Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults

by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Overview

Growing Up Filipinos: Stories for Young Adults is the acclaimed collection of stories about the experience of growing up Filipino. Emerging and established award-winning writers are the authors of this fine collection of 29 short stories about what it means to be young and Filipino in the Philippines and the United States. Filipinos in America are the second largest in the umbrella group of Asian Americans, yet there is a scarcity of books by and for Filipinos. This impressive array captures the complexities of both the culture and history and the realities of the lives of young adults no matter what their ethnic affiliation. Each story is assigned to one of five universal themes: family, angst, friendship, love, and home. Each story is introduced by a thumbnail sketch of the author and a paragraph or two about some element of Filipino culture or history that is relevant to the story. Authors include those born and continuing to live in the Philippines, emigres, and American-born Filipinos.

The book was in the National Geographic Summer Reading List for 2020; it was a finalist for the 2005 National Book Award, Philippines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780971945807
Publisher:	PALH
Publication date:	08/30/2005
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.71(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was born and raised in the port city of Cebu, Philippines, a place she has turned into her mythical setting called "Ubec" for many of her stories. She attended St. Theresa's College and Maryknoll College in the Philippines before migrating to the United States to do graduate work in film making. She later turned to writing and other literary work. She went on to write and edit twenty-two books. Brainard has taught at the University of Southern California, UCLA, California State Summer School for the Arts, UCLA-Extension's Writers Program. She lectures and performs in literary arts venues such as Shakespeare and Company in Paris, Culture Rapide in Paris, Beyond Baroque, PEN, Coming Together in Skokie, Illinois, Second Literary Symposium in Jackson Tennessee, Filipino American International Book Festivals, Cebu Philippines Literary Festivals, and many Philippine and US universities. As a former Executive Board Member of the writers' group PEN, she represented PEN USA West in international meetings in Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela. She served as an officer in such groups as the Midnight Special Cultural Center, PAAWWW (Pacific Asian American Women Writers West), and the Arts & Letters at the Cal State University, Los Angeles. Brainard co-founded PAWWA (Philippine American Women Writers and Artists) a support group that received funding from the California Arts Council. She founded and runs PALH (Philippine American Literary House), a publishing house of fine Philippine American books. She is an active member of the Philippine and Philippine American literary communities. She has received several awards including a California Arts Council Fellowship, a Brody Arts Fund, an Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city Cebu Philippines, a City of Los Angeles Cultural Grand, several USIS grants, California State Senate, 21st District, and others. Her books have won the Gintong Aklat Award, the International Gourmand Award, and others. She is married with three sons.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	Introduction	ix
	Family
	Lola Sim's Handkerchief	3
	Tea and Empathy	9
	Lolo's Bride	13
	Grandmother	21
	In Place of Trees	27
	Deaf Mute	39
	Blue Frangipanis	47
	Houseboy	53
	Angst
	Voice in the Hills	69
	Manny's Climb	83
	Day of the Butterfly	89
	American Son Epilogue	105
	Indian-Giver	117
	San Prancisco	125
	Friendship
	The Purpose of Malls	141
	The Eye of a Needle	149
	The Magic Glasses	159
	The Slumbering State	165
	It's a Gruen	177
	Love
	Her Wild American Self	193
	The Last Moon-Game of Summer	207
	The Curfew	213
	Sweet Grapes, Sour Grapes	219
	Short Answer	231
	Home
	Flooded	237
	The Boundary	245
	The Spirits of Kanlanti	253
	Below the Belt	261
	I'll Be Home for Christmas	273
	Glossary of Words and Phrases	279
	Acknowledgements	285
	Contributors' Additional Information	287

Editorial Reviews

"These 29 short stories offer a highly textured portrait of Filipino youth and an excellent sampling of creative writing. Thematically arranged, most of the pieces have been written since the turn of the 21st century. Each story is introduced by a thumbnail sketch of the author and a paragraph or two about some element that is relevant to the story ... The high caliber and broad but wholly accessible range of this collection, however, makes this title a solid purchase for multiple reasons." School Library Journal

"Emerging and established award-winning writers are the authors of this fine collection of 29 stories about what it means to be Filipino in the Philippines and in the United States ... This impressive array captures the complexities of both the Filipino culture and history and the realities of the lives of young adults no matter what their ethnic affiliation." Bookbird Journal International Children's Literature (Glenna Sloan)

"In this fine short-story collection, 29 Filipino American writers explore the universal challenges of adolescence from the unique perspectives of teens in the Philippines or in the U.S. Organized into five sections -- Family, Angst, Friendship, Love, and Home -- all the stories are about growing up and what the introduction calls "growing into Filipino-ness, growing with Filipinos, and growing in or growing away from the Philippines ... The cultural flavor aspect never overwhelms the stories, and readers will be drawn to the particulars as well as the universal concerns of family, friends, love, and leaving home."' Booklist

"A side range of views and insights into growing up Filipino are compiled in this anthology of short stories and memoirs.... The term Flip, the penchant for singing songs in front of relatives and friends, social conflicts among American-born and Philippine-born Filipinos, experiences of being gay, and experiences working in migrant camps are among the more significant cultural, social, and political realities depicted in this collection. Because the writings focus on issues related to childhood and adolescence, with a style that appeals to teen readers, this book is highly recommended for young adults. Multicultural Review

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up-Twenty-nine compelling selections authored by individuals who live in the Philippines, have emigrated, or are American-born. This fine collection, examining themes of family, friendship, love, and home, provides a varied portrait of Filipino youth today. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal