Dear Litsy hive mind, I need suggestions. A coworker is trying to read a book a month, and he goes to the Philippines soon for a work trip. He wants a book, fiction or non, that will introduce him to Filipino culture. Any suggestions? #asklitsy
MarriedtoMrT @Chachic Do you have any suggestions? 7y
bookishdawg “In the Country” by Mia Alvar is a great short story collection 👍🏻 7y
brennahawleycraig @jodikpeterson thank you!! 7y
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Kristy_K Here‘s a good list: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/647323-philippines (edited) 7y
EllieDottie I don‘t know if this is representative but I recommend![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png)
Smaller and Smaller Circles 7y
Smaller and Smaller Circlesbrennahawleycraig @EllieDottie thank you! I think he‘s really interested in anything about the country. 7y
brennahawleycraig @Kristy_K I didn‘t even think of searching for a Goodreads list! Excellent idea!‘ 7y
batsy This is supposed to be a classic and I'm planning to read it myself this yearNoli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) 7y
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not)Chachic @MarriedtoMrT Thanks for tagging me. @brennahawleycraig What genre does your friend want to read? Also how modern? Because we can recommend Filipino classics but they will be outdated. I see Noli Me Tangere being rec'd here and that's set back when the country was still colonized by Spain in the 1800s. Tagging fellow Filipinos here on Litsy, in case they have suggestions too. @GatheringBooks @bentchbites @willreadforfeels @kochtob 7y
bentchbites Thanks @Chachic for tagging me! Im trying to think of English works that can represent modern Philippine culture but all im coming up with are contemporary romance. 7y
willreadforfeels Thanks for the tag @Chachic! I think one question I would have is what is he interested in learning about Filipino culture? There are so many aspects and regions to learn about. Does he want a book that will immerse him in socio-politics? Our pop culture? Our food culture? Mythology? Something more slice of life? 7y
brennahawleycraig @willreadforfeels he says history, socio-political and culture side of things would be best! 7y
kochtob thank you for tagging me @Chachic ! @brennahawleycraig your friend might want to check out "The Mango Bride" by Marivi Soliven Blanco. i have a few issues about how some of the language feels anachronistic (but you'd only notice that if you're a local), but it tackles socio-political issues that are still relevant today. the topic is heavy, but the writing is fluid...so quite an easy read in my opinion :) 7y
brennahawleycraig @kochtob thank you!!! That sounds like an excellent recommendation!! 7y
willreadforfeels @brennahawleycraig: I‘d probably say it‘s hard to get a grasp of our political situation without a sense of the political feudalism and cronyism mixed with a kind of mystical fatalism typical of our system so maybe something by Ninotchka Rosa (her novel Twice Blessed is a fave of mine) or perhaps Empire of Memory by Eric Gamalinda. For something more contemporary with an edge of snark I‘d say go with essays by Jessica Zafra 7y
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