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The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race
This “ groundbreaking book . . . is essential reading not only for the Filipino diaspora but for anyone who cares about the mysteries of racial identity” (Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist).Is race only about the color of your skin? In The Latinos of Asia, Anthony Christian Ocampo shows that what “color” you are depends largely on your social context. Filipino Americans, for example, helped establish the Asian American movement and are classified by the US Census as Asian. But the legacy of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines means that they share many cultural characteristics with Latinos, such as last names, religion, and language. Thus, Filipinos’ “color” —their sense of connection with other racial groups—changes depending on their social context. The Filipino story demonstrates how immigration is changing the way people negotiate race, particularly in cities like Los Angeles where Latinos and Asians now constitute a collective majority. Amplifying their voices, Ocampo illustrates how second-generation Filipino Americans’ racial identities change depending on the communities they grow up in, the schools they attend, and the people they befriend. Ultimately, The Latinos of Asia offers a window into both the racial consciousness of everyday people and the changing racial landscape of American society.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 3, 2016
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book and unfortunately it seemed to emphasize the feeling of otherness that I have never quite be able to shake. I am not from a large family. I did not grow up on the west coast. I did not participate in any Filipino organizations nor have I ever been misidentified as being anything other than Filipino. I liked the book but I didn't love it. I wish the author ventured outside of Southern California.
September 4, 2016
I had so many mixed feeling when I was reading this. There were times that I thought "Hey, that was me too!" and others I was like, "What?!?"
What I wished throughout the book was that Ocampo included Filipinos from other communities. All of the Filipinos that were interviewed for this book were from either Carson or Eagle Rock and their experience was much different than mine. These are cities with huge Filipino communities and are synonymous with being Filipino. I grew up in Hacienda Heights, which had greater diversity in the Asian community than Carson and Eagle Rock. This helped me develop a stronger tie to an Asian American identity than the Filipinos in the book. I found it odd that they were so adverse to checking Asian on forms.
Overall, even though I found it frustrating at times, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was an interesting look at how we view race and how Filipino Americans define what it means to be Filipino. The section on Filipino clubs on college campuses and PCN was spot on and I loved reading it because it was a common experience I shared with the people in the book.
What I wished throughout the book was that Ocampo included Filipinos from other communities. All of the Filipinos that were interviewed for this book were from either Carson or Eagle Rock and their experience was much different than mine. These are cities with huge Filipino communities and are synonymous with being Filipino. I grew up in Hacienda Heights, which had greater diversity in the Asian community than Carson and Eagle Rock. This helped me develop a stronger tie to an Asian American identity than the Filipinos in the book. I found it odd that they were so adverse to checking Asian on forms.
Overall, even though I found it frustrating at times, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was an interesting look at how we view race and how Filipino Americans define what it means to be Filipino. The section on Filipino clubs on college campuses and PCN was spot on and I loved reading it because it was a common experience I shared with the people in the book.
September 9, 2020
In THE LATINOS OF ASIA, we learn how places, life stages, and people around us mold our racial consciousness. How the rules of race differs from place to place. And how for Filipino Americans shifting social worlds requires assessing which rules apply, a factor that plays a big role in how we perceive our racial identity. Anthony Ocampo’s research focuses on the experience of middle class, second-gen Filipino Americans living in Eagle Rock or Carson, CA.
As a first-gen Filipino American living near Los Angeles, I found myself relating to a lot to the people interviewed in the book. And interestingly, I also found a lot of differences in our experiences in the US. Like many of the Fil-Ams interviewed, I also joined a Filipino club in college and found a sense of home. But unlike most, that was the first time I’ve felt a sense of Filipino community among my peers in the US.
Most of the people interviewed grew up in a multiethnic neighborhood, in which roughly 20% are Filipino. My first look of the US was a neighborhood predominantly white and Latinx. The race demographics of my old HS is currently 45% white, 40% Latinx, 10% Asian (includes Filipinos), and 4% Black which also reflects the demographics of the neighborhood. These differences motivated me to deeply reflect on the panethnic moments I grew up with and currently experience. How my own racial identity changed over the years.
If I was asked which race I would choose form the options: Asian, Latinx, Pacific Islander, or other, before college I would have checked the box for Pacific Islander. Given the race demographics of the neighborhood I grew up in, I distinctly saw how different white, Latinx, and Asian peers socialized and presented themselves. I hung out with a multiethnic group, but in many ways felt like an outsider because of my experience with immigration. I distinctly remember not wanting to select ‘other,” because I didn’t want to perpetuate my feelings of already being the “resident alien.” If presented with the same question today, I would probably select ‘other.’ But I’d look at the Latinx option, thinking of all the cultural parallels from the shared history of Spanish colonization, and really consider it. I find my own experience reinforcing the author’s point that racial identity is fluid and dependent on shifting social contexts.
This book is also reveals how panethnic moments can influence and shape negative stereotypes we overtly/covertly hold. There were times when some Filipinos interviewed blatantly used negative stereotypes when referring to Latinx and Asian American communities. Anthony Ocampo highlights the need to be aware of this. These stereotypical tendencies and the topic of race in general aren’t commonly discussed in the Filipino community. But it’s important we talk about it and hold ourselves accountable, to stand up for BIPOC communities -because ultimately, we’re all beating against a society that prizes white supremacy.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Filipino diaspora in the US.
