kumar, Zaryff Razali, Tan Heang Lee, Billy Hoo, Nurul Ismawi, Ooi Kok Hin, David Lim, Rexy Prakash, Tharmelinggem Pillai, Abdul Rahman Shah, Shamil Norshidi, Shahir Shukor, Benedict Weerasena, Nik Mohamed Rashid Nik Zurin, Achmad Bakhtiar M Yuni, Justin Lim Jia Tian, Sarah Syahirah binti Abdullah, Nizhan Faraz Rizal and Eddy Arief Zulkifly, Asyraf Muiz Roslan, Hasbullah Faudzi, Ian Chew, Izzat Adha, Puteri Eleni Megat Osman, Mohamad Syazwan Abdul Rahman and Mohd Izzuddin Ramli.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories

234 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2016

About the author

Ooi Kok Hin berasal dari Pulau Pinang. Makanan kegemarannya adalah nasi ayam Hainan dan cendol Penang Road. Dia berumur 22 tahun, masih bujang, dan merupakan pelajar Sains Politik dan Falsafah tahun terakhir di The Ohio State University. Dia juga adalah kru Universiti Terbuka Anak Muda (UTAM), salah satu penulis buku "Alif Lam Lam Ha", anak murid Naruto dan peminat Manchester United. Sementara membuat persiapan menghadapi pengangguran selepas tamat pengajian, dia menulis buku "Aku Kafir, Kau Siapa".

Reviews

[Syaihan Syafiq · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who has never got the opportunity to travel outside of Malaysia, this collection of essays gives a fresh and interesting perspective of people who have traveled the world, with regards on what they expect/dream/missed about Malaysia.

Some essays are good, while some are a bit meh.

But all in all, this is a pretty good book to read over the weekend.

[Sherry Mahanum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening.
I enjoyed every entry.

[heyitsbookishme · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me well enough, you would have realised how much I love reading books written by local authors. It gives me a great sense of pride to see my fellow Malaysians contributing to the writing and reading community. What's more, I feel responsible to share these great books to more readers - hence why I was more than happy to read and review this book.

Letters to Home is a collection of stories and thoughts penned by 30 young Malaysians who all have one major thing in common - hope for our beloved country, Malaysia. As you read these letters, you will come across them making a stand on topics close to heart, formulating their views and sharing their aspirations for the greater good of our community. Coupled with some bahasa rojak and light Malaysian humour, this was an enjoyable read!

If Malaysia was a Pokemon, Canada is what it might evolve into - Nizhan Faraz Rizal & Eddy Arief Zulkifly

The letters written are very distinct from one another, making it very refreshing to progress and dive into. From Malaysian politics, to education, to freedom of speech, to people disabilities etc. - there's something in this book for everyone. Oh and may I add that I made it a point to read this book in public - just to give it some coverage it deserves. It was very promising to see Malaysians looking over curiously at the cover, and several even approached me to know more!

While our child law currently upholds the general rights of children in Malaysia, more reforms are needed to protect specific groups of children, including the children living in orphanages. - Puteri Eleni Megat Osman

Overall, I am extremely happy with the selection of topics included and I have high hopes for more stories to be published in a similar manner - part two please! There's so much to learn from the book and it is indeed an insightful source to kickstart healthy discussions with family and friends. Read it with an open mind and form your own opinions. Connect with the authors and immerse yourself with conversation. We Malaysian youths have so much more to do, learn and explore. Let's keep on going.

Together, we can make a difference. - Rexy Prakash

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I would like to thank Buku Fixi and Matahari Books for this review copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Regina Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY BEST NON-Fiction PURCHASE.
Right from the 1st letter i was already in love with the whole content. Moving on to touch some serious subject matters and politely demanding some understandings and changes on racial issues, environments, sosial injustices, religion and politics. Some personal pledges.
This could be my 2017 favorite local book. Agree or not, those letters represent voices of the young and their attachment to beloved Malaysia.

"it is not enough to air our grievances as keyboard warriors . It is not enough to vote once every 5 years. We are called to defend our rights and perform our duties as citizen every day. If something is not right, make it right. Fix the house don;t burn it down," Ooi Kok HIn on To All Malaysian, Welocme Home.

