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A Professional Lola
A Professional Lola is a collection of short stories that blend literary fiction with the surreal to present the contemporary Filipino American experience and its universal themes of love, family, and identity. A family hires an actress to play their beloved grandmother at a party; a couple craving Filipino food rob a panaderya; a coven of Filipino witches cast a spell on their husbands; a Lolo transforms into a Lola. These are just a few of the stories in the collection that represent its roster of stories beautifully grounded in culture and vividly and meticulously painted to make the absurd seem mundane and the commonplace, sinister. Professional Lola embodies the joy, mystery, humor, sadness, hunger, and family that inhabit modern-day Filipino American virtues.
208 pages, Paperback
Published May 7, 2024
34 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
E.P. Tuazon
5 books22 followersE. P. Tuazon is an LA native. He has published poems and short stories in several publications. He is the author of the short story collection THE SUPERLATIVE HORSE AND THE LAST OF THE LUPINS and two poetry chapbooks: ANIMALS and LOVE WILL TEAR US APART. Currently, he is a part of Advintage Press and The Blank Page Writing Club.
Heralding his predecessors, J.D. Salinger, Raymond Carver, and Haruki Murakami, Tuazon’s prose is meticulous and thoughtful with diction that is colloquial and real, rewarding readers with accessible complexity and catharsis. Each story he writes is meant to excite thought, uncover the surreal in the everyday and the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Heralding his predecessors, J.D. Salinger, Raymond Carver, and Haruki Murakami, Tuazon’s prose is meticulous and thoughtful with diction that is colloquial and real, rewarding readers with accessible complexity and catharsis. Each story he writes is meant to excite thought, uncover the surreal in the everyday and the extraordinary in the ordinary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 3, 2024
I absolutely love Filipino representation in literature. Filipino culture, traditions, superstitions, mannerisms, humor and love is so different from any other cultural group. In some way, you can categorize these stories as magical realism, but if you know Filipinos, you know that magic is part of their reality. We believe in the magical, otherworldly and supernatural and it is part of our everyday lives. These stories really manage to highlight that with a great sense of humor and a lot of heart.
At the same time, these stories live in between the Filipino and the American culture somewhere, it has the foreigners eye on the curiosities and explains it with the knowledge of the natives which makes them suitable and accessible to anyone.
The stories stay so lighthearted and tender even through heavy topics. Like in the last story “Carabao”, where a young child is trying to understand his grandfather's transitioning to a woman. And then the parallels that are drawn between his understanding of this and the Discovery rocket launch.The journey that needs to be made before it can land, just like the journey the relationship needs to take before there can be acceptance. It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s so well done.
Several stories pick up parallels like that so you get to see things from different angles and the message really comes across, but leaves us open ended still and doesn’t force anything on us. I loved spending time with professional lola, and I savored every last bite, every story.
At the same time, these stories live in between the Filipino and the American culture somewhere, it has the foreigners eye on the curiosities and explains it with the knowledge of the natives which makes them suitable and accessible to anyone.
The stories stay so lighthearted and tender even through heavy topics. Like in the last story “Carabao”, where a young child is trying to understand his grandfather's transitioning to a woman. And then the parallels that are drawn between his understanding of this and the Discovery rocket launch.The journey that needs to be made before it can land, just like the journey the relationship needs to take before there can be acceptance. It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s so well done.
Several stories pick up parallels like that so you get to see things from different angles and the message really comes across, but leaves us open ended still and doesn’t force anything on us. I loved spending time with professional lola, and I savored every last bite, every story.
March 21, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Red Hen Press for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 3.5 rounded up
As a Filipinx American, I always enjoy being able to see myself on the pages. There were about 3/4 of the stories that I enjoyed more than others, with the Professional Lola being one of my favorites. I have never heard of that being a thing, and it made me wonder how I would feel about it, especially with me not being close to the only grandmother I knew. (Everyone else had passed before I was born).
There were pieces of magical realism that sometimes made it difficult to connect or resonate. I think if it was more of a fictional story with more plot, I would have enjoyed those pieces more. In general, I really enjoyed the themes of family, identity, and the inclusion of LGBTQ issues.
Rating: 3.5 rounded up
As a Filipinx American, I always enjoy being able to see myself on the pages. There were about 3/4 of the stories that I enjoyed more than others, with the Professional Lola being one of my favorites. I have never heard of that being a thing, and it made me wonder how I would feel about it, especially with me not being close to the only grandmother I knew. (Everyone else had passed before I was born).
