If the Sky Were to Fall...

by Gary Lit Ying Loong

Through a highly personal and engaging journey, this book exposes the myths and mysteries surrounding the most tumultuous period of Malayan history. It illuminates our understanding of the subterranean forces shaping the people and country then and now.

Almost immediately after WWI, the British fought a long “Emergency” war against the communist guerrillas who had bravely helped them to fight against the Japanese earlier. This book details the gruesome atrocities suffers by the people of Malaya under Japanese Occupation during WWII. It also unveils the reasons behind the rise of communism among the young and old Malayans. It shows the British’s lack of appreciation for the subtleties and complexities involved in the various issues facing the innocent people.

In this decade long war, the innocent people of Malaya bore the brunt of the sufferings. More than half a million of them were forcibly relocated, with neither proper notice nor compensation, into double-barbed wired concentration camps called New Villages (San Chun). This book reveals the heavy-handed surveillance and restrictions adopted by the British as well as the resistance towards and rejection of this totalising disciplinary project by the villagers. It shows how they confronted and contended with the unfair and unconscionable classification, normalisation and reformation of them into “docile” subjects.

By interrogating the official narrative, this memoir reveals the hidden truths, tensions and dilemmas involved. It gives voice to the dislocated, dispossessed and discontented and attends to the neglected, subjugated and persecuted caught up in this turbulent historical era.

Genres: Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lit Ying Loong chronicles his grandparents trials and tribulations during the early days of the Japanese invasion of Malaya up to post-Merdeka Malaysia and the new nation's struggle with the communists insurgents. His grandparents had 13 children (the author's father being one of them) and their desperate attenpts to survive in the jungle to avoid Japanese patrols were both awe inspiring and heart wrenching to read. They lost one child to malaria, another daughter was given to a family friend to adopt in return for food. They had to live in caves, fight off snakes and tigers. When they managed to settle in a village in Japanese occupied Malaya, they had to endure Japanese atrocities and betrayal from collaborators.

What brought down this book for me from a possible 3 stars to just 2.5 (2 stars in the actual ratings because GR doesn't do halfsies) is the writing style. To my eyes Mr. Lit's writing style reminds me of the story assignments we used to write in school during English class. It's not bad, just....pedestrian. For one thing details are lacking. We are just told about this and that with very little or no background information before moving on to the next episode. It felt like reading a diary entry. For a memoir one would expect a bit more context not just to make it more interesting but to give the reader a clearer picture of the time. Perhaps it is to be expected since the author had to rely on the reminiscences of his father who either doesn't remember or chose not to remember.

Nevertheless a good account of a Chinese family running away from the horrors of war and surviving through it all. Slightly brought down by the writing style.

[Emily Leong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to read this book "If the Sky were to Fall" as i born in Kampar, Malaysia too. The author shared his father's story on how he survived during the Japanese evasion time. 

This book is an eye opener for me to explore the beauty of my hometown. I didnt know that Kampar was once a busy and famous town in Malaysia, even before KL city. I like the additional "Cantonese" flavour that you added into the writing which really brings such great impact and closeness on the cultural side of people who lived in Ipoh and Kampar. I like the character of Ah Keong to understand the insight of him, the narrow escape from became a slave in Thailand border to build bridge and how he managed to come back Temoh with a team of friends and how he ended up as communist. Besides that, the author had successfully made the history so lively and juicy compared to how we studied Sejarah back then in our tertiary school.

[Dhevarajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and touching memoir but needs better editing to fix errors and repetitive passages.

[Elizabeth Ho · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was captivating from start to end with simple yet meaningful writing. finished this in 3 days which is quite rare for me when it comes to history books. my mother went to the author's talk a while ago at Taman Tugu in Malaysia and got this book. If im not mistaken its available at MPH too. i 100% recommend this book to all malaysians to gain a deeper understanding of the true extent ww2 had on the innocent peoples.

[Ho Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve rated this 5. Not much of these were taught in Malaysian school, either these were deliberately omitted or we’ve focused too much on other topics. All lessons and stories from those who fought hard during WWII, independence and communist insurgency, ought to be appreciated by younger generations, as those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. My father was too young to remember the Japanese Occupation. My Grandparents ( both sides of the family), they passed on when I was young. Imagine the stories ..
Well I can only imagine.Good book to read.

[Khzero Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth 5 star rating. Very few local authors written about stories during WWII japanese occupation and Emergency. Read like an adventure story.

[Elizabeth G · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a must read for Malaysian to know more about what happened during the WW2 and the emergency period. I hope there will be more books like this for our younger generations.