Does the word "childhood" call up mushy sentiments and nostalgic memories where time has given a rosy glow to what has long gone? This collection presents a different side to Singapore's award-winning poet who sets out to recall a real childhood, where children are not the little innocents people think all children are, and growing up is full of hazards, not the least of which is the author herself, recalling some of her experiences growing up in the 1950s.