Thank you, Larry Ng!

Praise for Ipohgal and

The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter

This book can be read as a humble yet assertive girl’s memoir.

It is a collection of stories told in a refreshingly simple way.  And there is disarming honesty here :

“…my parents and I dropped on our beds and snored like pigs.”

Not to mention ghastly events told in a no-holds-barred manner:

“Once singled out, these unlucky people would be taken away for interrogation and their faces would never be seen again.”

As the preface says, the book dwells mainly on how life was for the poor and underprivileged during the 1960s/70s. There was much superstition, but also the smell of blood, sweat, and tears of what the author calls “the voiceless and the faceless” in a city called Ipoh, as they struggled to survive, to find meaning in a society where working people were often lost in a sea of ancient customs and changing societal norms.

As a former Ipoh citizen, I can hear the sounds, see the actions, and feel the emotions of the characters recalled by this particular scissor sharpener’s daughter.  Through her words, the faceless and the voiceless are finally seen and heard.

A laudable first book by a most promising author.

Review of Ipohgal’s
Stories of the Scissor Sharpener’s Daughter
by
Larry Ng
MA (English), Iowa State University of Science and Technology Ames, IA, USA.
Former Ipoh ACS boy, Retired Teacher.

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Thank you, my teacher, Mrs. Wong Yew Choong!

Praise for Ipohgal and

The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter

Ipohgal has written a book which a reader would find difficult to put down once he or she starts reading. She writes with unassuming candour, giving her reader an insight into what life was like for a family like hers. She includes a wealth of information about traditional beliefs and attitudes prevalent in many Chinese families at that time, and even now. Her keen powers of observation and attention to detail has enabled her to present us with this interesting true-to-life account of a simple girl, growing up in difficult times, yet happy in her family life. From her childhood, to her school-going years, to the inevitable loss of her parents, this book covers a whole range of experience that is  amusing, frightening, informative and touching….a book not to be missed.

Review of Ipohgal’s
Stories of the Scissor Sharpener’s Daughter
by
Mrs. Wong Yew Choong
Bachelor of Science (University of Malaya), Grad Cert. of Education (University of London)
Retired teacher from Methodist Girls’ Secondary School, Ipoh,

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Thank you, Dr Anthony Pun!

Praise for Ipohgal and

The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter

A Humble Story from a Girl of Humble Beginnings

As I read the tales about the Scissors Sharpeners Daughter (SSD), I was immediately surrounded by mixed emotions of sadness, nostalgia and finally, the joy of relief, when the author subsequently overcome the trials and tribulations in her childhood and teenage years.

These tales are unique as it distills the essence of real life in Ipoh, starting in the early 1940s onwards among ordinary citizens, trying to make ends meet in a small family business. The author was able to capture in a time capsule, the lifestyle and aspirations of a young struggling Chinese immigrant and his family, and his efforts to give the best to his children in Ipoh.  As the tale progressed, the struggles, the patience, the hard-working and the diligence of this first generation immigrant to Malaysia paid off. It is an example of an awe-inspiring testimony of Chinese immigrants who had been successful in his country of adoption. His contributions to his adopted country should not be forgotten, no matter how humble it may be.

Another aspect of the tales dealt with the inter-relations between family members. It puts a very human face to much of the emotions between each member of the family and their events can be a common experience among fellow immigrants. I grew up in Ipoh, hence, I can personally identify and empathized with some of the events and human emotions that happened in the Scissors Sharpening Man’s family.

I hope the author will one day join the ranks of famous Asian women writers, and one of them that come to mind is Han Suyin.  The author has initiated a piece of literature with historical accuracy, that truly put into words for posterity, the life and tribulations of a humble Ipoh citizen and his contribution to the development of Ipoh as a town.  Not many tales were told in English about Chinese settlement in Malaysia but this is a tremendous effort.

People of Ipoh, be proud of a talented daughter of Ipoh!

Review of Frances Yip’s
The Stories of the Scissor Sharpener’s Daughter 
by
Dr Anthony Pun (A proud Alumni of Ipoh ACS)
B Sc (Hons), Ph D from The University of New South Wales
OAM, JP National President Chinese Community Council of Australia,  President, Ipoh ACS Alumni, Australia Chapter & (Click for more detail about Tony).

Author Frances Yip surrounded by her seniors, the Ipoh ACS old salts in KL

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Thank you, Gerry Robert!

Praise for Ipohgal and

The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter

“Frances’ book ‘The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter‘ is wonderful. She shares a personal story that will both inspire and instruct the reader.”

Gerry Robert,

The famous author of the international bestselling “The Millionaire Mindset.”

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Thank you, Ian Anderson!

Praise for Ipohgal and

The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter

188 Hugh Low Street, Ipoh, is to most people, just another of the city’s buildings in need of care and attention, that they pass by without a second glance as they speed towards their destination. Certainly, at first sight, it is no different to several other corner shop houses. They are all in need of repair, with dirty grey walls and broken mail boxes that yearn to be used. Yes this is Ipoh City minus the glitz of the “The Town that Tin Built”. But, no doubt, if those walls could speak they would recount many tales of the Towkays and their chauffeur-driven Mercedes, whisking the families off to Whiteaways to buy the latest in imported goods, or Cold Storage for delicacies to tempt the palate. Today, for most of us, these are only faded memories.

But ipohgal remembers vividly the home she grew up in and the tales her parents told her. Therefore, this, her first book “The Stories of the Scissors Sharpener’s Daughter“ , puts these stories into a compendium of memories that take in, not only family life, but the sights, sounds and smells of Ipoh Town as it was when she was young. In these stories she brings those dirty grey walls back to life and provides a colourful montage of Ipoh, its people and places, with a refreshing style which makes it compulsive reading wherever you come from.

To conclude, I am delighted to write this short piece in support of “188 Hugh Low Street” as ipohgal started her public writing career with us at http://www.ipohworld.org as a weekly contributor. Then we featured her in our book “Ipoh, My Home Town”, published in 2011 and here today she has risen to be an author in her own right.

Congratulations young lady.

Commander Ian Anderson RN (Rtd)
Managing Director
Ipoh World Sdn Bhd

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