A review by marieandthebooks
The Body Papers: A Memoir by Grace Talusan

1.0

I started reading this with so much anticipation because I love everything Filipino that makes me feel closer to home. I was grossly disappointed here.
I can tell fast that being away from the Philippines has stripped her from all familiarity and she comes across as whiny, judge mental and a bit racist towards her own.
My first real trigger was her describing old white undesirable men with young Filipina woman faking their love for cash. Here is my rant on that subject:
As a child of a Filipina woman and European man it saddens me that this sterotype seems to be etched in stone. It’s not always like that and constantly using it as a visual is disgusting and detrimental to all the relationships that is nothing like that.
I’ve seen so many beautiful crosscultural relationships and this diminishes them to cradle robber/gold digger status.
Shame on this author. In a different way you sought the same life moving to the states to escape poverty.
To look down your nose on others wishing the same is disgusting.
Also not ALL who marry white are down on their luck!
When she later states upon landing in Manila that she says to her husband “there’s so many Filipinos here, too many to count” I lost it.
I cannot keep reading this book, it’s giving me high blood pressure!