Dec. 4, 2019
PositivelyFilipino.com
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2019-holiday-gift-guide-books-by-filipino-americans
The year-end holidays are upon us. In addition to Christmas, with the many different kinds of Filipino American families such as black and Jewish ones, there's Kwanzaa and Hanukkah to add to the list of celebrations. Let's not forget the Fil-Am pagans; there's winter solstice for them, too.
Fil-Am cuisine has been the hot topic in recent years, with restaurants and chefs in the spotlight. But what hasn't been talked about much (or at all?) is the bumper crop of Fil-Am authors who have been published by mainstream publishing houses.
Not to mention titles coming from Filipino American-owned publishing outfits and from Fil-Am authors who publish independently. Which is wonderful news for gift-hunters!
Adding to the momentum, the Filipino American International Book Festival was held in October in San Francisco. Hosted by the Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA) organization every other year, this year's installment highlighted works that were published from last year to this year.
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| Some of the writers featured in this year's Filipino American International Book Festival. From left: Cecilia Brainard (When the Rainbow Goddess Wept); Walter Ang, (Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History); Aileen Cassinetto (The Pink House of Purple Yam Preserves and Speak Poetry Anthology, Vol. 1); Elmer Pizo (Leaving Shadow Behind Us); Cindy Fazzi (My MacArthur); EJR David (We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet); Grace Talusan (The Body Papers). |
In addition to publications by Fil-Am authors, the festival featured tomes by authors and writers from the Philippines and other countries as well. Genres and formats ranged from poetry to graphic novels, from historic fiction to photography coffee table books.
For parents, educators and librarians searching for children's books that contain Fil-Am themes and/or subjects, some previously published titles featured at this year's bookfest included Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong by Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta with illustrations by Andre Sibayan, about the Fil-Am labor leader.
There was also Anthony "Tony" Robles' two bilingual books with illustrations by Carl Angel: Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel/Si Lakas at ang Makibaka Hotel and Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown, both of which introduce young readers to San Francisco's Fil-Am history.
Also showcased were Sari-Sari Storybooks' trove of multilingual illustrated Filipino children's books. Each has an English story accompanied by a translation in a Filipino language:
Melo the Umang-Boy: an Ivatan Tale
English by Alyssa Sarimiento-Co and Christina Newhard
Ivatan by Criselda Vinalay
Illustrations by Jaypee Portez
One day, painfully shy Melo visits a magical city at the bottom of the ocean. Disaster strikes and he must overcome his shyness to help the city's sea creatures rebuild their home.
Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik: a Cebuano Tale
English by Christina Newhard
Cebuano translation by Jona Branzuela Bering
Illustrations by Happy Garaje
Gamay tells the school bully to stop teasing Kalipay. Other children are afraid of Gamay's strange tongue, split body and bat wings, but Kalipay is fascinated by the things that make her new friend different. Together, they learn how friendship can create happiness for everyone.
Amina and the City of Flowers: a Chavacano Tale
English by Christina Newhard
Chavacano translation by Floraime Oliveros Pantaleta
Illustrations by Robbie Bautista
Amina, a young Yakan weaver, is homesick for Basilan, but she finds inspiration for her loom in the diversity and color of her new home, Zamboanga City.
Sandangaw: a Waray Tale
English by Voltaire Q. Oyzon
Waray translation by Merlie Alunan and Firie Jill Ramos
Illustrations by Ray Sunga
Little Sandangaw wants to do all the things that bigger children do but his family is so afraid that he'll be blown away, dragged, or stepped on! When the village magic woman tells him to visit the Eagle of Mt. Danglay for help, Sandangaw learns what it takes to grow.
For additional gift-giving ideas, here are some of the books by Fil-Am authors published by mainstream publishers this year, in order of publication.
For other books written by Fil-Ams, visit the websites and Facebook pages of Fil-Am bookstores (Arkipelago and Philippine Expressions--these two might carry some of the titles listed below) and publishing outfits (Carayan, Meritage, Paloma, Philippine American Literary House, PAWA). Scroll through (and add to) this crowdsourced online list of Fil-Am books. Type in "Filipino" or "Filipino American" in your online bookstore's search engine and see what comes up.
