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© 2020 Penguin SEA

Catagory: Society & Social Sciences

Small Steps to Big Summits

If the mountain doesn’t care, should I still dare?

How long should I grit, and when is it wiser to quit?

Do I stay in place, or run a new race?

What if resilience isn’t about conquering mountains at all, but about laughing at the times you nearly fell off them? If you’ve ever wondered how climbing Mount Everest can lead to evading soldiers in Russia, skiing away from polar bears in Greenland, or having a mental breakdown in the middle of Seoul, Small Steps to Big Summits has some answers — just don’t expect tidy ones.

From the thin air of Everest to the fluorescent glare of management consulting strategy sessions, Jane Lee has chased records, promotions, and that elusive thing called “purpose.” She has led teams where the stakes were life or death, and others where the greatest peril was a poorly formatted PowerPoint deck. Along the way, she has discovered that whether you’re wearing climbing boots or power heels, progress usually comes with blisters, detours, and the roaring avalanche of self-doubt.

This is not a book about heroic summits. It’s about becoming an accidental leader, coaxing performance out of unlikely teams, and recognizing the questionable wisdom of chasing conventional success — while finding meaning instead in the missteps, heartbreaks, and near-misses.

Part expedition log and part boardroom confessional, Small Steps to Big Summits speaks to anyone who has ever climbed too high, worked too hard, or lived too neatly, and discovered that the best stories come not from the summits, but from the glorious art of stumbling forward.

Penguin Select Classics: Tess of the D’ Urbervilles (Original, Unabridged Classic)

“Did it never strike your mind that what every woman says some women may feel?”

Set in the thriving countryside of England, this is the story of a vibrant young girl, Tess, who was leading a life of considerable agency, freedom, happiness, and aspirations. However, everything changed when her family discovered they were descendants of nobility and inherited the heavy and consequential surname of d’Urberville. Suddenly, Tess from the countryside became Tess d’Urberville, and with that name came the restrictions of England’s upper-class society. She could no longer think, act, or live on her own terms. Conforming to her new reality began to stifle and drain her spirit. The final nail in the coffin was her encounter with Alec d’Urberville, which irrevocably altered the course of her life. Written with profound emotional depth and thought-provoking prose, Tess’s journey is an ode to women and a call to never give up on the power they hold within.

Penguin Select Classics: Tess of the D’ Urbervilles (Original, Unabridged Classic, Premium Hardbound Collector’s Edition, Ideal for Gifting)

“Did it never strike your mind that what every woman
says some women may feel?”

Set in the thriving countryside of England, this is the story of a
vibrant young girl, Tess, who was leading a life of considerable
agency, freedom, happiness, and aspirations.
However, everything changed when her family discovered they were
descendants of nobility and inherited the heavy and consequential
surname of d’Urberville. Suddenly, Tess from the countryside
became Tess d’Urberville, and with that name came the restrictions
of England’s upper-class society.
She could no longer think, act, or live on her own terms. Conforming
to her new reality began to stifle and drain her spirit. The final
nail in the coffin was her encounter with Alec d’Urberville, which
irrevocably altered the course of her life.
Written with profound emotional depth and thought-provoking
prose, Tess’s journey is an ode to women and a call to never give up
on the power they hold within.

Start With One

Caught up in the distractions of our daily lives, we often forget to pause and truly see the world around us. Start With One is a celebration of the extraordinary potential within ordinary people. Through real-life stories, this book highlights the profound impact of small, meaningful acts of kindness by everyday heroes—individuals who chose to step up and make a difference, often without seeking recognition or glory.

These stories, filled with courage, resilience, and heart, remind us that heroism doesn’t require capes or headlines—it simply requires a choice. With wit and warmth, the author weaves together accounts of people who acted selflessly, showing that even small gestures can create powerful ripples of change.

This inspiring collection is not just a testament to the goodness in humanity; it’s a call to action. It invites readers to believe in their own ability to make an impact, no matter how small the act may seem. Whether you’re searching for hope or ready to be the hope, Start With One will leave you inspired to see the hero within yourself.

The Collaboration Equation

The story of humankind is marked by breathtaking advancements. From mastering fire, steam, and electricity to developing artificial intelligence, there seems to be no limit to human ingenuity. However, the trade-offs that accompanied these remarkable feats, like environmental degradation, increased hypercompetition, isolation, and self-centred individualism, are increasingly resulting in negative outcomes that are beyond sustainable levels. As global challenges become more complex, the future of humanity hinges on our ability to leverage our interconnectedness, master the art of inspiring shared purpose, and nurture mutual trust to achieve what would be impossible individually.

