Books

Dr Lee Su Kim is the Malaysian author of 16 books, an educator and cultural activist.

 A sixth generation nyonya from Kuala Lumpur, she is the author of a bestselling trilogy of short stories on the Peranakan Babas and Nyonyas:  Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers, Sarong Secrets: Of Love, Loss and Longing and Manek Mischiefs:  Of Patriarchs Playboys and Paramours. Kebaya Tales won First prize in the Popular-Star Readers’ Choice Awards 201 1 (Fiction).  2019 - the 10th Anniversary Edition of Kebaya Tales includes new stories, Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest 2nd Edition (2019), co-authored with Stephen J Hall, updates the best-selling classic. An enlarged Third Edition (2026) adds hilarity with added cartoons and more Manglish.

2026 Run My Daughters Run, is a unique novel which explores a young nyonya's inner world as she and her family survive the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, published by UK based Monsoon Books,

Editions and numerous reprints of Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian (1997, 2004, 2017) and Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest (2019, 2026) are bestsellers.

A Nyonya In Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State written in Texas where she did her doctoral degree, uses humor to highlight cross-cultural encounters.  Dr Lee Su Kim has also authored earlier short story collections and English language materials. She has over thirty academic publications.


​​Run My Daughters Run 2026

Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, Run, My Daughters, Run follows the Lee family, a Straits Chinese household in Kuala Lumpur, as they struggle to survive a brutal and bewildering new reality. At the heart of the story is Pei Lin, a bright, bookish 17-year-old, whose aspirations for education and independence are upended by war, hunger and fear.

With rich, evocative prose, the novel alternates between Pei Lin’s perspective and that of her mother, Kim Neo, a strong-willed Nyonya matriarch haunted by a painful secret. As the family navigates raids, curfews, betrayal and starvation, they must also confront the disintegration of colonial certainties and the fragility of family bonds under occupation.

A powerful tale of endurance, womanhood and the unbreakable spirit of a family caught in the crosswinds of history.  https://www.monsoonbooks.co.uk/product/run-my-daughters-run-by-lee-su-kim/ On Amazon

A full publications list can be found below.

Book cover for 'Run, My Daughters, Run' by Lee Su Kim, depicting a woman walking down a dirt path at sunset, with palm trees, a house, and an airplane in the background, with the title and author's name prominently displayed.

Three colorful books with floral and cultural designs on the covers. The pink book on the left is titled 'Kebaya Tales' and features black-and-white photographs of three women in traditional attire. The green book in the center is titled 'Sarong Secrets' and shows a black-and-white photo of a family, with decorative floral illustrations. The blue book on the right is titled 'Manek Mischiefs' and includes a black-and-white photo of a man in front of a car, with floral beadwork patterns.
Front cover and back cover of a book titled "A Nyonya in Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State" by Lee Su Kim. The cover features pink, purple, and orange colors with floral background patterns, colorful boots illustration, and author photo.
Book cover titled 'Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian' by Lee Su Kim. The cover has a green background on the right side and a photo of a hand holding a cup of coffee with a colorful, blurred background on the left side.
Three books titled 'Manglish Malaysian English at its Wackiest!' by Lee Su Kim, with colorful and cartoon-style covers.

BOOKS BY LEE SU KIM

 

1.      Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian, 1996, Pelanduk Publications, first edition

2.      Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest, 1998 First edition, Marshall cavendish International Asia

3.      Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian, 2004, Pelanduk Publications, Second edition

4.      A Nyonya In Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State,2007, Marshall Cavendish Editions.

5.      Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers, 2011 ( First prize in the Popular-Star Readers’ Choice Awards 2011, Fiction). Marshall Cavendish

6.      Sarong Secrets: Of Love, Loss and Longing, 2014, Marshall Cavendish Editions

7.      Manek Mischiefs: Of Patriarchs, Playboys and Paramours, 2017, Marshall Cavendish Editions

8.      Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian, 2017, MPH Group Publishing, Third edition

9.      Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers, 2019, Second edition, Marshall Cavendish Editions.  

10.   Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest, With Stephen J Hall,  2019, Second edition, Marshall cavendish International Asia

11.   Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest, With Stephen J Hall,  2026, Third edition, World Scientific Publishing

12.   Run, My Daughters, Run. 2026, Monsoon Books UK. 

Editor

1.      Lee Su Kim, Chief Editor, Papers in Language Studies and Linguistics : A Malaysian Perspective, 2005 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia

2.      Lee Su Kim, Chief Editor, ‘Border Crossings: Moving between Language and Cultural Framework.’ 2007, Pelanduk Publications.

 Educational resource books

Home Alone and other Short Stories, 1995, Eastview Publications

The Four Friends and other Short stories, 1995, Eastview Publications

Stories and Grammar Charts, 1996, Penerbit  Fajar Bakti ,

Process based Writing Projects, 1996. Penerbit Fajar Bakti,

Essays 

She was also a newspaper columnist, writing a fortnightly column titled Malaysian Flavours for The Star, a national English newspaper from 1993-1996. 

Two people sitting in chairs holding books at Penang Institute, with a wall sign reading 'making ideas work' behind them.
The book cover titled "Manek Mischiefs" by Lee Su Kim features a vibrant blue background with intricate beadwork and embroidery resembling coral or seaweed. There are two vintage black and white photographs: one of a woman sitting on a stool in traditional attire, and another of a man in a suit with a car in the background. The cover includes a subtitle "Of patriarches, playboys and paramours" and the publisher's logo, Marshall Cavendish Editions.