Tan (social and political sciences, U. of Cambridge) offers a study of the political significance, possibilities, and limitations of art and popular culture in today's Singapore. The author notes that Singapore's creative talent is likely to use media to criticize the status quo and not to promote the ideas of the dominant classes. He also states that authoritarian capitalism is quite capable of transforming opposing, resistant and alternative expressions into profitable system-supporting commodities. The book is an interesting, very thought-provoking exercise in interpreting the unusual city-state that is Singapore through the eyes of its creative inhabitants. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)