There were pieces of magical realism that sometimes made it difficult to connect or resonate. I think if it was more of a fictional story with more plot, I would have enjoyed those pieces more. In general, I really enjoyed the themes of family, identity, and the inclusion of LGBTQ issues.
September 23, 2025
(I'm only a few pages in so this is a very premature reaction to the book)
The dialogues in Filipino or mixed with Filipino don't feel natural. It feels so forced. They also don't make sense grammatically or contextually. Do Fil-Ams, regardless of generation, really speak like this?
ie page 18 "tiwala sa nanay mo (...)" grammatically and colloquially, this doesn't make sense. "Magtiwala ka sa nanay mo" might have been the intended sentence.. noh?
page 19, "aye, masakit ang paa" - paa nino? Why not write, "Ang sakit ng paa ko." She can also rephrase as "aye, masakit ang paa ko."
Will be back once I manage to get over these dialogues.
Update: I DNFd this book 3/4 in because of the Tagalog dialogue and how I, as a Filipino from the Philippines, can not relate to much of the fiction here.
The dialogues in Filipino or mixed with Filipino don't feel natural. It feels so forced. They also don't make sense grammatically or contextually. Do Fil-Ams, regardless of generation, really speak like this?
ie page 18 "tiwala sa nanay mo (...)" grammatically and colloquially, this doesn't make sense. "Magtiwala ka sa nanay mo" might have been the intended sentence.. noh?
page 19, "aye, masakit ang paa" - paa nino? Why not write, "Ang sakit ng paa ko." She can also rephrase as "aye, masakit ang paa ko."
Will be back once I manage to get over these dialogues.
Update: I DNFd this book 3/4 in because of the Tagalog dialogue and how I, as a Filipino from the Philippines, can not relate to much of the fiction here.
May 2, 2024
What a lovely collection of short stories! These stories, focusing mainly on the filipino-american experience, were exactly the right mix of heartfelt, interesting and strange for me. As always with story collections, there were some that didn't land with me, but the ones that did fully made up for that.
The last two stories, Handog and Caraboa, which deal mainly with family relationships, were my fav. Also Tiny dancer! All in all, just a really lovely read, that's all I can say lol.
Thanks to Netgalley and Red Hen press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The last two stories, Handog and Caraboa, which deal mainly with family relationships, were my fav. Also Tiny dancer! All in all, just a really lovely read, that's all I can say lol.
Thanks to Netgalley and Red Hen press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
November 2, 2024
Very touching book if you're an immigrant but is so-so if you're a local
June 26, 2024
I understood most of the stories in this collection. A few I didn't didn't. Some stories exist more as isolated vignettes, but almost all are bound by the common theme of the complexities of an immigrant Filipino life. What is interesting is that even if I didn't understand a story, I somehow ended up enjoying it, probably because I could understand completely or partially the psyche of the characters.
Bakla—meaning homosexual in Filipino, is another primary theme found in most of the stories, and the author handles this theme well, presenting to readers its many nuances and edges as found in our societies, homes and minds in quite a contemporary, woke style. I adored this style. Serendipity that I read this book in the 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 of June!
The stories do not come with explanation for quite a few of the Filipino words in it, and initially I had to Google them, but somehow I got used to it after some time and after a few stories, I could read on without reaching out to Google very frequently. Now I realise that this adds to the Filipino flavour of the stories, in a good + perfect way. A clever move by the author, also dangerous I would say, but somehow the author managed to pull it off successfully.
𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚:
A family hires an actress to impersonate a lost family member for a birthday party, following a rising trend in the Filipino-American society.
To me, this story is a heartbreaking yet a sweet and fun take on how much we remember and miss the people we have lost, how much we want them back.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤
Late night craving of a couple for Filipino food prompts this story into action. The craving, catalysed by nostalgia works as a metaphor in this story to one's longing and restlessness to connect with their culture, and the extent to which one is ready to stretch beyond the usual to calm that restlessness.
I enjoyed the equation of the couple in this story. Their understanding and support for each other, made this a sweet story as well, which is perfect given the couple's craving for pandesal.
𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬
This story takes me by surprise, as suddenly all my intrigue shifts to who initially seemed like a secondary character. This story is an ode to passion. By the end of it, I ended up more intrigued by the secondary character in the story! This is my second favorite story from the lot; character and plot development is briilaintly done here, though in terms of the overall themes of this anthology, a few other stories shine brighter.
𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
A story that I didn't understand much, but still enjoyed because of the interesting characters and the interesting plot. It's probably about the insecurities and desires of a married woman. No idea, tbh!
𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠
I couldn't understand this story well, it was about a man always borrowing his boss's barong to attend weddings. He sort of hero worships his boss, and the barong always feels special, but once his intrigue for his boss wears off, so does the special fascination he feels for the barong. He suffers nightmare about his brother's death, but somehow that death too loses its intensity. The idea of the story probably is that with time, everything... fascination, grief, etc. loses its intensity. Still not sure about what the story wanted to tell, but it was good to read. Maybe it wants to say that we attach special significance to nuggets of our culture because of the people we associate that nugget of culture with? I guess I am wrong here!
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞
A mother living in a house she has filled up with things from past, and a daughter, unsuccessfully trying to bring back the house to some semblance of sanity.
Didn't understand this story either, but still enjoyed reading it.
𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐠
Two people bonding over memories of video game, as the protagonist wades through memories that the mention of these games trigger. This was an okay to almost good read. Yet, it was fun to read how the barrier melts. I couldn't much understand the themes in the story, though I have some vague ideas about it.
𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞
A story of connection to one's roots. The elements of fantasy gave this story an extra sheen. Loved it.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞
A story, or rather a vignette about two friends in a bar, that explores why people immigrate, and how despite all uncertainties, how hope doesn't cease for some. Liked it ok ok as a story, though loved the sentiments and ethos within.
𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰
A story with characters, settings and life sketched so well that it will stay with me for some time. Deals superbly with what we make of cultural nuggets, others and our own, for commercial and emotional reasons. We retain what makes sense to us, discarding the rest as fluff, a universal truth I feel. Loved it so much. My third favourite story.
𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭
A story about who belongs where, or not, told masterfully through the family's obsession with the mythical creature called Bigfoot. Loved this story. I am almost in love with Bigfoot; wouldn't mind slipping on my shades and grabbing a beach chair next to him, to watch the sea together.
𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐠
A father-son story. Of bonding. Of love. Loved this story so much. Asian parents don't express their emotions in words. But if we know to look, we can always see a heart full of love. Again, loved this story. There is a lot going on in this story.
𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐨
A story about bearing through challenges, and a story about gender, the difference between males and females, and the things that do not get affected by the gender, like the bond we share with a loved one. Also a story of loss. This will be my most favourite story from this anthology of brilliant stories.
Thanks to Net Galley and 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 (publisher) for the advanced reader copy, though my opinion and emotions for these stories are unaffected by the gratitude I feel towards NG and Red Hen Press.
𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬? Isn't that a lovely name? Attracted by this name of the publisher, I requested A Professional Lola from NG, and now I am happy I did so. Will look forward to more books by Red Hen Press, and by E.P. Tuazon.
Q: Do I recommend A Professional Lola: And Other Stories to my fellow readers?
A: Absolutely.
Bakla—meaning homosexual in Filipino, is another primary theme found in most of the stories, and the author handles this theme well, presenting to readers its many nuances and edges as found in our societies, homes and minds in quite a contemporary, woke style. I adored this style. Serendipity that I read this book in the 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 of June!
The stories do not come with explanation for quite a few of the Filipino words in it, and initially I had to Google them, but somehow I got used to it after some time and after a few stories, I could read on without reaching out to Google very frequently. Now I realise that this adds to the Filipino flavour of the stories, in a good + perfect way. A clever move by the author, also dangerous I would say, but somehow the author managed to pull it off successfully.
𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚:
A family hires an actress to impersonate a lost family member for a birthday party, following a rising trend in the Filipino-American society.
To me, this story is a heartbreaking yet a sweet and fun take on how much we remember and miss the people we have lost, how much we want them back.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤
Late night craving of a couple for Filipino food prompts this story into action. The craving, catalysed by nostalgia works as a metaphor in this story to one's longing and restlessness to connect with their culture, and the extent to which one is ready to stretch beyond the usual to calm that restlessness.
I enjoyed the equation of the couple in this story. Their understanding and support for each other, made this a sweet story as well, which is perfect given the couple's craving for pandesal.
𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬
This story takes me by surprise, as suddenly all my intrigue shifts to who initially seemed like a secondary character. This story is an ode to passion. By the end of it, I ended up more intrigued by the secondary character in the story! This is my second favorite story from the lot; character and plot development is briilaintly done here, though in terms of the overall themes of this anthology, a few other stories shine brighter.
𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
A story that I didn't understand much, but still enjoyed because of the interesting characters and the interesting plot. It's probably about the insecurities and desires of a married woman. No idea, tbh!
𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠
I couldn't understand this story well, it was about a man always borrowing his boss's barong to attend weddings. He sort of hero worships his boss, and the barong always feels special, but once his intrigue for his boss wears off, so does the special fascination he feels for the barong. He suffers nightmare about his brother's death, but somehow that death too loses its intensity. The idea of the story probably is that with time, everything... fascination, grief, etc. loses its intensity. Still not sure about what the story wanted to tell, but it was good to read. Maybe it wants to say that we attach special significance to nuggets of our culture because of the people we associate that nugget of culture with? I guess I am wrong here!
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞
A mother living in a house she has filled up with things from past, and a daughter, unsuccessfully trying to bring back the house to some semblance of sanity.
Didn't understand this story either, but still enjoyed reading it.
𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐠
Two people bonding over memories of video game, as the protagonist wades through memories that the mention of these games trigger. This was an okay to almost good read. Yet, it was fun to read how the barrier melts. I couldn't much understand the themes in the story, though I have some vague ideas about it.
𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞
A story of connection to one's roots. The elements of fantasy gave this story an extra sheen. Loved it.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞
A story, or rather a vignette about two friends in a bar, that explores why people immigrate, and how despite all uncertainties, how hope doesn't cease for some. Liked it ok ok as a story, though loved the sentiments and ethos within.
𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰
A story with characters, settings and life sketched so well that it will stay with me for some time. Deals superbly with what we make of cultural nuggets, others and our own, for commercial and emotional reasons. We retain what makes sense to us, discarding the rest as fluff, a universal truth I feel. Loved it so much. My third favourite story.
𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭
A story about who belongs where, or not, told masterfully through the family's obsession with the mythical creature called Bigfoot. Loved this story. I am almost in love with Bigfoot; wouldn't mind slipping on my shades and grabbing a beach chair next to him, to watch the sea together.
𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐠
A father-son story. Of bonding. Of love. Loved this story so much. Asian parents don't express their emotions in words. But if we know to look, we can always see a heart full of love. Again, loved this story. There is a lot going on in this story.
𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐨
A story about bearing through challenges, and a story about gender, the difference between males and females, and the things that do not get affected by the gender, like the bond we share with a loved one. Also a story of loss. This will be my most favourite story from this anthology of brilliant stories.
Thanks to Net Galley and 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 (publisher) for the advanced reader copy, though my opinion and emotions for these stories are unaffected by the gratitude I feel towards NG and Red Hen Press.
𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬? Isn't that a lovely name? Attracted by this name of the publisher, I requested A Professional Lola from NG, and now I am happy I did so. Will look forward to more books by Red Hen Press, and by E.P. Tuazon.
Q: Do I recommend A Professional Lola: And Other Stories to my fellow readers?
A: Absolutely.
May 28, 2025
Short stories are always a hit or miss for me. My favorite story in here was the Professional Lola. It was very interesting. There were a few more I liked but for the most part the rest were just okay.
March 5, 2025
Initial thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I appreciate the creativity in these short stories with elements of Filipino American life with a touch of surreal. My favorite story is the title story, "A Professional Lola," and its explorations of grief. I admit I felt like a missed a lot of what happened in many of these stories, but enjoyed where Tuazon took me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I appreciate the creativity in these short stories with elements of Filipino American life with a touch of surreal. My favorite story is the title story, "A Professional Lola," and its explorations of grief. I admit I felt like a missed a lot of what happened in many of these stories, but enjoyed where Tuazon took me.
October 14, 2024
“Sabao bowl” got me, and it got me bad
September 25, 2024
Was able to provide a whimsical overview of the queer Filipino experience. Allowing readers, especially an individual like myself to see and relate to the world like I have never been able to do so before.
August 11, 2024
Lola means grandmother in Tagalog, Lolo means grandfather.
Professional Lola and other stories (as the name suggests) is a collection of short stories revolving around Filipinos living in America.
The title story is about a family that hires an actress to impersonate their beloved lola who has passed away. Her mannerisms march to the tee and you are left wondering if lola herself visited the family.
