About the Book

Frog Under A Coconut Shell means in Malay, “Katuk Bawah Tempurong”, an idiom which likens someone to a frog that lives under a coconut shell, who believes the shell to be its entire world.

It is a reference to the author’s own mother, who although herself uneducated and living in a parochial existence in a small kampong (attap village), believed in and struggled for a greater vision—the right to educate her daughter. The author beautifully evokes the experience of living with her family in rural Potong Pasir of the 1950s and 60s, and paints in heartwarming detail, her mother’s life journey from the bloom of her youth to her present affliction with Alzheimer’s disease. In part a nostalgic memoir of Old Singapore, Frog Under A Coconut Shell, is also, most wholeheartedly, a testament to the love and courage of a mother that changed the life of her daughter forever.

About the Author

Josephine Chia is a Peranakan who is proud of her heritage. Born and raised in Kampong Potong Pasir, Singapore, she was an Assistant Nurse (Dental) before graduating with a BA (Hons) from the National University of Singapore. Since migrating to England in 1985 and reading for a Masters in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, Josephine has won several prizes for her short stories in the UK, including the prestigious Ian St James Award. Her stories have been published in two UK anthologies; and her novel and short stories were published extensively in Singapore. Josephine also teachers yoga and has written a book on yoga and health.