So if you are a student looking for a progressive kind of reading material, this is the book. It's not a dead serious piece, but something for you to ponder. Feelings when studying abroad, when the young were rope into politic, missing home, countering misconceptions even on something locals and who knows it might provide you some answers you've been asking in silent.

Kudos to Matahari book for this efforts. Congratulations to all the Editors.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of writing pieces by young Malaysians from different backgrounds. Some are based abroad. Some are local. Certain controversial topics such as affirmative action and investment with no return are the same old, same old issue but through a younger voice. Entries that appeared somewhat technical were actually derived from some of the author’s academic work. A summary of their thesis, I suppose.

I extremely disliked all the sarcasm-filled entires (Nurul Ismawa’s East vs West Malaysia and Justin Lim’s rant on the ‘typical Malaysian’). There’s too much sarcasm in our nation these days. I’m just tired of even finding it in writing. Ugh!

Aish Kumar’s Xenophobia piece about immigrant workers was certainly fresh. Granted, this is a relatively newer issue compared to the old days. Still, I couldn’t help but notice how Malaysians in general are portrayed as being solely at fault. The author seemed to discount all the problems these foreign folks bring into the country? The hatred and annoyance is there for a reason. Not that I’m saying it’s justified.

David Lim’s points about Bahasa Malaysia was my personal favourite. Not only because I agree with most of his points. But rather due to the humbleness exuded. Rexy Prakash’s take on the environment was downright scary. I never realized how bad a predicament our nation is currently facing.

Hasbullah Fauzi’s writing on working hard is definitely a slap to the face. From page 202 for example, “is it fair to say that those who are rich work hard, while those who are poor are lazy and work less?” Undeniably, the means of gaining wealth is ultimately what determines the outcome. Sadly, most people choose to pretend such a thing doesn’t exist.

Our nations’s brain drain issue was addressed beautifully by Billy Hoo. Despite being exceptionally lengthy (surprised this was even allowed), Fikri Faisal’s take on the current state of our Mahasiswa provided an excellent summary on how the issue of ‘intellectual containment’ came to be.

Overall, I know how the local cuisine can be close to the heart of every Malaysian. But some food-related examples here felt forced and in fact, off. You don’t need to squeeze references to nasi lemak and roti canai everytime just because you’re writing about Malaysia. And it would have been nice if all the entries had a consistent word limit. Not only to be fair, but it also helps with the pacing.

[Faiz Mohd Noor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to see this kind of book being published. This kind of book, being a collection of articles discussing Malaysian social issues written by our Malaysian youths will be a precious piece to my collection.

Though I have to say my favorite content would be "Sakuras are beautiful, but nasi lemak is better", "Investment without return", "Do not ignore the national language" and "Leaving the orphanage: an adventure upon the coming of age". These I love for the art of writing, as well as the issue of the content itself.

Overall a good read for someone like me who still love the country and have not yet given up on Malaysia.

[farah ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I'd like to thank my friends who got this book for my birthday last year. I instantly fell in love with the cover and the concept.

As much as I tried to love this book, I just couldn't do so. I swear I tried.

Halfway into the book and I was thinking of giving this book a solid 4 stars rating, however towards the end, I decided maybe 3 is enough.

This book features Malaysian students who are/were studying abroad and they have written stories or letters back home (to Malaysia). The introductory was good, the first letter from a student who's studying in Japan was beautiful. It's suddenly, that the stories went from "missing Tanah Air" to complaints about Malaysia from students who spent three to four years abroad.

The letters, some talked about stuffs we rarely talk about, like ketuanan melayu although it has been on the rise lately and also about orphanages and people with disabilities. Though there are a few about politics, I find the writing rather amusing. The young Malaysians who wrote those letters are indeed matured, some provided with promising statistics with personal findings and some are personal opinions but both did great in terms of elaborating their points and beliefs.