Some of the stories are ok ok. One of the fascinating stories is the Panaderya attack, where a husband is reminiscing about the bakery he stole from when he was a child and he, along with his wife, now plan to loo another baker as they are famished. This is very similar to one of Murakami's story in The Elephant Vanishes and I am wondering if it is a coincidence or the author was inspired.
Some stories are just about the day to day life and some have themes of magical realism. We also have one where the Lolo is changing to a Lola and how the son and grand son adapt to the change.
Overall it was an interesting read. I understand the language and culture a little bit better than I did few months back (even though my vocabulary is increasing at a slow rate) and I could relate better to the words, terms and life depicted in the stories.
Professional Lola and other stories (as the name suggests) is a collection of short stories revolving around Filipinos living in America.
The title story is about a family that hires an actress to impersonate their beloved lola who has passed away. Her mannerisms march to the tee and you are left wondering if lola herself visited the family.
Some of the stories are ok ok. One of the fascinating stories is the Panaderya attack, where a husband is reminiscing about the bakery he stole from when he was a child and he, along with his wife, now plan to loo another baker as they are famished. This is very similar to one of Murakami's story in The Elephant Vanishes and I am wondering if it is a coincidence or the author was inspired.
Some stories are just about the day to day life and some have themes of magical realism. We also have one where the Lolo is changing to a Lola and how the son and grand son adapt to the change.
Overall it was an interesting read. I understand the language and culture a little bit better than I did few months back (even though my vocabulary is increasing at a slow rate) and I could relate better to the words, terms and life depicted in the stories.
July 3, 2025
I went all high school English class analysis on these stories haha but a nice read for exploring Filipino American life and how one grasps with their family identity.
Read
December 23, 2024A Professional Lola by E.P. Tuazon is a compelling, thought-provoking novel that blends family drama with a keen exploration of Filipino culture and identity. While this series of short stories didn't work for me, Tuazon highlights the complexities of family dynamics, generational gaps, and the immigrant experience and will make for quite an interesting reading experience to anyone who chooses to pick it up.
I think the biggest thing that put me off from the very start was the way to book added unnecessary and excessive italizations within the text. To me, it's a manifestation of subliminal cultural erasure and the "othering" of Filipino culture, which honestly saddens me a lot. You don't see the word "hamburger" italicized in books right? So why are we italicizing the word lumpia? Reading the first story with close to half the text italicized made me feel quite sad with how many writers who have a colonized history, whether knowingly or unknowingly, feed into colonial mentality and somehow have internalized abhorrence for their own culture simply to publish a work, which, at the end of the day was written FOR that audience.
I think the biggest thing that put me off from the very start was the way to book added unnecessary and excessive italizations within the text. To me, it's a manifestation of subliminal cultural erasure and the "othering" of Filipino culture, which honestly saddens me a lot. You don't see the word "hamburger" italicized in books right? So why are we italicizing the word lumpia? Reading the first story with close to half the text italicized made me feel quite sad with how many writers who have a colonized history, whether knowingly or unknowingly, feed into colonial mentality and somehow have internalized abhorrence for their own culture simply to publish a work, which, at the end of the day was written FOR that audience.
March 9, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
So, I recently dove into "Professional Lola" by E. P. Tuazon, and let me tell you, it was quite the ride. Feels like it cracked open a window into Filipino-American culture and invited me in 😊
I was pleasantly surprised at how deeply some of the stories resonated with me. Coming from a culture with similar (and, at the same time different) dynamics, they felt like some of my own family/friends stories.
But here's the kicker: it doesn't hold your hand through it all. There were moments when I had to hit up Google for some translations or cultural references, and yeah, a glossary at the end would've been nice. But you know what? I kinda liked it. It felt like the book was treating me like an adult, respecting my intelligence, and letting me figure things out on my own.
Now, let me tell you about the writing. It's beautiful, plain, and simple in a way that just pulls you in. Even if some of the plots didn't quite land for me, it made it worth the read.
I also gotta say some of the stories felt like they ended a bit abruptly, leaving me hanging like an unfinished Netflix series. But maybe that's on me. I haven't read short stories in a minute, so take this part with a grain of salt.
In the end, "Professional Lola" is a wild ride through the complexities of Filipino-American life. It's got heart, humor, and just a touch of magic sprinkled in. It delves into deep themes like being LGBTQIA+ in a society steeped in tradition, family dynamics, grief, and even internalized racism.
So, if you're looking for a book that's gonna make you think, make you feel, and maybe even make you laugh a little, this one's for you. Trust me, you won't regret it.