As a first-gen Filipino American living near Los Angeles, I found myself relating to a lot to the people interviewed in the book. And interestingly, I also found a lot of differences in our experiences in the US. Like many of the Fil-Ams interviewed, I also joined a Filipino club in college and found a sense of home. But unlike most, that was the first time I’ve felt a sense of Filipino community among my peers in the US.
Most of the people interviewed grew up in a multiethnic neighborhood, in which roughly 20% are Filipino. My first look of the US was a neighborhood predominantly white and Latinx. The race demographics of my old HS is currently 45% white, 40% Latinx, 10% Asian (includes Filipinos), and 4% Black which also reflects the demographics of the neighborhood. These differences motivated me to deeply reflect on the panethnic moments I grew up with and currently experience. How my own racial identity changed over the years.
If I was asked which race I would choose form the options: Asian, Latinx, Pacific Islander, or other, before college I would have checked the box for Pacific Islander. Given the race demographics of the neighborhood I grew up in, I distinctly saw how different white, Latinx, and Asian peers socialized and presented themselves. I hung out with a multiethnic group, but in many ways felt like an outsider because of my experience with immigration. I distinctly remember not wanting to select ‘other,” because I didn’t want to perpetuate my feelings of already being the “resident alien.” If presented with the same question today, I would probably select ‘other.’ But I’d look at the Latinx option, thinking of all the cultural parallels from the shared history of Spanish colonization, and really consider it. I find my own experience reinforcing the author’s point that racial identity is fluid and dependent on shifting social contexts.
This book is also reveals how panethnic moments can influence and shape negative stereotypes we overtly/covertly hold. There were times when some Filipinos interviewed blatantly used negative stereotypes when referring to Latinx and Asian American communities. Anthony Ocampo highlights the need to be aware of this. These stereotypical tendencies and the topic of race in general aren’t commonly discussed in the Filipino community. But it’s important we talk about it and hold ourselves accountable, to stand up for BIPOC communities -because ultimately, we’re all beating against a society that prizes white supremacy.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Filipino diaspora in the US.
July 18, 2021
Wow! I am not sure I have ever read a book that has made made me think more about my racial and ethnic identity more than this one. It is essential reading for all Filipino Americans or anyone who is even remotely interested in the history and culture of Filipinos.
I learned so much from the first few chapters. It's honestly a bit sad how little I knew about the history of The Philippines or the history of how Filipinos came to America. And perhaps I should not have been, but I was delightfully surprised to learn little tidbits like the fact that The Philippines has the 5th-largest English speaking population in the world, or that Filipinos comprise the largest Asian population in California.
As the book pivoted more towards anecdotes and interviews, however, I became increasingly disconnected and almost self-conscious at how much the experience of the California Filipinos differed from my own: I did not grow up in a "bubble of color" like so many of the people interviewed and quoted.
In particular, the chapters about how Filipinos' education experiences shaped their identities certainly forced me to reflect upon my own education, but ultimately, I found it a bit hard to relate to. For all of the people interviewed, they had formative educational experiences where either Filipino or East Asian students made up a sizeable portion of their class, with vastly different consequences depending on which. My educational experience was simply different, in a way that -- I hate to say -- almost made me feel less Filipino?
That being said, despite feeling somewhat excluded from the narrative, I was left questioning the value of my own experience. From K-12, I went to predominantly white Catholic schools were there were not large East Asian, Black, or Latinx populations. And for my undergraduate degree, I went to a school that was not only even whiter than those, but also one where Filipinos were almost entirely non-existent. I am still left wondering if I was better or worse off because of it.
Funnily enough, the part I related to most was about the medical student, Eileen Aquino (what a coincidence!). I admire the candidness of her journey, going from instinctually identifying with "Asian" when asked if she identified most with Blacks, Asians, Latinos, or whites to questioning the degree to which that assumption was actually true. As someone who has always effortlessly ascribed to being "Asian," I wonder how I will question that moving forward.
Ultimately, I found this book truly fascinating, but it left me wanting something similar about the experience of East Coast Filipinos. Certainly there are enough of us in NYC alone to warrant a comparably interesting read. (Fuck, maybe I should write one myself?) Hopefully I am not alone in wanting that!
Finally, throughout the book, I couldn't help but thinking about the other side of the coin. Specifically, how are Filipinos seen by East Asians? As the same or other? Or perhaps more revealing, how are Filipinos seen by whites? As the same as East Asians or of a different race? (Of course, there is not a unilateral answer, but what research and studies have been done investigating those questions?) I can't help but think of the Ali Wong comedy sketch where she delineates between "fancy Asians" (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and "jungle Asians" (i.e., Filipinos, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.). To whom am I a jungle Asian? To whom I am simply Asian? And to whom am I none of the above?
At the end of the day, I am extremely grateful for this book for making me thinking of my Filipino-ness in ways I never have before. For that alone it was well worth the read!
I learned so much from the first few chapters. It's honestly a bit sad how little I knew about the history of The Philippines or the history of how Filipinos came to America. And perhaps I should not have been, but I was delightfully surprised to learn little tidbits like the fact that The Philippines has the 5th-largest English speaking population in the world, or that Filipinos comprise the largest Asian population in California.
As the book pivoted more towards anecdotes and interviews, however, I became increasingly disconnected and almost self-conscious at how much the experience of the California Filipinos differed from my own: I did not grow up in a "bubble of color" like so many of the people interviewed and quoted.
