Pinay Books Works By or About Filipinas _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Book of Her Own: Words and Images to Honor the Babaylan by Leny Strobel is a mosaic of poems, reflections, found texts, essays, and images that attempts to answer the question: what do you do after you decolonize? Leny Strobel continues her research and insight on the process of decolonization, which she first wrote about in Coming Full Circle. In this book, she maps her journey and writes of her unfolding realization that her life need not be overdetermined by dualisms and ideologies; that it is possible to live a joy-filled and peaceful life while always acting with others in the daily constant struggle to be human. She acknowledges, with a great depth of gratitude, the revolutionary spirit and wisdom of the Filipina Babaylan whose legacy continues to inspire today. That spirit fills these pages. ISBN: 1-887764-64-X Book images and illustrations courtesy of Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, ISIS International Manila art by artists Sandra Torrijos, Maica Delfino and Lillette de Lara, Cal Strobel, Tiboli Publishing, Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels, and Celia at <http://desarapen.blogspot.com>. Cover and art production by Perla Paredes Daly, NewFilipina, Inc. Table of contents and more details >>GO. How to Order: Retail: $18.95 T’Boli Publishing and Distributor P O Box 347147 San Francisco, CA 94134 Email: tiboli@comcast.net Pinay Power: Peminist Critical Theory Theorizing the Filipina/American Experience Edited by Melinda L. de Jesús “Pinay Power: Peminist Critical Theory is a collection of peminist (Filipina American feminist) cultural criticism by and about Filipina Americans. It features essays by female scholars and writers who tackle issues such as gender, decolonization, globalization, transnationalism, identity, sexuality, representation and spirituality. This volume brings together for the first time critical work by Pinays of different generations and varying political and personal perspectives to chart the history of the Filipina experience. This groundbreaking collection serves as an antidote to the overly patriarchal and cultural nationalist stance of both Filipino American and Asian American scholarship and is an important corrective to the erasure and invisibility of Filipina Americans voices. This is an essential collection for scholars and writers concerned with cultural and political activism, particularly in literary, Asian American, and women's studies. Contributors include Perla Paredes Daly's “Creating New.Filipina.com and the Rise of Cyber Pinays”; also works by Delia Aguilar, Karin Aguilar-San Juan. Victoria Alba. Sabrina Margarita Alcantara-Tan. Eliza O. Barrios. Rachel A. Bundang. Catherine Ceniza Choy. Terry Acebo Davis. Melinda L. de Jesús. Reanne Agustin Estrada. M. Evelina Galang. Emily Noelle Ignacio. Kim Jiang . Christine T. Lipat. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon. Leny Mendoza . Trinity A. Ordona. Gigi Otálvaro-Hormillosa’s . Rhacel Salazar Parreñas. Linda M. Pierce. Johanna Poethig. Frank Samson. Celine Parreñas Shimizu. Cianna Pamintuan Stewart. Marie-Therese Sulit. Stephanie Syjuco. Neferti Xina M. Tadiar. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales. Mary Ann Ubaldo. Catherine Wagner. Michelle R. Watts. Jenifer K. Wofford. Table of Contents and more info found at editor's online page. Order your paperback copy from the editor or from amazon.com. Publisher: Routledge February 2005 6x9": 464 pp ISBN: 0415949823 (hardback $95.00: alk. paper)  0415949831 (pbk $27.95. : alk. paper)  Book of the Month February 2005 Speak Up, Woman edited by Marivi Soliven Blanco (BagongPinay Book of the Month, October - December 2004) It has been said that women hold up half the sky. If this is so, what keeps women standing is their hope, their determination, their dreams, and their vision of lives well lived. To create a collection of personal stories that share such experiences, a group of former classmates brain-stormed on-line applying the marvels of Internet technology . They did this in 9 months! And now here is their book Speak Up, Woman. It is an anthology of over 30 articles written by Maryknoll alumnae of Batch 1980. Twenty-five years since they graduated from high school, they have scattered all over the world, "living, loving, leaving and learning" and hence the subtitle of their book. The essays in this anthology, written straight from their hearts, give voice to their lives & ---often in harrowing detail. They celebrate womanhood with the telling of their journeys of growing from girls to women as they experience life---sexuality, childbirth and raising children, a breakdown, a death in the family and many other challenges. If a woman has lived even half a life, she will see herself in these stories, because they are authentic, women-centered and ultimately empowering. They speak now for all the other women who suffer similar unspoken-of ordeals and everyday challenges. All royalties derived from the sale of Speak Up, Woman will be donated to a selected charity of the MCHS 1980 nonprofit corporation, to be used especially for the empowerment of underprivileged women. Click here for their Press Release and of how it was written. To order in Manila, they may contact: Malu del Rosario 0917-790-8446; Bobbie Domingo 0917-892-4987; Triccie Cantero 0917-892-3562 To order in the US, contact Philippine Expressions Bookshop: Tel 310/ 514-9139 FAX 310/ 514-3485. www.PhilippineExpressions.com email: lindanietes@earthlink.net. Missing Mangoes by Marceline Santos Taylor (BagongPinay Book of the Month, March 2004) Book Description/Reviews: ”Missing Mangoes—For Filipinos and Those Who Love Us” is composed of selections from Marcelline Santos-Taylor’s weekly column, “Manila Girl,” published in the Filipino Express. A compilation of coming-to-America insights peppered with Filipino pop and folk culture tidbits and quotes, the book’s enticing flavor is as Manila as the fruit celebrated in the title—a touchstone for all Filipinos transplanted to foreign lands, where the succulent taste and texture of the authentic Philippine mango is so elusive it holds almost the same kind of mythical quality as an Elvis sighting. In this engaging collection of 27 essays, the author examines issues of identity and adjustment, while conveying the strengths of character as well as the unique quirks that define what it means to be Filipino. Of course, one of the best ways to convey Filipino culture is through food, which the book tackles fondly, often humorously and in great detail—from the mouthwatering description of a lovingly prepared and much missed childhood dish to a not-for-the-faint-hearted listing of Fear Factor-worthy native delicacies to the Filipino fixation on the humble Spam. The author’s voyage of discovery is not only defined by moving away from the land of her birth but also the journey-within-a-journey of becoming a wife and mother in America, while infusing her culture and heritage into her family’s everyday life, in ways both big and small, every step of the way. “Missing Mangoes” is, indeed, for Filipinos and those who know and love them; but its heartwarming honesty and perspective will also resonate with anyone who has undertaken the uniquely eye-opening journey that is the immigrant experience, or wants to come along for the ride. Most of all, the compelling chronicles of “Missing Mangoes” make readers realize that the home we sometimes feel is so far away is the same place that never really leaves us at all. To order copies of the book, contact: Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 www.Xlibris.com Orders@Xlibris.com Also try at Amazon.com. Click here. top of page 100 Women of the Philippines Published by Buensalido and Associates A coffee table book on exceptional women in the Philippines who have made an impact in their work and profession and contributed significantly to national development while defining women’s role in the 90’s and well into the next decade is now on sale. Entitled 100 Women of the Philippines, the book is an interestingly written, beautifully photographed and tastefully designed compendium of women in the different fields. These women include high-profile political personalities like former President Cory Aquino, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Senator Loren Legarda; successful businesswomen and professionals like Loida Nicolas Lewis, Elena Lim, Josie Natori, Socorro Ramos, and Virgie Ramos; less known personalities but achievers in their own right like Ligaya Cabal, Narda Capuyan, and Cristina Turalba; and well-known celebrities like Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Vilma Santos, Nora Aunor and Sharon Cuneta. The profiles of these women are written by some of the country’s best known writers and journalists, among them Thelma San Juan, Ricky Lo, Ester Dipasupil, Angelina Goloy, and Eric Ramos. These women are captured in black-and-white photographs by a talented pool of photographers led by Jun de Leon, Raymund Isaac, Bobot Meru, Bernard Testa, Joan Bondoc and Henry Ferrer. Overall editorial supervision of 100 Women of the Philippines was provided by Abe Florendo, author and journalist. Publisher is Joy Buensalido, president of Buensalido & Associates public relations agency, who has always dreamed of publishing “a coffee table book that is different in substance and intent.” A special section of the book is devoted to young women under 35 who will most likely be the next 100 women in the new millennium. Art design is by Raul Jorolan, director and managing partner of production house Scene Stealers Production, and chairman of Print Logic printing company. - - - - - - - - - - - Buying info: 100 Women of the Philippines will be marketed abroad and is available in major Philippine bookstores. For buyers in the U.S., try Divisoria.com at http://www.divisoria.net/300442313.html. The price there is $95 plus shipping from the Philippines. - - - - - - - - - - - More info: For reservations you can also try directly ordering from: Buensalido and Associates at Suite 701, Greenbelt Mansion, 106 Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City 1226 Philippines. Telephone numbers (63 2) 8923520/(63 2) 8174471. E-mail address is joybuen@info.com.ph top of page Filipina Firsts: A Salute to One Hundred Women Pioneers: 1898-1998 Published by the Philippine American Foundation. An unprecedented publication which places in one volume the ground-breaking achievements of Filipino women in diverse fields including law, science, government, business, military, education, the arts, and sports from 1898-1998, Filipina Firsts showcases 100 women trailblazers who were the first in male-dominated fields. A sampling of women profiled in the compendium include Belen Calderon, first woman to hold