Book review on "The Filipinos"

The Filipinos By Michelle H. Houle

Many other Filipinos and I included don’t know much about the history of Filipino immigration. Some have heard stories that were brought down from their grandparents, but that is only one piece of the whole puzzle. The book “ The Filipinos” which is published by Greenhaven Press, gives readers the whole history of Filipino migration to America from the very beginning to the present. Every chapter is written by someone who is knowledgeable about the topic and most of the writers are Filipino. What is amazing about this book are the authors, who are professors, authors, lawyers, former members of Hawaii’s house or representatives, and many more. 

Filipino War Bride

What I like about this book is that there are personal anecdotes in some of the chapters. For example, in chapter 2 page 84, Gregoria Fangonilo talks about her experience of being a Filipino American war bride. Another example is on page 113 chapter 3, Roselyn Domingo tells her story of immigration struggles and family separation. Reading all of these stories added a lot of heart into this book. I was able to relate to some of them and it really tied me to my community because I realized that many people have experienced the same or similar things. 

The formatting of this book was very clear which made it easier for readers to read along. The chapters had subchapters to go more in-depth. Each chapter is written by different people and the first paragraph starts off with an introduction to the chapter as well as a little bit of information about the author. What makes this book special is that is just a bunch of collective stories from people who are knowledgeable on a topic. It also has a chapter for people who want to study more about Filipinos. It has a list of books and to read if readers want to go deeper. The forward and introduction add a nice touch to the book. 
The layout of the chapters makes the most sense. The 3 major chapters are the first, second, and third, Filipino waves. The 4th chapter is called “ Accomplished Filipino Americans” which talks about a writer, a US army general, an activist, an executive chef, and a hip hop musician. Each chapter of the waves of Filipino immigration starts with background information and includes short stories from people as well as includes some kind of trouble Filipinos faced during that time in time. 

Cristeta Comerford, First Women and First Filipino American
to hold the title of White House Executive Chef 

One thing that surprised me was the first and second wave. It surprised me the most because I had no idea what Filipinos went through. I found it cool how Filipinos started referring themselves to “Pinoys” at the beginning of the 20th century. I also found it interesting they started working in fish canneries and sugar cane plantation which is brutal work. The description of their job made me sad. 

Extended Family, Christmas 2016

The chapter that really hit home for me was chapter 3 which was the 3rd wave. I could relate to most of these topics like family separation and responsibilities. Family separation reminded me of my mom’s situation where half of her siblings were living in America while the other half were living in the Philippines. It also talked about extended family and how they will always help you no matter what. Which I believe is true and which is what I think is fascinating about my family. I feel like it is different than American families where they usually only focus on their immediate families. Extended families sacrifice just like an immediate family. That reminded me of my great aunt who took care of my grandma and their siblings when they first arrived in America. 

In conclusion, I think this book is a good reference for a research paper. Its diction provides a casual tone which also just makes it an easy read for curious people like myself. The personal stories make this book special and more heartfelt. It is written in chronological order based on the Filipino American history which leaves no confusion for the readers. The fact that each chapter is written by a different author creates diversity and different perspectives. Also, the authors are credible because they’re professors or primary sources. I would recommend this to Filipinos who are curious about their history and want to learn more.