Baking at République: Masterful Techniques and Recipes
By Margarita Manzke and Betty Hallock
(Lorena Jones Books)
Cookbook. Pastry chef Manzke trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Culinary Institute of America in New York. She owns 11 branches of Wildflour Bakery and Café in the Philippines. The restaurants she owns in Los Angeles include Petty Cash Taqueria, Sari Sari Store and République.
The Body Papers
By Grace Talusan
(Restless Books)
Memoir. Despite a childhood of abuses and traumas, then an adulthood faced with the threat of cancer, Talusan finds love and success.
I Was Their American Dream
By Malaka Gharib
(Clarkson Potter)
Graphic memoir. Gharib draws how she grew up in a dual-heritage household (her mother is Filipino, her father is Egyptian) while living and trying to fit in a third (white American) culture.
The Farm
By Joanne Ramos
(Random House)
Fiction. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is determined to reconnect with her family. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she'll receive upon the delivery of the child she is carrying for someone else.
Patron Saints of Nothing
By Randy Ribay
(Kokila) [Young Adult]
Fiction. Jay Reguero discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened. He travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.
The House That Lou Built
By Mae Respicio
(Yearling) [8-12 years old]
Fiction. Lou Bulosan-Nelson shares a room with her mom in her grandmother's house. She longs for a place where she can escape her crazy but lovable extended Filipino family. Since Lou enjoys woodshop class and creating projects, her ultimate summer project will be to build her own "tiny house" on the land she inherited from her dad who died before she was born. But then she finds out that the land may not be hers for much longer.
My Fate According to the Butterfly
By Gail Villanueva
(Scholastic) [8-12 years old]
Fiction. When Sab sees a black butterfly, an omen of death, she knows that she's doomed! Superstition says she will meet her fate in one week -- on her 11th birthday. She just wants to celebrate her birthday with her whole family before time runs out. But her sister, Ate Nadine, stopped speaking to their father a year ago. If Sab's going to get them to reconcile, she'll have to overcome her fears -- of her sister's anger, of leaving her sheltered community, of her upcoming doom -- and figure out the cause of their rift.
The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
By R. Zamora Linmark
(Delacorte Press) [Young Adult]
Fiction. Beautiful, mysterious Ran becomes Ken's first kiss and first love. But as quickly as he enters Ken's life, Ran disappears, and Ken wonders: Why love at all, if this is where it leads? With the help of his best friends, the comfort of his haikus and lists, and strange, surreal appearances by his hero, Oscar Wilde, Ken will find that love is worth more than the price of heartbreak.
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
By Jia Tolentino
(Random House)
Essays. Tolentino is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In these nine essays, she tackles the conflicts, contradictions, and sea changes that define us and our time, delving into the forces that warp our vision.
The Foley Artist: Stories
By Ricco Siasoco
(Gaudy Boy)
Fiction. Siasoco's debut collection has nine stories that interrogates intimacy, foreignness, and silence in an absurd world. These give voice to the Filipino diaspora in America, which includes a 79-year- old foley artist who recreates the sounds of life but is unable to save himself.
Lalani of the Distant Sea
By Erin Entrada Kelly
(Greenwillow Books) [8-12 years old]
Fiction. When Lalani Sarita's mother falls ill with an incurable disease, Lalani embarks on a dangerous journey from the island of Sanlagita across the sea to find the legendary Mount Isa. Generations of men and boys have died on the same quest. How can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago which include creatures inspired by Filipino folklore?
Malaya: Essays on Freedom
By Cinelle Barnes
(Little A)
Essays. To redefine what it means to be a woman and an American, Barnes revisits her past, analyzes relationships, and explores race, class, identity and her faith in the human spirit.
Invisible People: Stories of Lives at the Margins
By Alex Tizon
(Temple University)
Anthology. The late Pulitzer Prize-winner Alex Tizon's stories of marginalized people--from lonely immigrants struggling to forge a new American identity to a high school custodian who penned a New Yorker short story. Includes "My Family's Slave," the Atlantic magazine cover story about the woman who raised him and his siblings.