a seat on the Philippine Stock Exchange; Juanita Amatong, first Filipina executive director of the World Bank; Aurora Amada Carandang, first Filipina commercial pilot; and Maria Paz Mendoza-Guazon, first Filipino woman doctor educated in the Philippines. Featured are those who are sure to be recorded in history books, such as first woman president Corazon Aquino and first woman vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and those who are not yet part of the country’s history or social studies books. Filipina Firsts will be distributed initially to all Metro Manila high schools with the hope that they will be used as a resource in teaching young women and girls about women leaders not necessarily covered in existing history books. Philippine American Foundation Executive Director Irene Natividad states, “The Philippines did not grow as a nation without the leadership of women, and Filipina Firsts makes that leadership evident. The 100 women featured in this volume are but a first step in saluting and recognizing the role women have played in every facet of Philippine public life.” Tasked with identifying the “Filipina Firsts” was a committee of advisors composed of historians and representatives from the National Historical Institute, the Center for Women’s Studies at the University of the Philippines, the Ayala Heritage Museum, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and the Civil Service Commission. Dr. Patricia Licuanan, former Chair of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and President of Miriam College, chaired the committee. The “Filipina Firsts” project was sponsored by Avon Products Inc., PAGCOR, and Diaz-Verson Capital Investment. For a listing of the women who are found in this book please go to http://philamlink.com/PhilAMlink/Filipina_firsts.htm. - - - - - - - - - - - Buying info: Price: $20 plus shipping and handling. Order info at PAF web site. To order you must visit the Philippine American Foundation Web site print out the order form, fill it out and mail it in with your check or money order. order form at: http://philamlink.com/PhilAmfoundation/webroot/whatwesupport/women/filipina_orderform.htm - - - - - - - - - - - More info: Philippine American Foundation 1211 Connecticut Avenue Suite 504 Washington D.C. 20036 Tel:  202-466-5799 Fax:  202-466-6195 E-Mail:  PAFWash@aol.com top of page Toward a Nationalist Feminism by Delia D. Aguilar Book Description/Reviews: Aguilar is a Philippine pioneer in feminist studies having studied and written on nationalism and feminism within a Filipina context since the 70s and 80s. Her essays illustrate the relations between class, gender, ethnicity and race and how there is a Filipino context of feminism different than that of the white womenās experience and discourse of feminism. Her book gives critical analysis to Philippine issues of national democracy and nationalism, foreign aid and globalization, class and gender subordination. (1998) read more about or order this book from Amazon.com Other significant books by Delia D. Aguilar: Women and Globalization by Delia D. Aguilar (Editor), Anne E. Lacsamana (Editor) (Paperback - February 2004) The Feminist Challenge: initial working principles toward reconceptualizing the feminist movement in the Philippines Filipino Housewives Speak To obtain these books try corresponding via email with the author: deliadag@hotmail.com top of page The Kissing by Merlinda Bobis Book Description/Reviews: Sensations, tastes and scents...memories and feelings come alive with the telling of 23 short tales---some fable-like and enchanting, some dream-like and disturbing, and still others matter-of-fact yet surprising. A conjuring of energy-filled imagery and stories that evoke personal experience. Bobis is a Filipino-American teacher of creative writing and an accomplished writer. She is recognized in the southern and northern hemispheres, the the East and the West, for her talent in writing and performance art. For your own copy of this book visit http://www.auntlute.com/. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Don't Ever Tell Me You Can't by Celia Ruiz Tomlinson Book Description/Reviews: Book Description Don't Ever Tell Me You Can't! is an inspiring true story of grit and resilience of an immigrant Asian woman who battles absolute poverty, language barriers, racial and gender discrimination and succeeds in a male-dominated field. During the VietNam war, Celia Ruiz, already an established civil engineer in the Philippines, responds to the United Statesâ announcement of engineer shortage. She comes alone, confident that $300 and her civil engineerâs diploma are enough to find a new life in the land of opportunity, or so she thinks. When she sets out to look for work, she is told she can never find a job as a civil engineer. She braces herself for a hard fight that she is determined to win. Celia traces her strength to her upbringing and experience in the late 50s when females were openly harassed in engineering school. For two decades, Celia formulates strategies and stays the course. Finally, before age becomes yet another hurdle, Celia finds the way to clear the path to the American Dream š for her, owning an engineering company! The book closes with pointers on how to pursue a dream to fruition. About the Author Celia Tomlinson, PE, is the President & CEO of Rhombus P. A., Inc., a rare professional engineering company founded, owned and