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mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Police brutality
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
jamies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i don't have the words to explain how stunning this book was, i saw myself through the eyes of jay as i am also a filipino living abroad that wants to learn about their culture, i had other similarities with him but i won't expand on it anymore. it was an amazing read and i think more people should read this book right now!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
library_dreamer's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
marissasa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I knew this book would hit hard the moment I read the dedication page "For the hyphenated" and realized it meant to all the Filipino-Americans, children of immigrants like myself, but wow did this story break my heart on a deep level. The portrayal of family in this book is so damn accurate, from the way adult family members dance around talking about uncomfortable topics to the way that Jay's cousins interacted with him. The characterization felt so realistic with Tito Maning's machismo and his Marcos apologist beliefs, Tita Chato and her partner, Jay's Lolo and Lola, and the (absolutely hilarious) fact that Grace met her girlfriend online through a Yuri on Ice fan forum. I loved the use of letters from Jun as a way for us to learn more about the memory of him that Jay had and nothing compared to the emotional payoff towards the end when Jay reads out loud his final letter to Jun that he never got to send. I love that this book doesn't shy away from the reality of drug usage in the Philippines and reiterates that those who use or push aren't any less deserving of their lives because of it, that it calls out the corruption of the Philippine government but understands the valid reasons more people experiencing it don't speak out about it, and that it hits home the message of "none of us is one thing." I want every Fil-Am to read this book because I truly think there is so much to identify with in Jay and that so much of his story, although maybe not along the exact same lines, resonates with Fil-Am identity and with navigating the line between the two countries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
dkayayay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An extremely important book that sheds light on the Drug War in the Philippines and focuses on the victims that have been harmed or have lost their life due to an ill-educated society about drugs. Doing drugs is not something that a human being should ever be killed for. This book explores the inhumane acts that Duterte has done and has implored others to do, leading to an innumerable amount of innocent lives lost. All this is told through the perspective of a 17 year old Filipino teenager, who lives in America and is shocked to find out one day that his cousin in which he lost contact with, died a sudden death. No one will tell him about it, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and tries to figure out what happened. It was such an enlightening read and one that more people should read. It also had really great representation of Filipino teenagers living overseas and grappling with national identity as well as the connection between oneself and their country. Such a beautiful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Trafficking, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
chavborromeo's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I was 14 years old when Duterte became a president. Many people liked him because "retable" (he cursed like normal being) and "simple". He became famous with his tagline "I hate drugs" and promise to eradicate drugs in a span of 3 to 6 months. He ordered cops to do a shoot to kill to every suspected drug users/pushers and every people from the drug list/watch list. But did he succeed on eliminating drugs? Hard NO. His drug war killed lots of innocent people and violates lots of human rights. He once said on his SONA that "his concern is human lives not human rights". Instead of going with high profile drug lord, knowing the root cause and doing scientific based approach, he ordered killing. Regardless whether they are user/a pusher, everyone deserves a day in a court and right due process.
They silenced their critics like Sen. De lima (#FreeLeila) and until now she still detained. It is hard to speak up and make a stand especially if the power and justice is on their side :(((
About this book, even though the setting is in the Philippines, I don't feel like it. Some Filipino attitude and culture are being exaggerated and some are outdated??? It could have been better if the narrator grew up in the Philippines like Grace (I know for different perspective but???). I'm annoyed every time they speak Tagalog and since the narrator can't understand it, the reader also can't understand. Its better to put Tagalog dialogue and let the narrator get confuse.lol.
Also, the drug war targets the poor, I think it will be better if they don't came from privilege family?? just saying :)
It so sad to think that people would not care about their surroundings/social issues if they are not directly affected.
Anyway,
#StopTheKillingsPh
#JusticeForAllTheVictimsOfDrugWar
#NoToMarcos-Duterte2022
#NeverAgain
#NeverForget
They silenced their critics like Sen. De lima (#FreeLeila) and until now she still detained. It is hard to speak up and make a stand especially if the power and justice is on their side :(((
About this book, even though the setting is in the Philippines, I don't feel like it. Some Filipino attitude and culture are being exaggerated and some are outdated??? It could have been better if the narrator grew up in the Philippines like Grace (I know for different perspective but???). I'm annoyed every time they speak Tagalog and since the narrator can't understand it, the reader also can't understand. Its better to put Tagalog dialogue and let the narrator get confuse.lol.
Also, the drug war targets the poor, I think it will be better if they don't came from privilege family?? just saying :)
It so sad to think that people would not care about their surroundings/social issues if they are not directly affected.
Anyway,
#StopTheKillingsPh
#JusticeForAllTheVictimsOfDrugWar
#NoToMarcos-Duterte2022
#NeverAgain
#NeverForget
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
dominic_t's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a wonderful book. I learned a lot about the war on drugs in the Philippines. The characters were really interesting, and I loved seeing their growth. It was a beautiful story of a complicated family dynamic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Drug use
tofutofutofu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This would have been a terrific book, if it had been narrated by Grace. The narrator is annoying beyond measure, and nobody needed this book to be translated through the eyes of a privileged American who stomped in there to play white savior. I was surprised to see that the writer was not, in fact, a high schooler, but instead an adult who committed too much to the juvenile voice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Trafficking, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
zairabardos's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
sammiesshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Wow. This book was stunning. I found it by chance in a bargain bin at a used bookstore and I am sure glad that I picked it up.
This story follows Jay, a half Filipino teen who was born in the Philippines but raised in America. He finds out that his cousin, Jun, who he used to be pen pals with, has died at the age of seventeen under mysterious circumstances that the family doesn't want to talk about, and so he asks to spend his spring break in the Philippines to get to the bottom of what is going on.
Patron Saints of Nothing is a beautiful story that not only criticizes the drug war started by Rodrigo Duterte but also details what it is like to be an outsider in a country and a family that is supposedly your own. Jay is repeatedly criticized for his lack of knowledge of his birth country and Tagalog, and it is quite hard for him to reconnect with the family he hasn't seen in eight years. It is also hard for him to reconcile his Americanized reality with the reality in the Philippines. Seeing this already tense situation unfold on top of the fact of his family's refusal to acknowledge his cousin's death, the tension is palpable.
The writing in this book is also beautiful. There is an abundance of lyrical quotes that make you feel transported into the mind of Jay and depict his emotions in a way that no other words could.
Overall, this was a beautiful novel about what makes a person good and asks if there is any real justification for murder. With morally grey characters, it makes for a complex and riveting story.
This story follows Jay, a half Filipino teen who was born in the Philippines but raised in America. He finds out that his cousin, Jun, who he used to be pen pals with, has died at the age of seventeen under mysterious circumstances that the family doesn't want to talk about, and so he asks to spend his spring break in the Philippines to get to the bottom of what is going on.
Patron Saints of Nothing is a beautiful story that not only criticizes the drug war started by Rodrigo Duterte but also details what it is like to be an outsider in a country and a family that is supposedly your own. Jay is repeatedly criticized for his lack of knowledge of his birth country and Tagalog, and it is quite hard for him to reconnect with the family he hasn't seen in eight years. It is also hard for him to reconcile his Americanized reality with the reality in the Philippines. Seeing this already tense situation unfold on top of the fact of his family's refusal to acknowledge his cousin's death, the tension is palpable.
The writing in this book is also beautiful. There is an abundance of lyrical quotes that make you feel transported into the mind of Jay and depict his emotions in a way that no other words could.
Overall, this was a beautiful novel about what makes a person good and asks if there is any real justification for murder. With morally grey characters, it makes for a complex and riveting story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Trafficking