Barry Wain’s treatise on the Mahathir years is a gripping account of the 22-year long era that spanned the 1981-2003 years, a period characterised by unprecedented economic and physical development and rapid urbanisation and social change.

It is overall, a fair and independent account with meticulous cross referencing and footnotes albeit much information attributed to oral interviews to a handful of persons and perhaps lacking in corroboration. Many snippets are attributed to Abdullah Ahmad but many who know Dollah Kok Lanas might prefer to take his assertions with some pinches of salt.

It is nevertheless, essential reading for anyone interested in an authoritative précis of the Mahathir years and a well-documented one at that...