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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
2.14 million Filipinos helped reelect Trump in 2024 despite his hateful rhetoric towards immigrants. I wonder how many of them read this book.
We are not Americans, never have been, and never will be; in some years less than the others. During Bulosan's time, that was probably the least American we could have been, and the least human in their eyes. That racism never went away in the heart of Americans even today. They have directed the worst of it towards other minorities, and have reserved the right to call us Asians monsters with an inherent violence and savagery which we have resisted for the sake of assimilation but is inherent in us regardless. (Remember how they treated us during COVID?)
America will turn on us. Everytime. It was the case during Bulosan's time, and it is the case now. When times get hard, America will look for someone to blame for their misery, and one day, it we will be us, Filipinos, and then the lot of us will realize that we never had a place in their American dream to begin with. Even if you came to that damned country legally or your have a green card, you will never be American, because you are not white. You are a Filipino, and your history in America is a history of displacement, abuse, and exploitation. Nothing you will ever do could ever change that.
That is what this book confirmed to be true for me.
We are not Americans, never have been, and never will be; in some years less than the others. During Bulosan's time, that was probably the least American we could have been, and the least human in their eyes. That racism never went away in the heart of Americans even today. They have directed the worst of it towards other minorities, and have reserved the right to call us Asians monsters with an inherent violence and savagery which we have resisted for the sake of assimilation but is inherent in us regardless. (Remember how they treated us during COVID?)
America will turn on us. Everytime. It was the case during Bulosan's time, and it is the case now. When times get hard, America will look for someone to blame for their misery, and one day, it we will be us, Filipinos, and then the lot of us will realize that we never had a place in their American dream to begin with. Even if you came to that damned country legally or your have a green card, you will never be American, because you are not white. You are a Filipino, and your history in America is a history of displacement, abuse, and exploitation. Nothing you will ever do could ever change that.
That is what this book confirmed to be true for me.
This is the very first book about the Filipino American experience that I ever read. Despite certain complexities regarding how "true" its account is as an actual autobiography the book changed my life. Quintessential for students of Asian American Studies, Filipino American Studies, Ethnic Studies as well as for anyone interested in the "immigrant experience".
3/5stars
I find memoirs and autobiographies very difficult to rate because how does one rate someones life?
But, I'm basing this off what i believe the author wanted the reader to get out of his story. And I think, in some areas, he didn't succeed. I think this story could have been INFINITELY better if he had decided to focus on JUST certain parts of his life - rather than trying to put literally every single person, place and thing he ever did from childhood to adulthood.
The beginning, focusing on his childhood in the Philippines was very strong and had a LOT of information and a lot of beautiful, horrifying passages. And then the end was also very powerful from his story as a aspiring writer and adult person.
But that middle, holy crap, it was SO BORING. Like I said in my update for this book, the middle of this book became "and then i went here... and then i met this person... and then i went here... oh and then i went HERE... and then i met this other person.. and then that person died... and now i met up with this person... and then i went over there... and then they died too... and then i went here... and then.." and it was SO POINTLESS and so difficult to keep up with.
There was a lot of incredible commentary on racism in America especially toward Filipinos and Asian Americans. But definitely not something that I ENJOYED reading.
I find memoirs and autobiographies very difficult to rate because how does one rate someones life?
But, I'm basing this off what i believe the author wanted the reader to get out of his story. And I think, in some areas, he didn't succeed. I think this story could have been INFINITELY better if he had decided to focus on JUST certain parts of his life - rather than trying to put literally every single person, place and thing he ever did from childhood to adulthood.
The beginning, focusing on his childhood in the Philippines was very strong and had a LOT of information and a lot of beautiful, horrifying passages. And then the end was also very powerful from his story as a aspiring writer and adult person.
But that middle, holy crap, it was SO BORING. Like I said in my update for this book, the middle of this book became "and then i went here... and then i met this person... and then i went here... oh and then i went HERE... and then i met this other person.. and then that person died... and now i met up with this person... and then i went over there... and then they died too... and then i went here... and then.." and it was SO POINTLESS and so difficult to keep up with.