In particular, the chapters about how Filipinos' education experiences shaped their identities certainly forced me to reflect upon my own education, but ultimately, I found it a bit hard to relate to. For all of the people interviewed, they had formative educational experiences where either Filipino or East Asian students made up a sizeable portion of their class, with vastly different consequences depending on which. My educational experience was simply different, in a way that -- I hate to say -- almost made me feel less Filipino?
That being said, despite feeling somewhat excluded from the narrative, I was left questioning the value of my own experience. From K-12, I went to predominantly white Catholic schools were there were not large East Asian, Black, or Latinx populations. And for my undergraduate degree, I went to a school that was not only even whiter than those, but also one where Filipinos were almost entirely non-existent. I am still left wondering if I was better or worse off because of it.
Funnily enough, the part I related to most was about the medical student, Eileen Aquino (what a coincidence!). I admire the candidness of her journey, going from instinctually identifying with "Asian" when asked if she identified most with Blacks, Asians, Latinos, or whites to questioning the degree to which that assumption was actually true. As someone who has always effortlessly ascribed to being "Asian," I wonder how I will question that moving forward.
Ultimately, I found this book truly fascinating, but it left me wanting something similar about the experience of East Coast Filipinos. Certainly there are enough of us in NYC alone to warrant a comparably interesting read. (Fuck, maybe I should write one myself?) Hopefully I am not alone in wanting that!
Finally, throughout the book, I couldn't help but thinking about the other side of the coin. Specifically, how are Filipinos seen by East Asians? As the same or other? Or perhaps more revealing, how are Filipinos seen by whites? As the same as East Asians or of a different race? (Of course, there is not a unilateral answer, but what research and studies have been done investigating those questions?) I can't help but think of the Ali Wong comedy sketch where she delineates between "fancy Asians" (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and "jungle Asians" (i.e., Filipinos, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.). To whom am I a jungle Asian? To whom I am simply Asian? And to whom am I none of the above?
At the end of the day, I am extremely grateful for this book for making me thinking of my Filipino-ness in ways I never have before. For that alone it was well worth the read!
March 17, 2016
A much needed book in the dialogue of Filipino-ness. While knowing that race is an artificial construct, Ocampo utilises the modern Filipino-American narrative in weaving a complex and adaptable Filipino identity, that struggles in a society of categories and checkboxes.
I was a little disappointed that the book's studies were entirely with second-generation Filipino-Americans and not in a wider, more international context (I am Canadian myself). However, hopefully this will be a conversation starter to the complexity of being who we are: Filipino is a distinct, overlapping ethnicity that escapes neat categorisation.
I was a little disappointed that the book's studies were entirely with second-generation Filipino-Americans and not in a wider, more international context (I am Canadian myself). However, hopefully this will be a conversation starter to the complexity of being who we are: Filipino is a distinct, overlapping ethnicity that escapes neat categorisation.
October 3, 2020
This book by Anthony Christian Ocampo is a fascinating look into Filipino-American identity. It really opened my view to the many ways Filipinos identify and then navigate their lives in America, a country so heavily focused and dictated by race and racial perceptions.
In his final chapter, Ocampo closes out by writing that his hope for the book was that we can better
address the social problems that continue to hinder the full inclusion of the Filipino American community within the imaginary of American society." And I do think that if more people read this, not just everyday people but sociologists, activists, academics, and more, we could definitely fulfill Ocampo's goal. He gives an example of the Asians for the National Marrow Donor Program Registry group at UCLA handing out flyers for organ donation to students they perceived as Asian - which meant they ignored several Filipinos who walked by, including Ocampo himself. This narrow view of Asian identity ends up harming Filipinos who could benefit from Filipino students' donations.
On the other hand, many Filipino Americans themselves don't identify as Asian at all, instead more closely tying themselves to Latino groups. Many Filipinos are also often perceived as Latino or more Latino by outsiders, including Latinos themselves. Racial and ethnic identity is so complicated, and Ocampo really explores how magnified that is for Filipinos. It even made me look into my identity as a Filipino, and threw me into a bit of an existential crisis, wondering whether as a Filipino, I was Latino and not Asian, as I have identified for my whole life.
This is one drawback to the book, in my opinion. Ocampo does say at the start that he hoped to learn "how Filipinos carved out their racial place within American society" and that he was "especially interested in studying Filipinos in Los Angeles, because the region, in many respects, foreshadows the America of tomorrow." But it feels strange to give a book such a broad title when the focus is on such a small, specific sample size (85 second generation Filipino Americans in two LA neighborhoods). I found myself often wishing that the book's scope was broader. Do Filipinos in Texas feel the same way? What about the Filipinos in Jersey? Are they as unlikely to identify as non-Asian? What were their experiences with white people like? Ocampo's findings are definitely interesting, but I worry that readers may forget that they reflect only general sentiment among second-generation Filipino Americans in LA, and instead apply these findings to all Filipino Americans as his wording often suggests.
It was also interesting how Ocampo didn't dive into Filipinos' penchant for glorifying and idolizing whiteness (thanks to years of colonization) especially in chapter 6 '"Filipinos Aren't Asian" and Other Lessons from College' when talking about Fil-Am college students experiencing whites en masse for the first time. These students were culture shocked, rightfully so. But Filipinos have a history of craving proximity to whiteness, wanting their kids to marry whites, wanting more Caucasian noses, etc; it's such a big part of the culture that it feels off to ignore.
