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mudboywa's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
affecting account of the life of Filipino laborers and the organizing that took place all up and down the west coast in the post WWI and during WWII eras. The accounts of the canneries in AK were most interesting to me, since my grandfather had worked in the canneries around the same time but never talked about it. Sorta drags it's feet after a while, as Carlos runs from town to town trying to find jobs and organIze, fleeing in a hurry after being fired or violent retaliation. The wrap-up is a bit more hopeful, very reflective of that post-war hope of a more united America.
"It is but fair to say that America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first In- dian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino pea pickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world."
"It is but fair to say that America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first In- dian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino pea pickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world."
historicalmaterialgirl's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A classic. Bulosan gives us so much insight into history and immigration. Incredibly heartbreaking though and I probably wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't reading it with another person! Lots of other thoughts still pending.... excited to see how Elaine Castillo reacts/intervenes in her book America Is Not In the Heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
marmoo's review against another edition
4.0
This seminal autobiographical novel is both a fascinating historical artifact and a compelling literary achievement. Carlos Bulson’s seems committed to making more of this work than just a harrowing chronical of degradations suffered and racisms endured, making it instead a broader meditation on Filipino-American identity, labor solidarity, and political struggle.
“I put the blame on certain Filipinos who had behaved badly in America,” the narrator reflects at one point, “who had instigated hate and discontent among their friends and followers. This misconception was generated by a confused personal relation to dynamic social forces, but my hunger for the truth had inevitably led me to take an historical attitude. I was to understand and interpret this chaos from a collective point of view, because it was pervasive and universal.”
This collectivist sensibility imbues the memoirish novel with a continued sense of urgency and relevance. I’m glad I read it.
“I put the blame on certain Filipinos who had behaved badly in America,” the narrator reflects at one point, “who had instigated hate and discontent among their friends and followers. This misconception was generated by a confused personal relation to dynamic social forces, but my hunger for the truth had inevitably led me to take an historical attitude. I was to understand and interpret this chaos from a collective point of view, because it was pervasive and universal.”
This collectivist sensibility imbues the memoirish novel with a continued sense of urgency and relevance. I’m glad I read it.
the_one_av's review against another edition
4.0
The story itself felt incomplete and complete at the same time, the autobiographical stylistic choices gave a compelling narrative to Carlos’s experiences from the Philippines to America. The constant push and struggle against the monumental force that was mid 1900s racism and xenophobia was a driving force that provided much of the excitement and meaning to this book. I personally learned the history of the pinoys with told from an individual perspective. The writing was compelling as well, it helps that some of the wording and events seemed dramatized. This was one of the few “non-fiction” books that really kept me sucked in.
silodear's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
This book was hard to read. The brutality of racism in America has always existed and always harmed folks. Some of the language is outdated and misogynistic, but the story is so important.
gokurakuji's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i just… loved this. i keep wanting to think of objective reasons i loved this book (it’s so easy to follow, it has a beautiful through line of hope and persistence)… but i have a subjectively vested interest in this book as carlos bulosan came from a place not far from my grandpa’s hometown and migrated to the west coast around the same time as my grabdpa as well. californian towns i know or know of well are the settings in this book.
in the end, i’m deeply attached to this book because i see echoes of my own grandpa’s life and it makes me wish i had been able to know him.
but outside of that, this book is heart wrenching and beautiful and tragic and hopeful and i want everyone to read it.
“‘America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering.’”
in the end, i’m deeply attached to this book because i see echoes of my own grandpa’s life and it makes me wish i had been able to know him.
but outside of that, this book is heart wrenching and beautiful and tragic and hopeful and i want everyone to read it.
“‘America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering.’”
rabklewis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rebeccabattin's review against another edition
4.0
A detailed, impactful account of a Filipino man’s immigration to America in the 1930s. Very sexist and racist, yet still definitely worth reading. Quite depressing.
destinado_marjuice's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0