operated by a minority female engineer. Since its founding in 1983, Rhombus has completed projects in AZ, AK, NM, NY, TX, WA, and WY. Ms. Tomlinson was named 1992 Minority Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Park Service. The recipient of New Mexicoâs Outstanding Woman and Trailblazer Awards, Ms. Tomlinson speaks four languages including American Sign Language.... read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Self-Portraits: Twelve Filipina Artists Speak by Thelma B. Kintanar & Sylvia Mendez Ventura Book Description/Reviews: From the back cover: "It is a reallity that otherness and dependence on men still define the lives of many women, and that in art, particularly, the male continues to set the standards. Some of [the women] in this book prefer to be regarded simply as artists... however, a woman who is an artist cannot escape being a woman artist. The quality of her art must be seen in terms not only of her individual talent and insight sans gender but also of her individual existence as a woman. Whatever their objections to being thus categorized, the artists we interviewed reveal their gender awareness in their narratives. ...We just happened to be art lovers and true-blue feminists who found it exciting to enter and inhabit the world of twelve distinguished women artists..." Includes colored and black and white photos of the artists works. 220 pages. Softcover. Published in 1999 by the Ateneo de Manila University Press. Get your copy of this book from one of the local bookstores in the Philippines. In the United States, you can try to order this book from one of these recommended Filipiniana book sources.. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Womenagerie and Other Tales from the Front by Jessica Zafra Book Description/Reviews: Jessica Zafra is an award-winning columnist in Manila. Her popularity among both critics and readers is well-deserved as Zafra's columns exhibit her wit and perceptiveness through her opinions and observations of Philippine life and life in general all. Womenagerie is a collection from her column in Women Today magazine. Zafra perceives with heart and intellect all the while with her finger on the pulse of Philippine pop culture. Discover for yourself the written works of Jessica Zafra. In this Filipina you will find the free spirit of a smart, opinionated woman who sees with new eyes and observes with familiar Filipino wry humor. She is a woman who succeeds to speak with refreshing frankness, affection for Filipino life and compassion for our human journey. For samples of her column such as The Daze of Whine and Neuroses, The Crotch of Luxury, The Lust Tango in Mandaluyong, Who Killed Voltes V and other such tart columns you can also click this link to her homepage at http://www.atbp.com/etc/zafra/. (BagongPinay Book of the Month, January 2003) Get your copy of Womenagerie from one of the local bookstores in the Philippines. In the United States, you can try to order her books from one of the recommended Filipiniana book sources.. Magdalena by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Book Description/Reviews: Ceciliar Manguerra Brainard,writer of other beloved NF reads like When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, brings us another delightful book Magdalena. In her new novel, the author takes us back to a romantic era before our time in the Philippines, painting a rich portrait of one family's dramatic legacy. Magdalena flows like classic literature, following the style of many romantic women authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Luisa May Alcott, and even more contemporary writers such as Isabelle Allende and Amy Tan. Although it is a quick read, the relationships between characters are so dramatic and so intertwined that it almost leaves you wanting to learn more! Brainard’s style of storytelling welcomes her readers into a very familiar and intimate circle of storytelling—stirring memories of being wrapped around your lola's knee, as she tells you stories about the greatness of your family legacy and about life way back when. (BagongPinay Book of the Month, December 2002) related links: more books by this author read about the author in her Web site read more about or order this book from Amazon.com Philippine Woman in America by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Book Description/Reviews: Compilation of essays, many from author's column in Philippine American News 1982-1988. As a Filipino woman in America, Brainard shares her feelings of straddling two nations and two cultures. She also shares her experiences of transformation of becoming an American and yet still being a Filipina. Her essays deal with issues such as discrimination, history, politics, homesickness, feelings of exile, and memories of the homeland that sustain her. Brainard is an award-winning journalist and novelist both in the U.S. and the Philippines. You can learn more about her at her web site at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/4463/. And you can buy this book online and many others by her and other Filipino authors direct from her publishing house called Philippine American Literary House at http://www.palhbooks.com/. related links: more books by this author read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole by Eileen R. Tabios Reproductions is a collection of prose poetry whose relevance applies to not only poetry and creative