Reviews with content warning for Rape - Patron Saints of Nothing

im known around my friends for being the relentless optimist, and it shines most when contrasted against subject matter like this.
i dont often get to read about my actual culture as a fil-am kid, so this was an amazingly intimate read for me. this book represents a real filipino family, and i am so glad to be a witness of it. the mood and atmosphere was captured beautifully, and ill definitely be looking into ribay's other books.

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bookishbaddie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

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mysterymom40's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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dkayayay's review against another edition

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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.

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chavborromeo's review against another edition

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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

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nikkkimarrry's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

Randy Ribay tells a nuanced and complex story about the grief and confusion that Jay feels over the death of his cousin Jun at the hands of police in the Philippines, and the strong conviction he feels about discovering the truth about his death. As a Filipino-American who has assimilated well into the suburban life of Midwestern America, his desire to find out how and why his cousin's death is related to President Duterte's 'war on drugs' is impeded by the realization that he has eroded his relations and connections to the homeland, which includes his relationship with Jun. He hasn't spoken to Jun in the years leading up to his death, he doesn't understand the socio-political circumstances of the country, and he has never cared for Filipino affairs before, so what gives him the right? Here, Jay must confront his Filipino heritage and his relations to the homeland in order to better understand the social-political-cultural-economic context of the Philippines and how these conditions influence the outcomes and realities of Duterte's anti-drug policies. By doing so, he is able to make sense of Jun's death and honour him by advocating for the truth.

Speaking from my positionality as a Filipino-Canadian, I think Ribay captured the complexities of the diasporic experience and the confusion of navigating one's hyphenated identity in an engaging, realistic, and honest way. Jay mentions so many times how he feels ashamed for not knowing enough about his Filipino identity - the language, the places, the history, the food - and how his family members in the Philippines chastise him about it in a way that I think many people of the Filipino diaspora could relate to, and also be inspired by. No matter how detached Jay allowed himself to be from his Filipino identity, and even if it won't change the fact that Jun is dead, its not too late for him to start caring and start acting on the issues occurring back home. In relation to these themes, this quote really stuck out to me "It strikes me that I cannot claim this country’s serene coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me." (p. 227). "

I think Ribay also does a great of voicing the privileges that the diaspora in the West may have - like assuming access to due process and legal rights/freedoms (although systemic racism and failures of the justice system are whole other conversations) - and how we need to keep ourselves in check when learning about and acting on the struggles back home. In this way, I think what's most powerful about this story is the fact that, even though it is a fictionalized account about the ramifications of Duterte's war on drugs, this is the kind of reality that exists under his leadership. Even so, the story still highlights the tensions that exist amongst Filipino citizens who support Duterte's policies and the brutality, sadness, and fear that simultaneously exists within communities because of these policies. It's not as clear cut as a Western perspective might make it seem - which Jay comes to realize - but still compels readers to honour the people back home who are putting their lives at risk to act on the ground. There is so much activism occurring back home and we will not be the ones to 'save' Filipinos from their plights, as Mia, a journalism student that Jay befriends in the Philippines, says when Jay demands they seek justice for Jun. I think this is a compelling way to engage Filipino readers to think about their responsibilities to the homeland and what it means to act on those responsibilities in a way that is respectful and useful. For those who are not Filipino, I think this story demands critical thinking about the role that Western powers play in enabling human rights crises like Duterte's war on drugs, as well as the need for those abroad to advocate in ways that support the activist efforts in the Philippines.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

this is a very impactful and important read. i honestly think everyone should read it, especially people who likes to be educated with worldwide issues.

well, jason is a clueless teenager— maybe, oblivious at some point. sometimes, i found that aspect annoying, sometimes i find it interesting. it honestly depends on the scene. his cousin, jun, passed away abruptly and he’s determined to know why. like other mystery novels, the book describes his journey.

i really liked how unlike most filipino representations, the book isn’t white-washed and actually talks about filipino culture descriptively. you might think that it’s just a mystery novel, but it actually has deeper themes to discuss— especially in duterte’s leadership.

i found the ending a little fast, however this is such an amazing read overall.

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racheldkidder's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.5

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