There was a lot of incredible commentary on racism in America especially toward Filipinos and Asian Americans. But definitely not something that I ENJOYED reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
First read this 20 years ago. Revisited over the years but this was my first real re-read of the book. Full stop, Carlos Bulosan was a genius. Born poor and raised in the provinces of the Philippines, he migrated to the U.S. as a young man with no money and no formal education and wrote THE BOOK that would be the catalyst for future generations (plural) of Filipino writers, academics, artists. I would not have the career I have if it weren’t for him, and I think 90% or Fil Am academics share this experience. Separated into four parts—pre-migration life in the Philippines, arrival in the U.S., coming of age as a writer through chronic illness, and coming of age as an activist—the book is a treasure revealing the structural and psychic conditions that Filipinos endured to survive and form community…which was fuckin hard. How Bulosan was able to become a writer, let alone a published writer, in these most hostile conditions is emblematic of a drive (for himself, for his community) that cannot be measured. There is no shortage of pain, but miraculously no shortage of love either—for his people and adopted country. The first half of the book is beautifully rendered. It truly transports the reader. While the second half is an important part of his story, it had a “this happened and then this happened and then this happened” feel that made it peter out for me. At the end of the day, this book earns its place as a classic, no doubt. That said, Bulosan’s rendering of women is not great, especially brown women. The only women who have any insularity are the white women he encounters which was a bit cringe. Of course, this is a 2024 take on a book published in the 1940s.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
We've had this book on the shelf ever since I've known Elise, and I've told her several times not to give it away because I was interested in reading it. Well, 6+ years later, I finally got around to it!
The book is the memoir of Carlos Bulosan, a Filipino who immigrated to the US in the first half of the twentieth century. It's divided into roughly three parts: his childhood in a peasant family in the rural Philippines, his early years in America as a sort of wanderer, and his later years in America when he was involved with labor organizing and socialism.
It was interesting, although depressing, to learn about the bad treatment of Filipino immigrants in the West in the early twentieth century. I guess I had a general idea of this before reading the book, but Bulosan really portrays it quite starkly. It's certainly not a feel-good read in any way. In general, I'd say that the book reads as three very different books. The first section was by far my favorite. Bulosan obviously has fond memories of his childhood, even though his family was very poor, and the whole section is rich with sepia-toned detail. The second part reads a bit like a proto-On The Road, with Bulosan and a rotating cast of characters trying to make it riding around the West on freight trains with no money and more often than not ending up in dicey situations. The third part was the least compelling to me, even though I think the history of labor organizing in the West is a pretty interesting topic. Bulosan sometimes goes into minute detail with the sort of factionalism that I guess is pretty associated with small-time left-wing movements, and loses the big picture that would be of interest to a modern reader.
The book is the memoir of Carlos Bulosan, a Filipino who immigrated to the US in the first half of the twentieth century. It's divided into roughly three parts: his childhood in a peasant family in the rural Philippines, his early years in America as a sort of wanderer, and his later years in America when he was involved with labor organizing and socialism.
It was interesting, although depressing, to learn about the bad treatment of Filipino immigrants in the West in the early twentieth century. I guess I had a general idea of this before reading the book, but Bulosan really portrays it quite starkly. It's certainly not a feel-good read in any way. In general, I'd say that the book reads as three very different books. The first section was by far my favorite. Bulosan obviously has fond memories of his childhood, even though his family was very poor, and the whole section is rich with sepia-toned detail. The second part reads a bit like a proto-On The Road, with Bulosan and a rotating cast of characters trying to make it riding around the West on freight trains with no money and more often than not ending up in dicey situations. The third part was the least compelling to me, even though I think the history of labor organizing in the West is a pretty interesting topic. Bulosan sometimes goes into minute detail with the sort of factionalism that I guess is pretty associated with small-time left-wing movements, and loses the big picture that would be of interest to a modern reader.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced