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whatannikareads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I can see why this is required reading for any Filipino American. Carlos's story broke me, both of his struggles and his retellings of what other Filipinos had to go through in America in ~1930s.
I was sucked into the middle parts. It felt like I was reliving his own pains and all of the people he met. However, the first and fourth parts were a bit more difficult to get through. It was a sort of slow build in the first, and I lost interest when there were so many new names introduced and it strayed away from his personal narrative and more on the political aspects.
However, this was a really enlightening book. I think it's really important we keep pushing for young people to read it as it captures Filipino American history up close and personal—such a highly neglected facet of the history of this country. Instead of reading about Filipinos in a history book written by a white people, learn how Filipinos were discriminated, killed, and left with nothing on a daily basis. Bulosan's heart is so tangible in his writing, and I hope he knows somewhere that his work is still being read almost 100 years later.
I was sucked into the middle parts. It felt like I was reliving his own pains and all of the people he met. However, the first and fourth parts were a bit more difficult to get through. It was a sort of slow build in the first, and I lost interest when there were so many new names introduced and it strayed away from his personal narrative and more on the political aspects.
However, this was a really enlightening book. I think it's really important we keep pushing for young people to read it as it captures Filipino American history up close and personal—such a highly neglected facet of the history of this country. Instead of reading about Filipinos in a history book written by a white people, learn how Filipinos were discriminated, killed, and left with nothing on a daily basis. Bulosan's heart is so tangible in his writing, and I hope he knows somewhere that his work is still being read almost 100 years later.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual content, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Death, Alcoholism, and Addiction
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