The Collaboration Equation champions this view by presenting a compelling argument that collaboration—not competition—is the fundamental organizing principle of life. This book explores the biological, psychological, and societal foundations of collaboration, revealing that the key to thriving ecosystems, successful organizations, and harmonious societies lies in collaborative interaction.

By putting forward a simple formula (Collaboration = Shared Purpose x Mutual Trust) that encapsulates the essence of effective collaboration across all levels of existence, the book illustrates how collaboration is embedded in our DNA, from bacteria that form protective biofilms to humans who build complex civilizations. Through examples and case studies, it demonstrates how shared purpose aligns individuals and groups towards common goals, while mutual trust enables the open exchange of ideas and the willingness to work collectively for humanity’s greater good.

Penguin Select Classics: The Communist Manifesto

“The free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.”

The Communist Manifesto, a philosophical document, through its engaging story-like narrative explains the rise of industrial capitalism and sheds light on the capitalistic system’s effect on society.

Arguing that throughout history, societies have been marked by class struggles, where the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) has oppressed the proletariat (working class) for the pursuit of more profits.

More importantly, it urges people to question and think about norms and administrations that are not genuinely working for everyone’s quality of life, asking citizens to live with an open and thinking mind.

Letters from Gaza

LETTERS FROM GAZA is more than a book – it’s a voice from the silence, a heartbeat in the wreckage. Through poetry, letters, and monologues, 30 Gazans lay bare their fears, grief, and relentless hope amid devastation.

Since October 2023 the world has been witnessing the unfolding of the largest humanitarian crisis of this century. And the men, women and children spoken of around the world, fight being silenced through their written words.
While we lamented at the visuals of unimaginable destruction, loss, and unsurmountable pain, there were people living that reality.
Surviving genocide isn’t a blanket experience; there are many facets which remain unheard. This collection, the first of in-the-moment reflections, is pertinent in bringing focus to the human stories behind the crisis, the emotions that rang loudly in the silence of the night, when the shutters went down and the dust had settled.
Throughout the year, 30 people living in the Gaza strip, of varied ages and ethnographies, penned their feelings, fears, memories, thoughts, and hopes on the tempestuous days of war. Each story is a reminder of the world held within every person and how humanity at large is at stake with them.
Collected and compiled by Mahmoud and Mohammed, two prolific writers in Gaza, this collection stands as a testament to unparalleled resilience and unveils the unimaginable emotional scars of war; leaving us overcome with tenderness and compassion.

Movies to Save Our World

Through a close analysis of more than seventy popular documentaries and feature movies from around the world, produced in the twenty-first century, this book explores the theme of poverty, inequality, ecological degradation and revolutionary change, all associated with a contemporary crisis of neoliberal globalization in a world where it has become so pervasive. Profit rules, while poverty and inequality make the political ground fertile for populist manipulation. By returning power to the people, healthier forms of populism can lead the way to progressive revolutionary change that enriches democracy and corrects for social injustice. However, through ideological and political manipulation, populism can also take more debased authoritarian forms, promoting conformism, domination, exploitation, marginalization and degradation of humanity and its habitat.

The book urges progressive moviemakers to take advantage of advancements in digital technologies and to collaborate, in post-pandemic times, with educators to develop public deliberation skills and inspire a new generation of informed and compassionate change-makers.

Seeking Home

On the brink of her thirties, Amanda Oon moved with her ang moh husband from London to Singapore—the country of her mother’s childhood; neighbour to the white cliffs and colonial shophouse streets of Ipoh where her father grew up. As they carve a new life in an unfamiliar country, she tracks down her family’s history and shares their stories of growing up in Singapore and Malaysia. The food, culture, and people that shape the identities of these two countries paint a vivid and nuanced portrait of their life and culture.

This is a story of family, race, identity, and self-discovery. But, above all, it is a cultural portrait of Singapore and Malaysia’s rich heritage and history.

Penguin Select Classics: A Room of One’s Own

“So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.”

It’s the 20th century and Virginia Woolf is invited to speak to a roomful of young writers at a few colleges. She left the room and society at large perplexed with the thoughts she raised. Would Shakespeare’s sisters be given the same room to flourish if she had his skill sets? Can a women flourish if given the physical space to be by herself and ideate? Can a woman find a professional identity if not infrastructurally empowered? As a society do we allow this?

This book, although a work of fiction with a fictitious narrator and setting, is inspired by the lectures delivered by Woolf. As a revolutionary work, it remains poignant and relevant even today as we seemingly progress to an equal society but struggle with conditionings of gender roles. Despite its heavy subject, it’s an enjoyable, funny, sarcastic, and sensitive read; like a conversation with a dear friend.