News

2 books on Schooling will hit stores soon

Two new books chronicling Olympic champion Joseph Schooling's rise will hit major bookstores at the end of the month.

The two volumes, titled From Kid To King and Schooling Joseph, are works of current and former Straits Times (ST) sports journalists and published by the Straits Times Press.

From Kid To King is a children's book written by The Straits Times news editor Marc Lim. He was formerly the paper's sports editor.

Schooling Joseph is geared towards adult readers. It is compiled by ST sports columnist Rohit Brijnath and former ST sports writer Chan U-Gene, who drew from over a decade of coverage of the swimmer and his achievements by the paper's sports desk.

Both books have received an enthusiastic response, with about 5,000 orders per title from book stores, libraries and distributors.

A small number of limited-edition, hardcover copies of Schooling Joseph will be autographed by the swimmer and used to raise funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Schooling, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, said: "I really wanted to share my story because... I want people to know that anyone can achieve great things as long as he sets his mind to it and gives it his absolute best. Because I'm just like everyone else - a Singaporean boy with a big dream. I hope my story can inspire readers. This is also my way of saying thanks to everyone who has stood by me all these years.

"I'm grateful to be able to do this with ST Press, which has produced great books on our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It's awesome that some proceeds will go to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund."

From Kid To King features illustrations from Ministry of Communications and Information (Singapore) scholar Darel Seow, who uses colour drawings to show Schooling's love of water and his winning performance at the Olympics.

Mr Lim said: "At some point in our lives, we all dreamt of what we'd want to be when we grow up. I hope this book will help set kids, including my son, on that path of self-discovery and realising their dreams, as Joseph did."

Schooling Joseph chronicles his rise from prodigy to international star, covering his United States sojourn as a budding swimmer to his ascension as Olympic champion.

Mr Brijnath said: "Even though Joseph's career has a long way to go, it is important to chronicle this historic Olympic achievement." Schooling is Singapore's only Olympic gold medallist.

The book also features intimate, never-released-before family photos of Schooling, curated by ST picture editor Stephanie Yeow.

Ms Yeow said: "Fans will get an insider's look of him in his most comfortable and intimate moments because it was his mother who shot the thousands of photos."

The Schoolings will also be releasing a 96-page book titled Hello, My Name Is Joseph Schooling, which contains 60 as-yet-unseen photos of the swimmer. The book is expected to hit major bookstores next week.

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.