
Edited by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
PALH, 2010, softcover, 258 pages ISBN 978–0‑9719458–3‑8 — BOOK ORDER
PALH, 2010, hardcover, 258 pages ISBN 978–0‑9719458–2‑1 — BOOK ORDER
EBOOK — Kindle, Barnes&Noble, Rakuten Kobo, Apple Books, Scribd, Tolino, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Baker&Taylor, Vivlio, and Borrow Box
Powerful and Evocative Stories
Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults is the second volume of the Growing Up Filipino series by PALH. In this collection of 27 short stories, Filipino and Filipino American writers explore the universal challenges and experiences of Filipino teens after the historic events of 9/11. The modern demands do not hinder Filipino youth from dealing with the universal concerns of growing up: family, friends, love, home, budding sexuality, leaving home. The delightful stories are written by well-known as well as emerging writers. While the target audience of this fine anthology is young adults, the stories can be enjoyed by adult readers as well. The anthology remains in print and is used by many educators.
Contributors are: Amalia Bueno, Leslieann Hobayan, Rashaan Alexis Meneses, Paulino Lim, Jr. Dean Francis Alfar, Marianne Villanueva, Cecilia Brainard, Jonathan Siason, Charlson Ong, Brian Roley, Veronica Montes, Edgar Poma, Tony Robles, Oscar Penaranda, Max Gutierrez, Geronimo Tagatac, Kannika Pena, Aileen Suzara, Jaime An Lim, Marily Orosa, Dolores De Manuel, Maria Victoria Beltran, M. G. Bertulfo, Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor, and Katrina Ramos Atienza.
Praise
“This collection of 27 short stories, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Growing Up Filipino (PALH, 2003), reflects the impact of post‑9/11 wartime sensibilities among Filipino writers living in the Philippines, the United States, and Canada. Although similar topics of family, memoir, and coming-of-age thread through both collections, the pieces are not grouped by theme, but nevertheless weave a constantly shifting tapestry of Filipino identity. The challenges and conflicts of unique ancestry and struggles for identity provide a rich background for modern urban realism. The brittle memoirs reflected in ‘Here in the States,’ ‘Nurse Rita,’ and ‘Hammer Lounge”; original legend in ‘A Season of 10,000 Noses’; and breathtaking tragedy in ‘How My Mother Flew,’ among others, are compelling reading. Some selections have terse, spare language; others are almost commonplace in their apparent simplicity; all capture moments and nuances of the modern Filipino experience that will envelop readers.
“Brainard has again selected powerful, evocative stories of family: of promises and disappointment, failure and resentment, tenacious and all-consuming love, anxiety and transcendent hope. There is plenty here to stimulate discussion and encourage an appreciation of Filipino writing and culture. This anthology is a worthy successor to the first volume and has appeal to an audience beyond high school literature courses.” ~ School Library Journal
“This collection of 27 stories — of growing up Filipino in the Philippines, in the United States, in Canada — presents adolescents grappling, with some confusion and anxiety, about their place as affected by social and cultural mobility that separate and also enclose them. These are stories of discoveries about the young self at the brink of adulthood; of longing for a once-comfortable past, of fears arising from present economic hardships which threaten the future; of loneliness in family gatherings and in school, of racism, single parenthood …These are impeccable stories in range of subject matter and modes of narration: part of the story of the Philippines and wherever Filipinos live; part of the world’s story.” ~ Linda Ty-Casper, Novelist
“Every story in this collection authentically captures the interdependence of society-at-large and some individual’s growth, within extended families, both natural and ritual. ~ Leonard Casper, Professor Emeritus, American Studies, Boston College
“When read collectively, these stories become an embodiment of the Philippine mosaic, to highlight the fluidity of Filipino/American identity.” ~ Rocio G. Davis, Associate Professor of American Literature, University of Navarre
Excerpt
https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2018/08/fiction-vigan-by-cecilia-brainard.html
Book Reviews
School Library Journal, May 1, 2010
Featured in National Geographic’s 2020 Summer Reading List