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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
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
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.5 stars. Finally, a Filipino writer whose prose I like. I especially enjoyed reading about Bulosan's childhood in the Philippines and initial experiences in the U.S. The racism was infuriating. The narrative, however, became disjointed and I lost track of his friends because they were not as distinctly drawn as members of his family. Still, an important read.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I enjoyed this book a lot. A really powerful and unflinching depiction of the terrible struggles Filipino migrants have faced in the US. Bulosan’s use of diction and the transition from simple, declarative phrases to complex, almost academic sentences alongside his immersion in American and academic culture works really well on the meta level. The ending works for me, too; the irony of it seems intentional to me and honestly makes it hilarious in a way. The depiction of women in this book as only either pathetic and maternal or seductive distractions is a bit frustrating, though I suppose it is partially a reflection of Bulosan’s situation.
For a full review, check my Instagram @caityreviews.