Racism and national language are widely talked though most are identical, revolves around "My language is better than yours", Malaysia's education and everyone's roles in combating racism in Malaysia (spoiler alert: it's almost identical to my high school essay, just a little bit longer)

A few of my favourites are Sakuras Are Beautiful, But Nasi Lemak Is Better, To All Malaysians, Welcome Home, and Pendatang.

Ooi Kok Hin's writing was captivating, I found myself coming back to the letter and read it so many times, I have never traveled outside the country but it made me miss my home, miss my Malaysia.

I'm trying to see the good more than the bad, so more than half of these letters are very good and well-written, so in short, it's a good book, but like anyone else, it could've become something better.

Nevertheless, to all of us Malaysians, regardless where we are, in a rural countryside like mine, or somewhere urban, or abroad, welcome home.

[Cassandra Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I want to see what other overseas studying Malaysians had to say to their home as they remained away? As a writer at heart and a sentimental soul who constantly felt homesick in my 4 years in the UK, the answer to that question was definitely a yes (that, and I'm quite biased towards supporting the local book industry).

Written by a variety of Malaysians coming from all sorts of backgrounds, this small, compact book contains the hopes, dreams, aspirations, frustrations and worries of overseas Malaysian students as they look back at the developments in their tanah air and their lives before they were shipped to study overseas. What I appreciated about this book was that it covered a variety of topics i.e. from environmental concerns to the increasing Islamization taking place in Malaysia to the history of student activism in Malaysia. The voices of each individual student was also preserved which made the reading experience even richer and brought out the diversity that is Malaysia (and yes, no words were censored).

I picked up this book to read during this season mainly because I didn't have the mental space to absorb too much information given my heavy load at my day job. Each letter is given its own so you can divide your reading into separate chunks, avoiding being overwhelmed. That being said, the content is sufficient to evoke emotions so this book makes for a meaningful but light read!

Particularly if you've studied overseas for quite some time and know what its like to feel homesick, you will enjoy this book!

[Winnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As always, in essay collections, there are going to be ones that you don't get on with. Unfortunately, I didn't care for most of the essays in here, as I found them a little too dry for nonfiction. Those would fare better in academic journals, but not for the colloquial reader. I did, however enjoy a couple of them, notably the one where a daughter is writing letters to her mother from Japan, and another about an international student in America defending the position of a more liberal-sided Kelab UMNO. A good effort, for a local publication nonetheless.

[Ch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable read. In terms of capturing the thoughts of young people and having them compiled in a neat paperback form it has achieved its purpose.

Beginning with its strengths, though the authors may be critical of issues, they never write in anguish or in despair. Many Malaysians are accustomed to talking down the country as if it has gotten to a point of no return, and this book spares us that. Instead, some of the authors give readers a cause for action, and gets people into a mood that the country can do better because the people can do better.

An added bonus would be to read this book while one is actually away from the country. So another standout strength is how relatable this book is for any Malaysian overseas, it does do the job of making the reader desire to return home and do something.

I also like how certain sensitive topics were dealt with, some with wit and others with frankness. If Malaysia Baharu is truly to be Malaysia Baharu, this should be the way forward.

Nevertheless, I still do have my reservations (thus 4 instead of 5 stars). One does come away feeling as though only one side of the political spectrum was represented and/or invited to write. In these days of social media silos, where "platforming" and "de-platforming" can easily be used to determine which opposing side gets to be heard, this ought to be a crucial factor in compiling such a book. I'd definitely appreciate if subsequent editions can adopt a side-by-side "debate" format, with different sides invited to face off each other's views.

With due consideration to the date when the book was published, it is understandable that the authors and the editor did not foresee the Event of 9 May 2018. Thus, certain essays didn't age very well indeed. It is a precautionary tale, for you and for me, in thinking that the course of history is an unending straight line.

In sum, I'd welcome anyone to read this book. It encourages engagement and hopefully, better dialogue with all Malaysians, home or abroad.

[Jaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters To Home Young Malaysians Write Back!, a book I'm actually going to read a second time, third time and many more times I need to get its 'juice' out and let it sips into my brain.

This book is a collection of essays (my favourite kind of book) written by 29 young Malaysians, mahasiswa-mahasiswi from overseas and also local universities. The essays are pretty random with only one unifying theme I can think of, ideas for a better Malaysia. Awesome! Ideas are great. Komen-komen dan herdikan picisan kau boleh baca di Facebook, tapi idea untuk memperbaiki masalah, rare.

The topic presented in this book ranges from politics, language and financial literacy to a rant of a guy about his Instagram being "full of selfies and coffee arts" for as long as he can remember. LOL. But in all honesty, this is definitely one of the best books I've ever read in my whole life. Probably one of the most eye-opening as well. We have so many issues at hand in relation to Malaysia which as you may have guessed, are being pushed aside by our medias, digital or printed as insignificant, or simply not worth writing about. Sad...

You will definitely gain something from reading this book and it may affect your worldview. No, let me rephrase. It will affect your worldview. No joke. For someone who is not that caring about my surroundings, this book has opened my eyes, even if only a bit, to actually put myself forward and be more aware of what's going on around me.

[Miyuke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for someone who likes to think. Deep thinking I mean. This book is about hope which is what young Malaysian wish for. Some writers in this book write down about current issues and some wrote about what they are thinking while they was away from home. Away from Malaysia, pursuing their dreams and write for better future in their homeland; our homeland-Malaysia.

This book is full of experience and information. Also full of ideas which is strongly recommended to all politicians as well as people's representative. This is not only young Malaysian voice. This also represent us as a citizen. It is something to care about.

[Squilvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was scrolling through my Goodreads when I came across this book. I'm surprised I haven't reviewed it yet since I already read it a few years ago. To be honest, the only letter/essay I remember is the one about a student from Japan sending a letter home to their mother. I'm sure there are few letters and essays about politics that I breezed through. Overalls solid 2.75 stars. Good try for local publication.

[Khairul Umar Hamzah (Kuhaf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is good to have the issues being touched and discussed and I believe this particular book is also suitable to be used as a compulsory reading material for the secondary school students.

They were written in a fairly moderate tone without leaning to any of the sides and look like it may jolt good thinking among the students.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

oklah, since essay collections more often than not tend to be a mixed bag. tak puas hati dengan how some seem to be a bit bone dry & not engaging, which is a shame when the topic itself is pretty interesting.

[Goh Jiayin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is really delightful to read what the young Malaysians have to say about Malaysia. It seems that they have a very deep appreciation and love for our home. And their vast knowledge and insight really amazed me.

[Ahnaf Yunus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This initiative to collect several essays from different people of the Malaysian is a vibrant material to be read, especially living in a multicultural society. May this inculcate the unity amongst us and increases harmony

[Deckard Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is mandatory reading for a Malaysian. Negaraku tanah tumpahnya darahku.

[Fajar Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kbat betul buku ni

[Rainy Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some letters are quite heavy to digest and some others are entertaining.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accounts from Malaysia's next generation. It's a great read not only for Malaysians, but for anyone that's visited, plans to visit, or wants to know more about the country.

The first passage is in the style of a few letters to parents back home, and the rest are short personal essays, each around a different topic.

Foreigners will learn new words and acronyms, and be exposed to popular cultural impacts like Dr. Mahathir's "The Malay Dilemma" and the "I Want to Touch a Dog" event. You'll also learn about Malaysian politics, local food, and the many challenges that come with their diversity.

Hearing what young Malaysians are concerned about for their country's future is fascinating. They have incredible foresight and an open mindedness that is important for Malaysia’s future.

A sequel post-GE 14 would be great. $5 in-store and $3 Kindle.

[sabsy┊͙✧˖*°࿐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable read but quite heavy to digest.

[Komukill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that are close to home. This is one such, a non-fiction collection of essays by young Malaysians to other Malaysians about issues that plague our home. Some of the essays were really good. This book is not only for reading, it is for reflecting too.

[Maisarah Mohd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is awesome!
Although it is not a fiction book, the writings make me feel a lil bit emotional, haha.... I guest, the writers write from their hearts. At the end of the day, we share the common ground, that is, we are Malaysian. And this book, from my opinion, is not just a collection of essays, but a collection of hopes!