Finally, as a small nitpick, even though it's an academic book, Anthony does offer uncited commentary at times, and so I do wish that he had pushed back on some of his interviewees comments when they veered towards closed mindedness or even racist. He shows he can do it (pg 148) for his readers, when categorizing an interviewee's generalizations of "other Asians" as "reductionist and problematic." But that's really as far as he goes, and I think it would be beneficial for readers (especially other Fil-Ams) to see him push back.
In his final chapter, Ocampo closes out by writing that his hope for the book was that we can better
address the social problems that continue to hinder the full inclusion of the Filipino American community within the imaginary of American society." And I do think that if more people read this, not just everyday people but sociologists, activists, academics, and more, we could definitely fulfill Ocampo's goal. He gives an example of the Asians for the National Marrow Donor Program Registry group at UCLA handing out flyers for organ donation to students they perceived as Asian - which meant they ignored several Filipinos who walked by, including Ocampo himself. This narrow view of Asian identity ends up harming Filipinos who could benefit from Filipino students' donations.
On the other hand, many Filipino Americans themselves don't identify as Asian at all, instead more closely tying themselves to Latino groups. Many Filipinos are also often perceived as Latino or more Latino by outsiders, including Latinos themselves. Racial and ethnic identity is so complicated, and Ocampo really explores how magnified that is for Filipinos. It even made me look into my identity as a Filipino, and threw me into a bit of an existential crisis, wondering whether as a Filipino, I was Latino and not Asian, as I have identified for my whole life.
This is one drawback to the book, in my opinion. Ocampo does say at the start that he hoped to learn "how Filipinos carved out their racial place within American society" and that he was "especially interested in studying Filipinos in Los Angeles, because the region, in many respects, foreshadows the America of tomorrow." But it feels strange to give a book such a broad title when the focus is on such a small, specific sample size (85 second generation Filipino Americans in two LA neighborhoods). I found myself often wishing that the book's scope was broader. Do Filipinos in Texas feel the same way? What about the Filipinos in Jersey? Are they as unlikely to identify as non-Asian? What were their experiences with white people like? Ocampo's findings are definitely interesting, but I worry that readers may forget that they reflect only general sentiment among second-generation Filipino Americans in LA, and instead apply these findings to all Filipino Americans as his wording often suggests.
It was also interesting how Ocampo didn't dive into Filipinos' penchant for glorifying and idolizing whiteness (thanks to years of colonization) especially in chapter 6 '"Filipinos Aren't Asian" and Other Lessons from College' when talking about Fil-Am college students experiencing whites en masse for the first time. These students were culture shocked, rightfully so. But Filipinos have a history of craving proximity to whiteness, wanting their kids to marry whites, wanting more Caucasian noses, etc; it's such a big part of the culture that it feels off to ignore.
Finally, as a small nitpick, even though it's an academic book, Anthony does offer uncited commentary at times, and so I do wish that he had pushed back on some of his interviewees comments when they veered towards closed mindedness or even racist. He shows he can do it (pg 148) for his readers, when categorizing an interviewee's generalizations of "other Asians" as "reductionist and problematic." But that's really as far as he goes, and I think it would be beneficial for readers (especially other Fil-Ams) to see him push back.
February 16, 2021
would have loved an expanded geographical focus instead of just southern CA, but nevertheless this book really made me feel seen. reading this helped me realize key formative moments in my own life and sort out the mixed feelings i’ve always had towards the identity of asian-american, both in terms of what people recognize it as (usually only east asian), and how i apply it to myself (why have i always felt different, whether among whites or fellow asians, and who have i tried to emulate and why?). overall would recommend to everyone as an intro on why filipino-americans are so populous yet underrepresented/ignored/simply not present in the consciousness of the rest of the US.
September 14, 2018
In his acknowledgements, Professor Ocampo addresses the anonymous interviewees that provided the substance for his work: "please know that your stories have made an impact on the lives of countless Filipinos, who rarely get the chance to read about themselves." Count me within that number, and allow me to also express my gratitude. This book is a very localized contemplation of the Filipino-American diaspora that focused on the experiences of the communities in Eagle Rock and Carson in Los Angeles. I've never been to either and, despite growing up in SoCal, had to look the communities up on a map. Yet, there is quite a bit within the descriptions of individual experiences that rings familiar. For reasons I had been previously unable to articulate, I have generally identified myself as a Pacific Islander when given the option. For reasons no one else seemed to grasp, I insisted on being a member of both the Asian-American and Latino student organizations in college. Every person who has ever had a discussion with me about pinoy heritage has been forced to listen to a recounting of all the ways in which Filipino culture has more in common with Mexican culture than it does with other Asian cultures.
I've lived within and amongst Filipino communities in SoCal, Chicago, New York/New Jersey, and the DMV and there is nothing necessarily universal about what Professor Ocampo describes as the characteristics of Filipino-Americans from Eagle Rock and Carson to those in the rest of the country. But the limited perspective affords Professor Ocampo a perfect backdrop to explore the fluidity of racial identification for Filipino-Americans throughout the country.
I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book and am thrilled that it exists.
I've lived within and amongst Filipino communities in SoCal, Chicago, New York/New Jersey, and the DMV and there is nothing necessarily universal about what Professor Ocampo describes as the characteristics of Filipino-Americans from Eagle Rock and Carson to those in the rest of the country. But the limited perspective affords Professor Ocampo a perfect backdrop to explore the fluidity of racial identification for Filipino-Americans throughout the country.
I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book and am thrilled that it exists.
May 30, 2017
This is a comprehensive look at one very specific subset of Filipino-Americans - Ocampo clearly did a huge amount of research for this book, and his writing style is conversational and accessible. Definitely a fascinating insight into this group of people, but like others have said, has its limitations. For me, personally, I went into this book hoping to be affirmed and validated with each page - but it turned out to kind of have the opposite effect. My own experience was pretty much the polar opposite of the stories detailed in this book - my family is not family-centered, doing well academically was the only priority, my mom encouraged me to move away and follow my dreams (no pressure to stay close to home), church was not a big deal, there were practically no other Filipinos in my neighborhoods and schools growing up. So I can totally identify with some other reviewers saying that they felt a little alienated by large portions of the book. But I recognize that Ocampo deliberately chose to focus on this small Filipino-American subset, and he even says in the epilogue that the book by no means covers ALL experiences. I did appreciate being able to read about experiences that were so different from my own growing up. On a somewhat unrelated note, I also found myself feeling frustrated by some of the broad generalizations/stereotypes that many of the subjects made about other Asian-Americans, but to his credit, Ocampo made sure to point these out as problematic.
March 7, 2020
This book was very disappointing since Ocampo based the whole book and his research on two neighboring cities in California that he himself admits are anomalies of Filipino- American communities. He then generalizes these findings to the rest of Filipino Americans despite how incredibly different others have lived due to vastly differing demographics and socioeconomic status.
Ocampo's argument that Filipinos resemble Latinos far more than Asians would have been stronger if he had also acknowledged the similarities with other Asian cultures and then talked about how Filipinos were still different. But it was like he interviewed a small pool of people who identified with Latinos and then decided NOT to look at any other cultures to see how they could be similar too.
It was interesting to learn how Latinos and Filipinos share Spanish culture due to colonialism. In fact the impact of colonialism on Filipinos was the part I got the most out of from the book. But because of the author's failings, I could not continue with the rest of the book. I got almost 80% through and then just felt like because of Ocampo's shortcomings I couldn't see any of his findings as valid.
Ocampo's argument that Filipinos resemble Latinos far more than Asians would have been stronger if he had also acknowledged the similarities with other Asian cultures and then talked about how Filipinos were still different. But it was like he interviewed a small pool of people who identified with Latinos and then decided NOT to look at any other cultures to see how they could be similar too.
It was interesting to learn how Latinos and Filipinos share Spanish culture due to colonialism. In fact the impact of colonialism on Filipinos was the part I got the most out of from the book. But because of the author's failings, I could not continue with the rest of the book. I got almost 80% through and then just felt like because of Ocampo's shortcomings I couldn't see any of his findings as valid.
January 13, 2021
interesting read! i always felt confused as to why the PH doesn't feel close to other Latino communities, and other Asian communities, and this book articulated my thoughts very well.
Read
February 8, 2025Hmm mixed feelings. I think this is a good introduction to understanding the Filipino American experience… according to select second-gen FilAms raised in and living in Southern California lol. two stars feels harsh but three feels too generous
I feel a little misled by the title because (1) the hyper-focus on LA but also (2) I feel like instead of learning more deeply about the present-day effects of Latinos’ and Filipinos’ similar histories of colonization* (which I expected and would’ve preferred), more of the emphasis was on FilAms’ feelings of not being “Asian enough” based on how they compared to East Asian stereotypes.
*The early chapters do talk briefly about what Spanish and American rule over the Philippines looked like, but throughout the book it’s not really expanded upon like I hoped it would be.
Obviously FilAms are the focus of this book but I kind of wish we also got to hear from non-Filipino Asian Americans and Latino Americans in order to more fairly (?) compare the cultures/values/experiences because without that, I think this relied a lot on Filipinos’ perceptions and stereotypes of other ethnic groups.
There are a lot of good points regarding the complexity of Filipino identity in relation/in comparison with Latinos and other Asian Americans, and I did relate on several occasions to the experiences of those whose interviews informed the conclusions made here. However, being anecdotal and interview-based, and because there doesn’t seem to be much diversity in the group of interviewees, much of this book felt very subjective. And repetitive. And it feels like we’re using these testaments to generalize for the collective FilAm population when we’re only hearing from such a small proportion, who unsurprisingly have much of the same opinions/biases/experiences/etc given that our scope hardly goes beyond LA.
I’m hesitant to give this a rating because of how critical I’m being but still I am leaving it feeling I have learned a lot and so I think you should read for yourself which I don’t think many will feel inclined to do if I put stars to this because if I did it would be two because [all of the above] plus While typos and grammatical errors did not significantly affect my understanding they are (1) Present and they are (2) Annoying
k, 1am rant over
I feel a little misled by the title because (1) the hyper-focus on LA but also (2) I feel like instead of learning more deeply about the present-day effects of Latinos’ and Filipinos’ similar histories of colonization* (which I expected and would’ve preferred), more of the emphasis was on FilAms’ feelings of not being “Asian enough” based on how they compared to East Asian stereotypes.
*The early chapters do talk briefly about what Spanish and American rule over the Philippines looked like, but throughout the book it’s not really expanded upon like I hoped it would be.
Obviously FilAms are the focus of this book but I kind of wish we also got to hear from non-Filipino Asian Americans and Latino Americans in order to more fairly (?) compare the cultures/values/experiences because without that, I think this relied a lot on Filipinos’ perceptions and stereotypes of other ethnic groups.
There are a lot of good points regarding the complexity of Filipino identity in relation/in comparison with Latinos and other Asian Americans, and I did relate on several occasions to the experiences of those whose interviews informed the conclusions made here. However, being anecdotal and interview-based, and because there doesn’t seem to be much diversity in the group of interviewees, much of this book felt very subjective. And repetitive. And it feels like we’re using these testaments to generalize for the collective FilAm population when we’re only hearing from such a small proportion, who unsurprisingly have much of the same opinions/biases/experiences/etc given that our scope hardly goes beyond LA.
I’m hesitant to give this a rating because of how critical I’m being but still I am leaving it feeling I have learned a lot and so I think you should read for yourself which I don’t think many will feel inclined to do if I put stars to this because if I did it would be two because [all of the above] plus While typos and grammatical errors did not significantly affect my understanding they are (1) Present and they are (2) Annoying
k, 1am rant over
Read
December 18, 2025I understand why this was published by a university press, and I don't mean to sound disrespectful or pretentious, but it does read as a thesis project with sociological and ethnographic research using a small subset of a group of people in smaller interviews and focus groups.
I do agree that there are many similarities between Latines & Filipinos, and I think the author makes some valid points with regards to this larger thesis point. However, the text became a bit repetitive and would simply go round and round, rather than providing any other substantive basis beyond the Filipinx & Latine communities on the West Coast.
Now, to be clear, I don't think there's only "certain" research that is valid, but I do think we should be careful to make blanket statements about entire groups of people. I recognize that trends can be noted and named, but no ethnicity is a monolith either.
I absolutely did feel seen (fyi: I am Filipina & Chinese) with the commentary on how Filipinos can sometimes feel distanced from other East Asian or Southeast Asian ethnicities due to their history and impact because of colonization. However, I just felt there was something missing from this research too.
I also know you can't control how others speak, but there was some underlying tones of racism and classism within some of the interview excerpts that I didn't love..
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I definitely still want to read more about this idea because I feel like there's more to be explored.
I do agree that there are many similarities between Latines & Filipinos, and I think the author makes some valid points with regards to this larger thesis point. However, the text became a bit repetitive and would simply go round and round, rather than providing any other substantive basis beyond the Filipinx & Latine communities on the West Coast.
Now, to be clear, I don't think there's only "certain" research that is valid, but I do think we should be careful to make blanket statements about entire groups of people. I recognize that trends can be noted and named, but no ethnicity is a monolith either.
I absolutely did feel seen (fyi: I am Filipina & Chinese) with the commentary on how Filipinos can sometimes feel distanced from other East Asian or Southeast Asian ethnicities due to their history and impact because of colonization. However, I just felt there was something missing from this research too.
I also know you can't control how others speak, but there was some underlying tones of racism and classism within some of the interview excerpts that I didn't love..
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I definitely still want to read more about this idea because I feel like there's more to be explored.
September 16, 2025
Incredibly valuable read for my own journey in understanding what it means to be Filipino. Although understandably this piece was honed in on the Filipino-Americans of the LA area, I still managed to tie my own experiences and familial journey to the shared experiences of Ocampo’s interviewees.
As a Filipino-American from the Midwest, my lens and scope of my culture was very much through the small bubble of my immediate family, and the handful (can count on 2 hands) of filipinos throughout my upbringing. It was honestly head spinning to have names to the experiences as a Filipino-American I couldn’t relate to other racial groups, including other Asian Americans. What was even more head-spinning was discovering that the experiences of my family were actually deeply shared across Filipinos of all demographics and regions.
Learning about the occupational downgrading, the dynamic labeling of Filipinos in higher education, and the cultural struggles with our native language have always rung in my head. Seeing that my journey is shared and acknowledged within my community was a newfound clarity that I was asking the right questions, feeling the right feelings, and that my shifting sense of belonging was widespread among Filipinos.
This was an incredible step in my path to learning my place both as a Filipino and an American.
As a Filipino-American from the Midwest, my lens and scope of my culture was very much through the small bubble of my immediate family, and the handful (can count on 2 hands) of filipinos throughout my upbringing. It was honestly head spinning to have names to the experiences as a Filipino-American I couldn’t relate to other racial groups, including other Asian Americans. What was even more head-spinning was discovering that the experiences of my family were actually deeply shared across Filipinos of all demographics and regions.
Learning about the occupational downgrading, the dynamic labeling of Filipinos in higher education, and the cultural struggles with our native language have always rung in my head. Seeing that my journey is shared and acknowledged within my community was a newfound clarity that I was asking the right questions, feeling the right feelings, and that my shifting sense of belonging was widespread among Filipinos.
This was an incredible step in my path to learning my place both as a Filipino and an American.
June 1, 2025
a really important read for me throughout my entire vacation in the Philippines. interesting to hear perspectives primarily from California and the West Coast. as a Fil-Am from the East Coast, having grown up in PWIs through my entire education in both NJ and DC, where being Asian was very clear to me, reading more about these pockets of communities where Filipinos and Latinos intermingle more made me contemplate how much I self-perceive my ethnicity / race / pan-ethnicity and how society might perceive it differently. I do think that the struggle to check off “Asian” is something that’s very universal amongst Filipinos and reading these individual stories expanded my own understanding of why that might be across these particular communities. for someone who might actually be from CA a lot of this must be more obvious.
I definitely think a separate book that covers immigration patterns from Philippines to the East Coast should be written (especially NYC, Jersey City and Union County vs. the smaller towns like my hometown lol, and DC and its suburbs in in NoVa like Annandale and Montgomery County like Germantown.) Maybe I need to be the one to write it.
I definitely think a separate book that covers immigration patterns from Philippines to the East Coast should be written (especially NYC, Jersey City and Union County vs. the smaller towns like my hometown lol, and DC and its suburbs in in NoVa like Annandale and Montgomery County like Germantown.) Maybe I need to be the one to write it.
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April 14, 2025A great crossover academic/popular book. My partner had read it a long time ago and I feel like I had absorbed most of the ideas through conversations with her over the years. But definitely worth a read, especially for non-Filipino folks living in relationships/in community with Filipino folks (as I am). It centers pretty heavily on the LA context, and I wouldn't over-generalize to other Fil-Am communities (and Ocampo doesn't), but still very interesting work.
June 11, 2021
Fascinating book and premise, but I wish Ocampo’s research expanded beyond Southern California and looked at Filipinx who grew up in predominantly white communities vs majority minority communities.
I also realize this book was published in 2016, so I wonder how Covid and the growing tide of anti-Asian racism may have affected the perspectives presented.
I also realize this book was published in 2016, so I wonder how Covid and the growing tide of anti-Asian racism may have affected the perspectives presented.
January 11, 2022
On Point!
July 14, 2022
A personal and detailed look at middle class, second-generation Filipino.a identity in LA. I learned so much and loved diving into a sociological piece.
January 29, 2025
I learned some things but was left wanting to know more. I also wasn’t expecting the hyper-local focus on California.
January 5, 2022
As a Filipino American, it was refreshing to hear stories of fellow Filipino Americans who shared similar sentiments surrounding the Asian American experience. I appreciated these stories and the endeavor to explore what makes The Philippines so unique among all the other Asian countries.
With that said, I do wish the pool of individuals interviewed was more diverse- and by that I mean Filipino Americans who live outside of Southern California. I also felt that as the book progressed the points made became redundant. I would’ve liked to see the author dive deeper into the sociological and psychological aspects of the common threads found across the interviewees’ stories.
With that said, I do wish the pool of individuals interviewed was more diverse- and by that I mean Filipino Americans who live outside of Southern California. I also felt that as the book progressed the points made became redundant. I would’ve liked to see the author dive deeper into the sociological and psychological aspects of the common threads found across the interviewees’ stories.
January 24, 2021
Last year, after reading Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, I realized how little I knew about the Philippines and Filipino Americans. I learned a lot by reading this, particularly about the history of Filipino Americans, as well as their unique racial, ethnic, and historical context in the US. This also helps me expand my thinking about race and the way different contexts can affect self-perception of race. More reading ahead of me, but this was a helpful start.
Prompted by reading other reviews, I'll add that the study was limited to communities in Southern California, so some conclusions might be limited by the scope, but I think this is the nature of research.
Prompted by reading other reviews, I'll add that the study was limited to communities in Southern California, so some conclusions might be limited by the scope, but I think this is the nature of research.
October 10, 2022
A really interesting look at Filipino Americans and how they view themselves and how the world views them. It was at times repetitive but as most of us don't know any of this history, the repetition can serve to really make us remember these points.
May 21, 2021
Pretty interesting sociological study of Filipinos in the LA area. Big take away is the Filipinos in his sample tend to identify the label "Asian" with academic success/being upper class/bilingualism and identify the label of "Latino" with Catholicism, family focus, and working class backgrounds. Which label feels like a more natural fit largely depends on context, and most of the context of his interviewees makes them feel closer to Latinos than to Asians.
The most obvious limitation of this research is its small geographic focus. Filipinos Americans from different types of communities and different parts of the country will likely have had different experiences with these two labels. A second limitation is that there did not seem to be any Asian populations in his sample beyond East Asians and Filipinos. How do Cambodian Americans, another sizeable AAPI group in California, fit into the Asian but not East Asian space? Maybe this would be beyond the scope of his project, but that seems like a natural point of comparison - a group with different class/education markers from the East Asian stereotype his interviewees felt distant from, but not the Spanish empire influenced language and religion they saw as connecting them to Latinos.
Even so, this is a well written and engaging book that explores some important questions of race, ethnicity, and identity. A good book for anyone with interest in AAPI topics, especially regarding Filipino American experiences.
The most obvious limitation of this research is its small geographic focus. Filipinos Americans from different types of communities and different parts of the country will likely have had different experiences with these two labels. A second limitation is that there did not seem to be any Asian populations in his sample beyond East Asians and Filipinos. How do Cambodian Americans, another sizeable AAPI group in California, fit into the Asian but not East Asian space? Maybe this would be beyond the scope of his project, but that seems like a natural point of comparison - a group with different class/education markers from the East Asian stereotype his interviewees felt distant from, but not the Spanish empire influenced language and religion they saw as connecting them to Latinos.
Even so, this is a well written and engaging book that explores some important questions of race, ethnicity, and identity. A good book for anyone with interest in AAPI topics, especially regarding Filipino American experiences.