So, I recently dove into "Professional Lola" by E. P. Tuazon, and let me tell you, it was quite the ride. Feels like it cracked open a window into Filipino-American culture and invited me in 😊
I was pleasantly surprised at how deeply some of the stories resonated with me. Coming from a culture with similar (and, at the same time different) dynamics, they felt like some of my own family/friends stories.
But here's the kicker: it doesn't hold your hand through it all. There were moments when I had to hit up Google for some translations or cultural references, and yeah, a glossary at the end would've been nice. But you know what? I kinda liked it. It felt like the book was treating me like an adult, respecting my intelligence, and letting me figure things out on my own.
Now, let me tell you about the writing. It's beautiful, plain, and simple in a way that just pulls you in. Even if some of the plots didn't quite land for me, it made it worth the read.
I also gotta say some of the stories felt like they ended a bit abruptly, leaving me hanging like an unfinished Netflix series. But maybe that's on me. I haven't read short stories in a minute, so take this part with a grain of salt.
In the end, "Professional Lola" is a wild ride through the complexities of Filipino-American life. It's got heart, humor, and just a touch of magic sprinkled in. It delves into deep themes like being LGBTQIA+ in a society steeped in tradition, family dynamics, grief, and even internalized racism.
So, if you're looking for a book that's gonna make you think, make you feel, and maybe even make you laugh a little, this one's for you. Trust me, you won't regret it.
March 12, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded up. Whether the Filipina girlfriend with an intriguing brand of kleptomania in Tiny Dancer, or the reserved immigrant father who raised his Fil-Am son on Bukowski and Frost, A Professional Lola and Other Stories is at its best when we’re shown a glimpse into its characters' interior lives. These pieces have a lot of heart, intimate in its depiction of Filipino families, friends, and lovers reaching towards each other across borders and generations.
With that in mind, I had a few minor gripes with how language---particularly of homeland Filipinos---was used in the book. A lot of the times, the way characters who grew up in the Philippines speak was unnatural. Examples were aforementioned characters redundantly repeating things both in Tagalog and English (“Hindi ko alam. I don’t know.”), or mixing ‘Taglish’ in ways far from our vernacular (“Doesn’t matter ang gagawin. Bonding-bonding na!” is spoken by an elderly Filipina woman). You could argue that this wording was utilized by Filipinos speaking to their Americanized children, but as someone fluent in both the language and the culture of interacting with your ‘kano relatives, I think Tuazon could have gotten a few more opinions regarding the authenticity of how their homeland characters sounded.
Despite this, I still recommend A Professional Lola and Other Stories, especially to readers of Haruki Murakami and Elaine Castillo! If you’re looking for a light, meditative collection of slice-of-life stories, read this. If you’re a part of the Asian-American diaspora, read this. If you’re queer and from the Philippines, read this. There’s a little bit of magic in this book for everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for the digital ARC.
With that in mind, I had a few minor gripes with how language---particularly of homeland Filipinos---was used in the book. A lot of the times, the way characters who grew up in the Philippines speak was unnatural. Examples were aforementioned characters redundantly repeating things both in Tagalog and English (“Hindi ko alam. I don’t know.”), or mixing ‘Taglish’ in ways far from our vernacular (“Doesn’t matter ang gagawin. Bonding-bonding na!” is spoken by an elderly Filipina woman). You could argue that this wording was utilized by Filipinos speaking to their Americanized children, but as someone fluent in both the language and the culture of interacting with your ‘kano relatives, I think Tuazon could have gotten a few more opinions regarding the authenticity of how their homeland characters sounded.
Despite this, I still recommend A Professional Lola and Other Stories, especially to readers of Haruki Murakami and Elaine Castillo! If you’re looking for a light, meditative collection of slice-of-life stories, read this. If you’re a part of the Asian-American diaspora, read this. If you’re queer and from the Philippines, read this. There’s a little bit of magic in this book for everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for the digital ARC.
March 17, 2024
I’m not the biggest reader of short stories but I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. A Professional Lola is comprised of short stories showcasing Filipino culture across topics from dealing with grief and family relationships. I loved getting to learn more about filipino culture from this and seeing it tie into magic realism. Tuazon did a beautiful job crafting these stories to showcase harder themes dealing with internalized racism or queerness in a traditional culture. My favorite story is the first one with the professional Lola, hired by a family to act as their lola for a birthday party.
Thank you to net galley for an arc!
Thank you to net galley for an arc!
