October is Filipino American History Month. Celebrate by checking out these fantastic books by Filipino authors:
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Book | CD Audiobook | Downloadable Audiobook on Libby
"This is not a book about the politics of immigration. This book––at its core––is not about immigration at all. This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but in the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like myself find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together, and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. After 25 years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.” -From the Book
In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar
Book | ebook on Libby
"From teachers to housemaids, from mothers to sons, Alvar’s stories explore the universal experiences of loss, displacement, and the longing to connect across borders both real and imagined. In the Country speaks to the heart of everyone who has ever searched for a place to call home—and marks the arrival of a formidable new voice in literature." -From the Publisher
I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad
Book
"To eat—and cook—like a Filipino involves puckeringly sour adobos with meat so tender you can cut it with a fork, national favorites like kare kare (oxtail stew) and kinilaw (fresh seafood cured in vinegar), Chinese-influenced pansit (noodles), tamales by way of early Mexican immigrants, and Arab-inflected fare, with its layered spicy stews and flavors of burnt coconut. But it also entails beloved street snacks like ukoy (fritters) and empanadas and the array of sweets and treats called meryenda. Dishes reflect the influence and ingredients of the Spaniards and Americans, among others, who came to the islands, but Filipinos turned the food into their own unique and captivating cuisine. Filled with riotously bold and bright photographs, I Am a Filipino is like a classic kamayan dinner—one long festive table piled high with food. Just dig in!" -From the Publisher
The Human Zoo by Sabina Murray
Book | ebook on Hoopla | Downloadable Audiobook on Hoopla
"Filipino American Christina "Ting" Klein has just traveled from New York to Manila, both to escape her imminent divorce and to begin research for a biography of Timicheg, an indigenous Filipino brought to America at the start of the 20th century to be exhibited as part of a "human zoo". It has been a year since Ting's last visit and one year since Procopio "Copo" Gumboc swept the elections in an upset and took power as president. Arriving unannounced at her aging aunt's aristocratic home, Ting quickly falls into upper-class Manila life - family gatherings at her cousin's compound; spending time with her best friend, Inchoy, a gay socialist professor of philosophy; and a flirtation with her ex-boyfriend, Chet. All the while, family duty dictates that Ting be responsible for Laird, a cousin's fiance, who has come from the States to rediscover his roots." -From the Publisher
Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo by Jo Koy
Book | ebook on Libby | ebook on Hoopla | Downloadable Audiobook on Libby | Downloadable Audiobook on Hoopla
"In a memoir that is both surprising in its honesty and not surprising all for being laugh out loud ridiculous, Jo Koy delivers his life story for fans, and for anyone who has defied the expectations of their family and maybe even themselves. If you’ve ever seen Jo Koy’s standup, you know that his road to success has been…well…bumpy. As a half-Filipino, half-white kid with a mom who didn’t think much of his comedy career goals, Jo had a lot to prove. Add in the realities of the immigrant experience, alcoholism, poverty and mental illness and you can understand why Jo Koy found solace in the VHS tapes he made of Eddie Murphy and George Carlin specials. In the end, Mixed Plate is his path to achieving his version of the American Dream, one that he lives out loud today while celebrating his heritage, the life he’s been able to provide for his son Joe, Jr., and all the wonderful craziness of his great big Filipino family …that also happen to be universal." -From the Publisher
America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
Book | Large Print | ebook on Libby | Downloadable Audiobook on Libby
"How many lives can one person lead in a single lifetime? When Hero De Vera arrives in America, disowned by her parents in the Philippines, she's already on her third. Her uncle, Pol, who has offered her a fresh start and a place to stay in the Bay Area, knows not to ask about the first and second. And his younger wife, Paz, has learned enough about the might and secrecy of the De Vera family to keep her head down. Only their daughter Roni asks Hero why her hands seem to scream with hurt at the steering wheel of the car she drives to collect her from school, and only Rosalyn, the fierce but open-hearted beautician, has any hope of bringing Hero back from the dead." -From the Publisher
The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I've Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance by Matt Ortile
Book | Downloadable Audiobook on Libby
"When Matt Ortile moved from Manila to Las Vegas, the locals couldn't pronounce his name. Harassed as a kid for his brown skin, accent, and femininity, he believed he could belong in America by marrying a white man and shedding his Filipino identity. This was the first myth he told himself. The Groom Will Keep His Name explores the various tales Ortile spun about what it means to be a Vassar Girl, an American Boy, and a Filipino immigrant in New York looking to build a home.
As we meet and mate, we tell stories about ourselves, revealing not just who we are, but who we want to be. Ortile recounts the relationships and whateverships that pushed him to confront his notions of sex, power, and the model minority myth. Whether swiping on Grindr, analyzing DMs, or cruising steam rooms, Ortile brings us on his journey toward radical self-love with intelligence, wit, and his heart on his sleeve." -From the Publisher
Bibliolepsy by Gina Apostol
Book | ebook on Libby | Downloadable Audiobook on Libby | Downloadable Audiobook on Hoopla
"Gina Apostol’s debut novel, available for the first time in the US, tells of a young woman caught between a lifelong desire to escape into books and a real-world revolution. It is the mid-eighties, two decades into the kleptocratic, brutal rule of Ferdinand Marcos. The Philippine economy is in deep recession, and civil unrest is growing by the day. But Primi Peregrino has her own priorities: tracking down books and pursuing romantic connections with their authors. For Primi, the nascent revolution means that writers are gathering more often, and with greater urgency, so that every poetry reading she attends presents a veritable “Justice League” of authors for her to choose among. As the Marcos dictatorship stands poised to topple, Primi remains true to her fantasy: that she, “a vagabond from history, a runaway from time,” can be saved by sex, love, and books." -From the Publisher
For more titles, check out our Filipino American History Month display in the Library for the rest of October!
