Isles of Fear

by Katherine Mayo

Katherine Mayo was an American writer notorious for her earlier book Mother India, in which she attacked the Hindu society, religion and culture of the country.This book chronicles an interesting part of Philippine history. The Isles of The Truth About the Philippines tells the history of the islands from an equally provocative perspective. Dedicated to 'Those whom the truth concerns', it's an interesting read.Expertly formatted with a linked table of contents and dozens of images. Look for more classic books from Green Light. Visit us at - GreenLighteBooks.tumblr.comTwitter - @GreenLightbooks and facebook.com/greenlightbooks

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2011

About the author

Katherine Mayo was an American white nationalist, researcher and historian. Mayo entered public life as a political writer advocating White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Nativism, opposition to non-white and Catholic immigration to the United States, and opposition to recently emancipated African slave laborers. She became known for denouncing the Philippine Declaration of Independence on racialist and religious grounds, then went on to publish and promote her best-known work, Mother India (1927), wherein she opposed Indian Independence from British rule. Her work was well-received in British government circles and among American Anglophile racialists, but was criticized by others for notorious racism and Indophobia.

Reviews

[Carmellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first learned about this book from the movie Senior Year by Jerrold Tarog. The characters discussed it in their social studies class opening for a discussion about nationalism and racism, mentioning how the author (an American Lady) described the indios as lazy, selfish, lacking a sense of community and justice.

Knowing this, you might be surprised as to why I would say that I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend fellow Filipinos to read it. At first, as a Filipino, we might take offense, but reading the actual accounts conveyed in the book, one would be compelled to think twice.

It also follows a real story of a young Filipino man accused, maneuvering his way through a new American presence, a shaky infant local government, and leftover Spanish politics to seek justice.

Very effective in giving one a perspective by which to go by, evaluating our past, present and probable projected future as a nation, and assessing against the Philippines we live in today, how much of this book is blatantly racist versus how much of what is said is actually true. Hopefully at the end of it, you'll also have your own insights for the question "What now?"