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Kevin Nadal shares in new book the ‘immense pain’ of being gay and bullied
By Dr. Kevin Nadal When I was 7 years old and struggling with my gay identity, I often wondered if I could ever be happy. Here I was — the only gay person I knew in my family and community. As a child of immigrants who grew up in a huge Filipino American and Catholic […]
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New York scallops in a Bay Area cook book
By Federico A. Espiritu Rene Astudillo’s “My Bay Kitchen: Memories of My Homeland, Travels and More” cook book will not be complete without a scallop dish he first tasted in New York in one of his frequent travels. Broiled Scallops with Sautéed Garlic Spinach is one of the dishes that found its way into this […]
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Analyze him: Barack Obama called ‘narcissistic’ in new book
‘Change We Deserve’ By Luz Martin, MD Tate Publishing November 2012 Philippine-born psychiatrist and neurologist Luz M. Martin has published a book released in time for the Nov. 6 elections. “Change We Deserve” is an indictment of President Barack Obama’s policies as well as his personality. The author discuses Obama’s “defense mechanisms, his narcissism, his […]
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High drama and low humor in Ricky Lee’s new fiction about a cross-dressing ‘manananggal’
By Joel David The results of the recently concluded American presidential elections seemed guaranteed to make everyone happy – except for the Republican Party and its now less-than-majority supporters. American conservatives could have spared themselves their historic loss if they had taken the trouble to inspect the goings-on in a country their nation had once […]
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The Marcos Dictatorship and the irreparable damage to a family and the Filipino experience
By Joel David In the process of finalizing the current issue of Kritika Kultura, Ateneo’s online journal, on Ishmael Bernal’s “Manila by Night,” I went over some of the notes I took during the too-few interviews I had with the director. One of the statements he made, that our stories as a people are better […]
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To be Filipino in pre-war Philly
‘Filipinos of Greater Philadelphia’ By Eliseo Art Arambulo Silva Arcadia Publishing August 2012 Artist and author Eliseo Art Arambulo Silva invites the public to the September 15 launch of his book “Filipinos of Greater Philadelphia,” which highlights the nation’s oldest Filipino American organization. The book signing will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. […]
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This New Yorker has not read a single book
He will never be like Amy Poehler who “rubs elbows” with the strange people who exist in other worlds, or Jay-Z who sees in reading a way to “put words to feelings.” You won’t find him with a copy of the Daily News in the subway train or under the covers at 3 a.m. finishing […]
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The American Dream redefined
‘Forty Years Of Writing In America’ By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko Jack Bacon & Company 2008 By Allen Gaborro There is something rather intimate about Dr. Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko’s book, “Forty Years Of Writing In America.” The work not only has a contemplative and reflective aura about it. It also, especially with subsequent readings, radiates with […]
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Heart-warming story pushes the boundary of children’s lit
‘Papa’s Gift’ By Genny Javellana BananaHeart + SoulSnax May 2012 “Papa’s Gift” is a moving story that touches on the relationship between father and daughter. Written and illustrated by Genny Javellana, it is a story based on events from the author’s life. Weaving deeply personal story and dialogue with whimsical imagery, Javellana creates an inter-generational, […]