“Leaving, according to the familiar political narrative, was a sign that someone was giving up on their country or wasn’t proud of his or her identity. Those who decided to emigrate were pigeonholed as dissidents. This stereotype was not only inaccurate, but made us one-dimensional in our apparent single-mindedness to leave behind a country we supposedly felt was no longer good enough.” Migration is a sensitive topic, especially for over one million Malaysians who choose to venture abroad. The act of leaving their own lives behind is fraught with challenges, ranging from loneliness to the elusive search for a better quality of life. But at the heart of their actions is the fact that their lives and identities are never going to be the same. In veteran journalist Julia Yeow’s book, her departure for Australia becomes a series of lessons about the personal and political aspects of leaving. Deeply personal and fiercely observant, Welcome Home is a book for an age of intolerance and new boundaries.

1. Yeow, Julia ? Anecdotes. 2. Immigrants ? Anecdotes. 3. Anecdotes.