A review by baoluong
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

4.0

Jay Reguero feels so many complicated emotions when he learns about the death of his once close cousin, Jun. Conflicted by his family's nonverbal agreement to keep silent, Jay wants to pursue his conscious. That what happened to Jun wasn't right. That he has been ignorant for too long.

The themes of outsiderness and identity rings true when it comes to stories involving immigrants. Caught between two worlds, Jay feels denied his Filipino self by a concerned father who left a life behind to provide for his family. Yet, before Jay can move on to the next stage of his own life, he needs to know what he's leaving behind.

I think books like Patron Saints of Nothing are opportunities to enlighten many readers to issues outside of their own framework. The importance to engage and motivate a generation to be intraspective will lead to acting on what they think is the right thing to do. Jay sees injustice and instead of just tolerating or making it worse, he wants to take responsibility which is different from taking blame.

This is a promising read that will reach people. I recommend this to fans of woke books and maybe checking out I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter too!

Seriously, you need to check out the illustrator who did this amazing cover! You can find Jor @jor.ros and make sure to support this artist if you like them! Ah, everything from the color scheme to the hand lettering is to die for.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for a sneak peek in exchange for an honest review!