I saw the Facebook post featuring the Teenage Textbook and to be honest, I was surprised that it was actually a pretty popular book back in the day. I always thought that it was one of the less well-known local books, as most of my peers did not hear of this book before. The reason why the Teenage Textbook was one of the books that really left an impact on me (i.e. moved me) was the very Singaporean and nostalgic feel it had. I stumbled upon this book in my school library when I was in Secondary 1 about 6-7 years ago, and to use a pretty cliched term, I fell in love with it. To me, reading this book about JC life and what it meant to be a teenager when I was Secondary 1 was quite an eye-opener. The book paints an imaginative and in many ways, rose-tinted, image of what JC life can be like. The characters were all the more vivid and unique with all their 'stereotypical' characteristics, from the school belle Sissy Song, to the average guy Chung Kai, which really spoke to me. I managed to find the sequel the Teenage Workbook at a secondhand sale, and immediately plunged straight into it. For the past 6 years, while some books that I used to love a lot start to 'lose favor' as I grew up, the Teenage Workbook still remained one of my loves. Every time I feel down or stressed out, especially when I became a JC student and found myself being saddled with all the different commitments, all I had to do was turn to the Teenage Workbook and take a break from reality. No matter how many times I read it, it always seems to be a whole new experience for me. Recently, while browsing through books at a bookstore, I stumbled upon a cover that I had been searching for, the Teenage Textbook. When I reentered the pages of the Textbook, I realized how much I've missed. I guess, although the Teenage Textbook and the Teenage Workbook are two separate books, I feel that both books are inseparable, as together, they present a pretty funny, interesting and moving tale of the life of JC students in Singapore. Even though the books were written in the 1980s, I still find that the story resonates with me, even with 2 decades separating both the period in which the story was written/set in and my JC experience. It is also fun to use the story as a platform to think about how JC life in the past was like - of course, while taking the story with a pinch of salt. All in all, the Textbook and the Workbook are indeed great books that have moved me.
