The Apple and the Tree: Life as Dr Mahathir’s Daughter

This is Marina Mahathir’s story, from her perspective and no one
else’s. It is, she hopes, the answer to the question- What is it like to be
Dr M’s daughter?

When an apple falls, does it roll far or stay close to its tree? Is it an exact clone of all the other apples the tree produces or something entirely different? This is the question that has perplexed the public about Marina for the simple reason that she is the daughter of the man who has governed Malaysia for almost twenty-four years. Does she echo him in his view of the world, or does she chart her own path? Why is it that in her own public life, in her writing and speeches, she expresses opinions that seem to contradict his? This book hopes to detail how she has navigated her life as the daughter of a charismatic politician and a loving father, even as sometimes she has chafed at being constantly under his shadow. It talks about how she has struggled to find her own identity, to defend her worldview at times and to reconcile them with his at others. She tells the story of growing up as the daughter of Malaysia’s most influential leader, from the values instilled in her as a child, right up to the day he was forced to step down as the 7th Prime Minister after leading the historic ouster of the government he used to lead.