writing studies, but also to Asian American literature, Filipino literature, postcolonialism, decolonialism, history, multicultural studies. Other reviews have not missed her wit and political incisiveness, her refreshing and cutting syntax, and her unique manipulation of narrative and abstraction into paradox. Tabios, a multi-award winning poetess has written, edited and co-edited nine books of poetry, fiction and essays in the U.S. and the Philippines. According to Marsh Hawk Press Reproductions is the first comprehensive introduction of her works to American readers. Her poetry exudes unabashed sensuality, artistry, intelligence, and lends itself to a reader's surprise at their own insight. In Tabios, I have discovered a poetess whose works are a cultural activist's. Tabios is indeed an activist whose medium is her poetry. For the Little Brown Brother to re-write his colonizer's language into unexpected structure and exacting, stimulating prose that comes out as poetry excellence --- it is an act of activism in itself. For more personal insight via email correspondence between the reviewer and the author click here. For an extended recommendation and for information on how you can purchase a copy direct from Filipino bookstores click here. (BagongPinay Book of the Month, October 2002) You can also purchase this book from Amazon.com. top of page When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe Book Description/Reviews: From the Publisher Once in a great while comes a storyteller who can illuminate worlds large and small, magical and true to life. When the Elephants Dance introduces us to the incandescent voice of Tess Uriza Holthe, who sets her striking first novel in the waning days of World War II, as the Japanese and the Americans engage in a fierce battle for possession of the Philippine Islands. The story is told through the eyes of three narrators, thirteen-year-old Alejandro Karangalan, his spirited older sister Isabelle, and Domingo, a passionate guerilla commander, giving us a perspective on how ordinary people must learn to live in the midst of extraordinary uncertainty, how they must find hope for survival where none seems to exist. They find this hope in the dramatic history of the Philippines and the passion and bravery of its people. Los Angeles Times wrote: "Extraordinary...manages to be both wondrously childlike and chilling in its realism." (A BagongPinay Book of the Month in 2002) related links: read other reviews on this book read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Babaylan : An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina American Writers by editors: Nick Carbo and Eileen Tabios Book Description/Reviews: The first U.S. published anthology dedicated solely to the writing of Filipinas and Filipina Americans, Babaylan opens the doors to a vibrant literary culture that encompasses farflung locations, languages and styles. This book presents the works of over 60 authors who come from the Philippines, the U.S.. Australia, Frnace, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom. There are also poetry in English translation and original dialects such as Cebuano, Kinaray-a, Ilocano, Tagalog and also in Spanish. Babaylan also includes an Internet resource page and selected bibliography. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Women In Fire by Edited by Lorna Kalaw-Tirol Book Description/Reviews: Extraordinary are the women who walk through the fires of life and come through burning with triumph and joy. The stories of such phenomenal Filipinas come together in this book to share with us their struggles and successes. In these women's voices we hear echoes of our own questions to life's trials and challenges and we are inspired by their triumphs and achievements. Here is another collection from Ms. Tirol, editor of From Africa to America(a previous Book of the Month feature), that brings us the real stories of real women who possess the spirit of heroines better found in any Danielle Steele novel. Try getting this book through www.arkipelagobooks.com, www.maharlikabooks.com, www.amazon.com, or powells.com. (BP Book of the Month August 2001) top of page Trans Euro Express: Filipinas in Europe by Mary Lou Hardillo-Werning (ed.) Book Description: A collection of more than 50 stories of Filipinas living in Europe. Mostly written in English, but includes works in German and in Tagalog. Immerse yourself in their stories and discover their insights as your realize that their experiences can be related to yours when you are abroad from the Philippines. Please contact Editor Ms. Hardillo-Werning via email to obtain this book if you are outside of Germany. Her email is <MLHardillo@aol.com>. top of page Filipino Peasant Women : Exploitation and Resistance by Ligaya Lindio-McGovern Book Description/Reviews: Here is a book that presents a compelling example of the power of the powerless. In it, author Ligaya Lindio-McGovern offers the first study of the everyday lives of Filipino peasant women and their means of resisting the exploitative system in which they find themselves. While illustrating the increasing exploitation and poverty these women face, the author challenges the conventional portrayal of them as submissive victims. A Filipina from the peasant class herself, the author has unprecedented access to the women workers in this militarized society as well as rich insights into the lives of Third World women. Her