May 8, 2024
Happy pub day!!!
I am so lucky to know E.P. Tuazon and delight in their unconventional yet always endearing stories (:
This anthology is no exception. They blend the seemingly ordinary with off-kilter magic and do so with language that is beautifully literary while still being easily accessible to any readers.
Reading each one is such a surreal experience, where we are a fly on a wall until the wall of reality we were sitting on disappears without us even noticing. This is to say that Tuazon’s transitions are amazingly seamless.
My personal favorite story of the anthology is The Second Panaderya Attack <3
I am so lucky to know E.P. Tuazon and delight in their unconventional yet always endearing stories (:
This anthology is no exception. They blend the seemingly ordinary with off-kilter magic and do so with language that is beautifully literary while still being easily accessible to any readers.
Reading each one is such a surreal experience, where we are a fly on a wall until the wall of reality we were sitting on disappears without us even noticing. This is to say that Tuazon’s transitions are amazingly seamless.
My personal favorite story of the anthology is The Second Panaderya Attack <3
May 16, 2024
This book just wasn’t for me. I was quite bored through most of it. A lot of the magical surrealism aspects went over my head. And honestly very few of the characters were likable to me.
February 7, 2025
This is probably my favorite short story collection to date. It made me crave pandesal & bangus, miss the chaotic traffic patterns of manila, and want to sit in the company of my lola and lolo. Each story had a touch of magical realism but still felt really grounded in the filipino / filipino-american experience.
September 4, 2024
I never thought a book of short stories could capture the Fil-Am experience so boldly. Shoutout to the Filo-owned bookstore which had a whole shelf dedicated to Filo authors and brought me to this gem.
Read
November 8, 2024Love the Filipino-American representation! I like how Tuazon takes a mundane aspect of Filipino culture and uses that as an anchor to tell an engaging story. I think that's what I liked the most about this collection.
September 2, 2024
Amazing but also not sure how this would read for someone not Filipino without all the cultural context
October 16, 2024
Well written. Funny. Relatable. Tuanzon is a fresh voice.
December 17, 2024
4.5🌟 i love short stories and i love my pinoy heritage so this book was the best of both worlds
Read
October 21, 2024A collection of short stories with whimsical but real feeling experiences. As we blend Filipino American experiences with magical realism, we get to explore the intricate but broad themes of family dynamics, love, identity, LGBTQIA+, grief, race, and more through food, culture, and Tagalog. The short stories that stuck with me the most would be A Professional Lola (a lola impresonator gets hired for a family birthday) and The Second Panaderya Attack (a couple’s late night craving has them breaking into a bakery for pandesal -- aka Filipino bread rolls). Overall, this was such a fun and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for an anthology!
Thank you Red Hen Press and NetGalley for the arc!
Thank you Red Hen Press and NetGalley for the arc!
April 23, 2024
Thank you to Red Hen Press and E.P. Tuazon for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I always find rating and reviewing collections of short stories to be very difficult. In this some of the stories were great and the others were a little forgettable, but overall I had a great time reading. It is always great to see characters that reflect people you grew up with. The pandesal story is one that I feel sticks out for me.
Overall, great read. If you are looking for something a little bit different than your normal large novel read, this would be a great pick
I always find rating and reviewing collections of short stories to be very difficult. In this some of the stories were great and the others were a little forgettable, but overall I had a great time reading. It is always great to see characters that reflect people you grew up with. The pandesal story is one that I feel sticks out for me.
Overall, great read. If you are looking for something a little bit different than your normal large novel read, this would be a great pick
April 23, 2024
This was a great collection of short stories. I liked the different type of family dynamics while reading different shot stories. It was a quick read.
I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 23, 2024
Wowzah. E.P. killin’ it out here! These stories don’t mess around. I was honestly annoyed at most of them because I wanted them to keep going, I was so invested.
I even emotionally and experientially connect with the pandesal story. I once felt so strongly about pan hallulla (said ayooyah) from Chile as the couple does about the pandesal. I went to two “South American” bakeries in LA and neither had them and I was so distraught and sad. We would get the bread on the way to elementary school in Chile. A lady would sell it at a stop light. IT WAS THE BEST.
Anywho.
Carabao slew me. A Professional Lola was so silly.
What a great read overall. I highly recommend it to one and all.
I even emotionally and experientially connect with the pandesal story. I once felt so strongly about pan hallulla (said ayooyah) from Chile as the couple does about the pandesal. I went to two “South American” bakeries in LA and neither had them and I was so distraught and sad. We would get the bread on the way to elementary school in Chile. A lady would sell it at a stop light. IT WAS THE BEST.
Anywho.
Carabao slew me. A Professional Lola was so silly.
What a great read overall. I highly recommend it to one and all.
Read
August 20, 2024hit or miss
the surreal elements may be better conveyed in graphic novel form or with some illustrations; even as a filipino familiar with the cultural references, it was difficult to picture what they were trying to convey.
Legit fil-am pov. Felt like someone who hasn't stepped foot in the PH is trying to connect to their roots by creating stories based on bits and pieces from relatives.
the surreal elements may be better conveyed in graphic novel form or with some illustrations; even as a filipino familiar with the cultural references, it was difficult to picture what they were trying to convey.
Legit fil-am pov. Felt like someone who hasn't stepped foot in the PH is trying to connect to their roots by creating stories based on bits and pieces from relatives.
January 6, 2024
Read from Jan. 3, 2024 - Jan. 6, 2024
Review Written: January 6, 2024
“So what brings you to the peens?”
Before I even begin, I never imagined reading this book and finding Bigfoot in it, nevermind a book in which Bigfoot referred to the Philippines as the “peens.” That sure made me laugh at how absurd it was.
I am so grateful to have received this collection of short stories as my first ARC to review. As a Filipino, I love to see an author with the same ethnic background as me share stories that feel like home. Although there were some places mentioned that I have never visited, some caricatures of types of people I have never met, and some events that I never imagined to be possible or happen to me, the overall collection felt so nostalgic. The absurdities of some events, the humor and the descriptions felt so human, but in the mundane of humanity, there were also sprinklings of magic.
Some themes such as being LGBTIA+ in a very traditional Filipino culture, making sacrifices for the ones you love, grief, internalized racism, and familial love were explored throughout the collection and I truly enjoyed reading these themes through a lens that I find so familiar to the way I was raised. Tuazon’s exploration of some of these topics pushed me to reflect on my own life and how I have conformed or broke away from the traditional culture. Have my actions been to my detriment, or am I breaking boundaries that need to be broken? These are some questions I found myself asking.
Inherent to most short story collections, there are stories that will resonate to some, and others that will fall a bit flat. Because of this, I’m rating this a 4 stars, however I think that is just something that I find with most, if not all short story collections. My favorite short stories were “Carabao," “Far From Home,” “Tiny Dancer,” and of course, the titular story, “Professional Lola.” Throughout all of the stories, the beautiful prose and descriptions provided by Tuazon were evident and enjoyable, even if some of the plots did not land for me.
Overall, I truly recommend this short story collection, especially if you are looking to read more stories with Filipino representation.
Review Written: January 6, 2024
“So what brings you to the peens?”
Before I even begin, I never imagined reading this book and finding Bigfoot in it, nevermind a book in which Bigfoot referred to the Philippines as the “peens.” That sure made me laugh at how absurd it was.
I am so grateful to have received this collection of short stories as my first ARC to review. As a Filipino, I love to see an author with the same ethnic background as me share stories that feel like home. Although there were some places mentioned that I have never visited, some caricatures of types of people I have never met, and some events that I never imagined to be possible or happen to me, the overall collection felt so nostalgic. The absurdities of some events, the humor and the descriptions felt so human, but in the mundane of humanity, there were also sprinklings of magic.
Some themes such as being LGBTIA+ in a very traditional Filipino culture, making sacrifices for the ones you love, grief, internalized racism, and familial love were explored throughout the collection and I truly enjoyed reading these themes through a lens that I find so familiar to the way I was raised. Tuazon’s exploration of some of these topics pushed me to reflect on my own life and how I have conformed or broke away from the traditional culture. Have my actions been to my detriment, or am I breaking boundaries that need to be broken? These are some questions I found myself asking.
Inherent to most short story collections, there are stories that will resonate to some, and others that will fall a bit flat. Because of this, I’m rating this a 4 stars, however I think that is just something that I find with most, if not all short story collections. My favorite short stories were “Carabao," “Far From Home,” “Tiny Dancer,” and of course, the titular story, “Professional Lola.” Throughout all of the stories, the beautiful prose and descriptions provided by Tuazon were evident and enjoyable, even if some of the plots did not land for me.
Overall, I truly recommend this short story collection, especially if you are looking to read more stories with Filipino representation.
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