June 18, 2021
I'm a white woman and I'm dating a US born Filipino man, whose parents immigrated from the Philippines during the nursing crisis. There have been moments when I realized I just didn't get it. I assumed being Filipino meant also being under the Asian umbrella, but he claimed that it didn't feel that way: having a Spanish last name, using a fork and spoon to eat, their parents being fluent in English and he never speaking Tagalog as a child, his eyes not as Asian-looking and having brown skin so people assume he's Latino, etc. With this rise in anti-Asian hate in America, he has never felt unsafe as he doesn't have that East Asian look, but other family members do. Rather than putting the onus on him to teach me these things, I decided to look online for resources and I found this book. I was so fascinated while reading. I basically info-dumped to my boyfriend and his input boiled down to "yeah, that's true." While the book focuses on Eagle Rock and Carson, which have a heavy Filipino population, that was not my boyfriend's experience growing up in a predominately white area on the East coast. However, joining a Filipino club and becoming more comfortable with his identity as Filipino in college definitely rang true to his experience. The Filipino experience isn't universal, so some items in the book may not be 100% accurate to the individual Filipino reading it, but there is a good portion that I would say is.
January 26, 2018
While the research behind the book is limited in scope, the overarching issues of panethnicity and identity are fascinating and important. Much of the personal experiences shared in the book rang true for me as a multiracial person who grew up in Southern Nevada.
July 5, 2021
Good book, but very focused on California. As an Oregonian Filipina, my family’s experience is drastically different than the Filipino experiences described by those in Cali. Should have put Cali/Los Angeles in the title or subheading of this book.
February 1, 2021
Insightful, often moving. It will help you understand why Pinoys in America have such complex identities.
October 24, 2025
i want to preface by saying that i am not pinoy but i am latino. overall, i enjoyed the premise of this book and the multitude of themes that it explored. we know by now that race in america is absurd and several groups don't necessary fit cleanly into just one of the boxes. filipinos are one of those groups, with a rich background reflecting maritime asian cultures, spanish colonization, and american colonization. my main critique of this text is that it is very american centric. obviously it centers filipino-americans and their experiences, but i think the necessary background requires looking at the topic from a larger scope. oftentimes filipinos and mexicans in socal live in the same communities and the hispanic heritage of filipinos is amplified due to this. the book mainly interviews the generation born in america, but we don't hear the individual stories of the parents that immigrated. we mostly hear about it from their childrens' perspectives. perhaps the hispanic experience living in california impacted the children more than the parents?? obviously catholicism and hispanic foods and customs are present in the philippines, but there is an equal amount of traditional customs that are similar to neighboring countries such as indonesia and malaysia. i'm on a kick of learning about the philippines/maritime asia so i guess i should look into that... exploring communities in both the philippines and mexico that exist on opposite ends of the spectrum would also be interesting. the chavacano speakers and spanish mestizos in the philippines along with filipino influence in coastal mexico would be an interesting deep dive into the complexities of this topic on a global scale. i know it mentions galleon trade in the beginning but i guess i was expecting something else... on its own though i think its really interesting. i actually like that the author chose to stick with two filipino hubs, but maybe another location in norcal or another state would have provided a better contrast with the socal filipino community. the experience of filipinos in higher education was eye opening and we can see how it contrasted with the wider asian community. this book was written before affirmative action was overturned (largely by asian american advocacy groups...) but it would be interesting to hear how this impacted filipinos in higher ed. anyone who grew up in socal knows that filipinos are awesome and literally get along with anyone. but there is the special hispanic connection... so i felt like i learned a lot about intercultural relations specifically from socal. i would recommend this book for its analysis on the lives and motives of filipinos in socal/america. it has a lot of heart and i feel like it effectively explains how filipino americans break (our very arbitrary) rules of race in america.
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July 1, 2022I think this gives great insight on how race is a social construct. Filipinos have strong Spanish influences after being colonized yet Asian connections due to its geography. My best friend is Mexican and over the years, we learned how much overlap there is between our cultures that in college he was considered Filipino within my friend group. I feel like the book was a bit narrow in Filipino identity being based mostly in southern California. The east coast experience is definitely different for Filipinos and Asians in general because there aren't as many cultural hubs and more exposure to white people. Reading this book also felt weird because I understood the Filipino experience in the first couple of chapters where there was a strong sense of pride despite not knowing the language, but also felt alienated because I am also Chinese and couldn't really understand how different it is to be 'Filipino.' I also find it weird learning that the general census of Filipinos was lax towards education when my Filipino friends felt immense pressure to get A's, become a nurse/go into sciences, or achieve higher education. Out of my Filipino friends, I'm the only one with a degree in liberal arts while they majored in sciences. Despite this shared Asian experience, the Filipino experience comes from making the family proud than simply filial piety. I felt the college experience chapters of being alone and misunderstood because I was a mixed Asian and the clubs I tried to join were mostly just Chinese/East Asian or just Filipino and weren't exactly accepting of the mixed experience I had. Despite the book covering how Filipinos were able to blend in with other cultures, I think it does gloss over the fact that there is still prejudice in socializing or mixing with other races. However, this might be my east coast Filipino-Chinese experience rather than understanding the west coast experience. I think it's a great read, but would be stronger if it looked at other geographical experiences to strengthen this argument of how Filipinos break a race or racial expectations.
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