serendipitysbooks's review

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dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.0


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readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

It was not always linear and at times was difficult to follow 

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zoinkie's review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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isabellew27's review

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informative sad medium-paced

5.0


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ange_astylecollector's review

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emotional

5.0


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wendywoo1's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5


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swiggitypika's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

5.0


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clarxvizconde13's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0



This work documents Patricia Evangelista's work as a trauma reporter, focusing on Rodrigo Duterte's War on Drugs. It painted a picture of how Duterte came to power - what made him the choice for some Filipinos - during the 2022 Presidential elections. 

Extremely heartbreaking, Evangelista's extensive research and beautiful writing made me devour the book. At times I had to stop and reflect because realizing how many lives were taken under the pretext of "nanlaban" is emotionally draining. 

Evangelista's play on words and translation made this an engaging read from start to finish. 

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syrup_'s review

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.75


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edill09's review

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

“Journalism, in the end, is an act of faith” (p. 123)

Despite the heartbreak, despair, and anger, Pat also imbued her work with hope. Hope that through the telling of this account, that some semblance of justice would (eventually) unfold for the thousands of victims and their families who’s lives were forever changed with Duterte’s “war on drugs”. A stark warning for others who may find “tough guy” personalities vying for power (ala 2016 and 2024), and what the consequences of complicity looks like among the electorate.

I especially enjoyed the moments of linguistic insight (laban, salvage, and more) and the historical and political context for this moment in Filipino history. The narrative arc of the Edsa Revolution and the ways in which the various political dynasties made promises (and then broke them) … so many discussion points and things to chew on. Would highly recommend to all! 

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