interviews with membes of the National Federation of Peasant Women in the Philippines and its local chapter, peasant Women of Mindoro, detail women's landlessness, poverty and disempowerment. The author illuminates the intersection of gender systems, development policies, the International Monetary Fund, colonial history, militarization, and capitalism interlock to perpetuate the exploitation. At the heart of the book, however, is the contention that the best solutions to the exploitation of peasants come from the peasants themselves. Stories of the women's experiences told form their own perspectives illustrate how these owmen have resisted their oppression through organization and consciousness-raising, land occupation, the founding of worker collecitves and consumer cooperatives, and the establishment of day care centers. Lindio-McGovern identifies the creative alternatives such grassroots organizaitons can offer for shaping development policies and empowerment strategies for poor women and their families. Offering a feminist methodology for studying Third World women in militarized zones, Filipino Peasant Women is essential reading in the fields of women's studies, anthropolgy, sociology, and Asian studies. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Letters of Intent : Women Cross the Generations to Talk About Family, Work, Sex, Love and the Future of Feminism by editors: Amy Bondoc and Meg Daly Book Description/Reviews: Amazon.com synopsis: Letters of Intent pairs young feminists with their more seasoned counterparts in a series of epistolary Q&As designed to remind readers that despite the occasional internal struggles within the women's movement, there is a continuity between old and new. The older women include Gloria Steinem on abortion rights, Susan Faludi on the tradition of feminist writing, Angela Davis on the African American struggle, Dr. Phyllis Chesler on workplace relations, and Judy Blume on being a mother. But the basic misjudgment of the book is captured early on by Katha Pollitt: "This whole notion that writing is all about mentoring and networking and each generation smoothing the way for the next like party hacks down at the clubhouse is the wrong idea. Writing is about writing." read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page top of page From America to Africa: Voices of Filipino Women Overseas by Author Lorna Kalaw Tirol, Publisher Imelda Nicolas Book Description/Reviews: A wonderful collection of stories of Filipinas from around the world. Find experiences of 19 women, from a nursing director in Saudi to an animal rights activist in North Carolina... a domestic helper in Hong Kong to a CEO of a multinational company... a yoga instructor in Massachusetters to a TV journalist in Singapore. Here is a book on the perserverances and successes of fabulous Filipinas from every walk of life, every corner of the globe. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com Always Hiding by Sophia Romero Sophia Romero publishes her first book in the US. It is about TNT, tago-na-tago, hide-na-hide, or "always hiding." The San Francisco Chronicle's Melissa de la Cruz says of it: ...a truly elegiac tale of the immigrant experience, and Romero's comedy of manners becomes a heartfelt tale of optimism and survival. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Awaiting Trespass : A Passion by Linda Ty-Casper From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Holly Smith Linda Ty-Casper examines life in the contemporary Philippines through the behavior and memories of relatives and friends during the three-day wake of Don Severino Gil. ...[Through the characters] a picture emerges of a country ruled by corruption and greed, of people who benefit from inequities and people who want to expose them. A powerful book, Awaiting Trespass is currently banned in the Philippines. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title related links: other titles by this author read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Beyond Life Sentences by Eileen Tabios. A very talented Filipina poetess expresses herself in her book of poetry published in the United States. Reviews speak highly of her work. Read those reviews and see some samples of her poetry in the BagongPinay poetry Room. You can even order her book online from Amazon.com. top of page The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn, Jessica Haedorn Amazon.com's Synopsis: Jessica Hagedorn received high praise for her debut novel, Dogeaters, which took place in Manila. Her second book shows that Dogeaters was no fluke. The Gangster of Love opens in Manila but the action quickly moves to San Francisco and then New York before turning full circle. Hagedorn's worlds are peopled with a maelstrom of jostling, exuberant characters. The focal point of this storm of humanity is Raquel (Rocky) Rivera [and the] the arc of her journey from Manila to the United States and back [which] will include a boyfriend...a daughter...a flock of drag queens...and [an assortment of odd] jobs. Original, exhilarating and electric, The Gangster of Love takes a fresh look at family and questions of race, culture and identity. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title The New York Times Book Review, Francine Prose For all its heady originality and up-to-the-minute hipness, The Gangsters of Love functions almost like an Old Master painting... --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title Entertainment Weekly Singer Rocky Rivera is torn between a never-quite-successful band and an erratic family in this lively novel. Also nominated for The Irish Times International Fiction Prize related links: other titles by this author read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Ginseng and Other Tales from Manila by Marianne Villanueva From the back cover: Set in the Philippines, these beautiful and poignant stories reveal characters trapped in extremity in urban violence or the crushing poverty of the provinces. The reader comes away with new insights into human nature and the valor and courage of the Philippine people. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai Women's Studies Editor's Recommended Book When an oblique letter summons Caridad from Australia to her mother's side in the steamy Philippines, she travels there fearing loss. And loss she finds, but one that finally throws light on the whispers that dogged her life in this land where Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino cultures slap against one another. "The past defines us as much as the present," says Caridad. "Because mine was missing, I never felt whole." Four women--Caridad, her mother Thelma, aunt Emma, and cousin Ligaya--piece together the puzzle of a life begun in wartime. Their vantage points differ, but their stories are silver-tongued and spellbinding even as Ligaya's bitterness stains the pages and Emma's long, mute acceptance of fate's cruelty rings false. Wrapped around Caridad's story is a far bigger one of the years when the Japanese occupied the Philippines and American liberation forces decimated the country. --This text refers to the paperback edition of this title The New York Times Book Review, Betsy Groban ... provides rare insight into the three cultures--Spanish, Chinese and Filipino--that coexist in the Philippines ... an often lyrical and always tough-minded debut. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Her Wild American Self: Short Stories by Evelina Galang From Kirkus Reviews , 02/01/96 Debut collection of 12 consummately crafted but somewhat lifeless stories exploring the Filipina-American experience. These pieces by American-born Galang, some of which have appeared in magazines like Amerasia Journal, New Voices, and Quarterly West, offer insight into an immigrant group overshadowed by more familiar Asian immigrants, though their native land's relationship with the US has been long and close. The contrast between the long-held admiration for things American and the actual cost of living the American dream is a recurring theme here. In ``Rose Colored,'' a visit to a dancer cousin, Mina, who has embraced her immigrant heritage, suggests to successful banker Rose that she may have tried too hard to escape her own past. In ``Talk to Me, Milagros'' and ``Our Fathers,'' respectively, Nelda, a young Filipina-American, at first envies Milagros, the daughter of recently arrived immigrants, then witnesses Milagros's hurt as her father, an attorney in the Philippines, tries to adjust to being a busboy in the US; and a young girl watches as death disrupts her father's long struggle to bring his parents to America. Other tales explore the additional tensions of being female in families that still honor old country ways and ideals. In the title story, ``wild'' Mona is told the cautionary tale of her unmarried aunt Augustina, who was sent back to the Philippines pregnant. In two others, a woman is distressed to observe her brother turning her niece into a traditional Filipina woman (``Miss Teenage Sampaguita''); and a single woman faces family hostility when she returns home pregnant to visit her dying mother (``Contravida''). In another notable piece, ``Filming Sausage,'' the protagonist, in charge of a film's continuity, is harassed by the director for being both female and Asian. A welcome addition to the Filipina-American corpus, though no story here, despite Galang's best intentions, ever quite captures that long lingering sense of difference and dissonance that is so much the immigrant experience. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Midwest Book Review This debut short story collection provides stories about different women involved with ideals and searches for love, careers, and ethnic understanding. The Filipina American experience forms the foundation for these intense writings, which probe modern Filipina concerns and lives. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page The Lowest Blue Flame Before Nothing by Lara Stapleton Book Description/Reviews: Lara Stapleton's literary debut is a versatile collection of 12 short stories about young women trying to take on the world. Written with maturity and genuineness and versatility this collection has won Ms. Stapleton the 1998 Columbia Journal fiction prize. Stapleton's sketches take place from Manila to the small towns and big cities of the U.S. and her tales of young women summon up youthful emotions, vulnerability, humiliations, frustrations and aspirations with irreverent humor, sly street talk, dry irony or merciless disregard. Lara Stapleton was raised in East Lansing, Michigan, and Manila, Philippines. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.A. from New York University. Her fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals and has won several awards. Ms. Stapleton lives in New York City where she teaches writing and has been a regular presenter at the Nuyorican Cafe. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Sacred Places by Lia Relova BP's comments: Sacred Places is about rediscovering roots, family, cultural heritages and identity, and spirituality. Lia spends her childhood between two worlds, in the US and in the Philippines and at the same time, she deals with her own diverse Filipino heritage. The sights, sounds and smells she describes capture the essence of what living in the homeland is like. My own mother wouldn't put this book down until she finished reading the whole thing. Lia rediscovers her heritage as her own family history becomes a source of inspiration and strength. For those Phil-Ams who mostly grew up in the States, you may find in this book a glimpse of your own roots. Lia is self-published and is selling these books on her own for $10 each. related links: read more about the book more about the author get 10% off if you order this book from New Filipina by e-mail ($9 plus $2 for S&H) top of page When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Amazon.com's Synopsis: An exciting new Asian-American voice brings Filipino culture and history to light as a young girl comes of age during World War II. Set against the backdrop of the Japanese invation of the Philippines in 1941, this brilliant novel weaves myth and legend together with the suffering and tragedies of the Filipino people. Los Angeles Times wrote: "Extraordinary...manages to be both wondrously childlike and chilling in its realism." related links: more books by this author read about the author in her Web site read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Corazon Aquino and the Brushfire Revolution by Robert H. Reid, Eileen Guerrero Reviews: Booknews, Inc. , 05/01/96 The authors, current AP bureau chief in Manila and former AP news editor in Manila, analyze the turbulent years of the Aquino administration and its aftermath, drawing on their journalistic work and research. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or. related links: more books about Cory Aquino read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page Gender, Race and International Relations by Chris Cunneen and Julie Stubbs, Excerpt of Isis Book Review by Chat Garcia Ramilo When Fantasy Leads to Murder . . ."What happens when men attempt to live out these fantasised relationships and the women involved refuse to comply, refuse to be treated as commodities?" In answering this question, the authors point out this male fantasy becomes lethal for Filipino women when it is integrated back into the relationships that resulted in their deaths and disappearances. The killings are a heightened or extreme instance of domination, which has been mediated by representations of 'Asian' women in general, and Filipino women in particular, as both passive and sexual beings, as the embodiments of male desire. Cunneen and Stubbs reveal that two interwoven processes become apparent in some of the case studies. First, violence emerges as a resolution to conflict for the male when he attempts to assert absolute dominance and authority and the women resist. Second, the Filipino women become re-invented as manipulative and self-seeking people who simply marry western men to leave the Philippines. In other words, women's actions are re-interpreted through the lens of a stereotype of Filipino women as sexually promiscuous gold diggers seeking foreign nationalities so they can bail themselves out of the pit of poverty. They are seen at best as complicity in the violence against them, or at worst, deserving of their violent fates. The men, on the other hand, are constructed as victims who merely gave their spouses and partners the punishment they deserved. . . . In the end, however, this book serves a useful purpose not just in terms of allowing us to understand the phenomenon of murders of Filipino women in Australia in the hands of their male partners, but also to convince policymakers and law enforcement authorities that action is needed now. . . What is required from the Australian government at this point is the political will to conduct an official inquiry and take decisive steps to arrest the intensifying violence directed at Filipino women. read full text of review at Isis ask Amazon.com to sell this book top of page Filipino Americans: Transformation and Identity by Maria P.P. Root (Editor) Customer Review at Amazon.com: Edgar Hopida from San Diego, CA , 04/21/98 --- Finally! A book that covers the contemporary issues of Filipino-Americans today. We should have more books like this as required texts for Filipino-American history, Asian American history classes, and sociology classes. I particularly like the subjects of the colonial mentality, decolonization, and Filipino American identity. One of the best books ever written about my culture and ethnicity since Fred Cordova's book. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page The Filipino Mind (Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change. Series Iii, Asia ; Vol. 8) by Leonardo N. Mercado We are waiting for our own copy of this book. If you read this book, please let us know what you think of it. read more about or order this book from Amazon.com top of page _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Home | Site Map | E-Mail us | All rights reserved. ©1998 ©1999 NewFilipina ©1998 ©1999 BagongPinay.