What do you think?
Rate this book
Chasing Pacquiao
Experience the extreme joys, sorrows, and triumphs of a queer Filipino-American teenager struggling to prove himself in an unforgiving world. A poignant coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Patron Saints of Nothing and Juliet Takes a Breath.
Self preservation. That's Bobby's motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It's best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble.
But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.
A powerful and unflinching debut that will both shatter and uplift hearts with every read.
CONTENT WARNING for profanity, violence, and homophobic language.
Praise for Chasing Pacquiao
"Rod Pulido delivers the ultimate one-two-punch: bare-knuckled, bruising honesty wrapped in humor, sincerity, and sweetness. If you’ve ever been let down by your hero, this knockout of a book is here to treat your wounds and heal your heart."
—Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda
"What should we do when our heroes let us down? The answer: Pick up Rod Pulido's book. This story has it all. Humor, love, self-acceptance, pain. It packs all the punches."
—Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medalist and bestselling author of Hello, Universe.
"With Chasing Pacquiao, Pulido steps into the ring with an earnest and compelling debut that pulls no punches as it explores the courage and community needed to stand up to hatred."
—Randy Ribay, author of the National Book Award finalist, Patron Saints of Nothing
“Chasing Pacquiao is a timely knockout. Rod Pulido marvelously balances humor and honesty while exploring bigotry, socioeconomics, power, and how we become our own heroes. A heavy-hitting, must-read debut.”
—Julian Winters, award-winning author of Right Where I Left You
"You've never read anything like this. Rod Pulido deftly infuses a unique journey of queer POC self-discovery with unprecedented cultural specificity — geek culture, boxing culture, Filipino culture."
—Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen
Self preservation. That's Bobby's motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It's best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble.
But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.
A powerful and unflinching debut that will both shatter and uplift hearts with every read.
CONTENT WARNING for profanity, violence, and homophobic language.
Praise for Chasing Pacquiao
"Rod Pulido delivers the ultimate one-two-punch: bare-knuckled, bruising honesty wrapped in humor, sincerity, and sweetness. If you’ve ever been let down by your hero, this knockout of a book is here to treat your wounds and heal your heart."
—Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda
"What should we do when our heroes let us down? The answer: Pick up Rod Pulido's book. This story has it all. Humor, love, self-acceptance, pain. It packs all the punches."
—Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medalist and bestselling author of Hello, Universe.
"With Chasing Pacquiao, Pulido steps into the ring with an earnest and compelling debut that pulls no punches as it explores the courage and community needed to stand up to hatred."
—Randy Ribay, author of the National Book Award finalist, Patron Saints of Nothing
“Chasing Pacquiao is a timely knockout. Rod Pulido marvelously balances humor and honesty while exploring bigotry, socioeconomics, power, and how we become our own heroes. A heavy-hitting, must-read debut.”
—Julian Winters, award-winning author of Right Where I Left You
"You've never read anything like this. Rod Pulido deftly infuses a unique journey of queer POC self-discovery with unprecedented cultural specificity — geek culture, boxing culture, Filipino culture."
—Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2023
20 people are currently reading
7967 people want to read
About the author
Rod Pulido
2 books126 followersHi, I'm Rod! I write Filipino and queer characters with extraordinary talents, geeky interests, and sometimes snarky mouths. I believe in kindness and never eating the last lumpia. People say I'm addicted to ube, but that's not accurate, and frankly, I'm offended by the accusation. I'm obsessed with ube, not addicted. *cough* Anyhoo, I hope you pick up my debut YA, CHASING PACQUIAO, coming out on May 2, 2023. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @rodapulido. Salamat!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
June 1, 2023
I received an eARC of this book from the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
^That said, if you are the author, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS or at the very least do not let me know that you did. I did not appreciate how I was DMed after posting my rating. Please respect reviewer spaces and not make us feel unsafe in them. DMing reviewers about their less-than-positive reviews is not appropriate for an author.
Video review: https://youtu.be/b4M3WSd9Mog
***
As a bisexual Filipino, I was eager to read this book that tackled homophobia within the Filipino-American experience so when word got out that there would be a street team to promote it, I was quick to jump on the bandwagon and did my best to spread the word about this book to get enough points to have access to the ARC. (Update: I was kicked out of the street team shortly after posting this review.)
Perhaps I was too optimistic that I would like this book. But before I get into what I didn't like, I'll talk about the good.
Although I had my doubts about how well the aftermath of Pacquiao's homophobic statements would be portrayed, I was pleasantly surprised. The main character's reaction felt very real and raw, owing to how well-written his emotions were. The feeling of disappointment, confusion, and betrayal practically bled through the page.
Despite the multiple conflicts within this book, it also still manages to have a sense of lightheartedness and a cuteness factor that is much needed in queer stories, especially when most of what is published circles around homophobia. I'd say I'm glad this book wasn't as dark as it could've been, which is a matter of personal preference.
But then I had multiple other problems with this book and I'll start off with the smaller ones.
I found the themes explored to be very in-your-face and the entire cast to be mere caricatures to deliver a message. The side characters can literally be identified as such archetypes as the Ally, the Mentor, the Love Interest, the Bully, and the Wildcard. When the synopsis of the book already explains that it is about homophobia within the Filipino community and the effect that Pacquiao's statements have had, I'd expect there to be a deeper dive into these topics and a more nuanced discussion. Instead what you read from the synopsis is pretty much what you get and little else: main character is inspired to fight because of Manny, Manny disappoints him, but main character rises despite, end of story.
I also felt that a number of things were introduced to the story which seemed to promise a closer inspection on some themes, but are never really revisited or given ample attention when it could have. The book is quite short and I think would have been enriched by those discussions! This includes among others an introduction to domestic abuse and bigoted beliefs as something that can be passed on generationally, drug abuse in underprivileged communities, Filipinos in the healthcare industry, and how bullying in school can affect academic performance. I didn't necessarily need a well-rounded deep dive into any of them; it just felt that they were there for a purpose but hadn't quite fulfilled them. There was also a kind of third act conflict between the love interests that I thought didn't need to be there. To top it all off, the ending felt rather abrupt and left me unsatisfied.
As for some of my bigger issues with the book, one is that the main characters consistently dig at the antagonist's physical appearance, including the fact that he has acne and is fat. While I understand that these are teenagers who have been abused and harrassed by said antagonist, it certainly does not make me like them. Am I supposed to root for characters who resort to insulting someone's acne and fatness when they dislike a person? Where do they draw the line? And as someone who has been bullied for being acne-ridden and chubby, I cannot help but find such behavior offensive. These aren't insecure grade schoolers, these are older teens who should know better at their age. I feel that readers who have been bullied for their acne would not feel the most safe reading this book as the main characters call the antagonist names from his appearance.
I also disliked how much of the dialogue felt unnatural and poorly written. As a reader of juvenile fiction, I believe my tolerance for cheesy and predictable lines is pretty high so I can let those parts of the dialogue slide. But what I found I could barely stand was how awkward certain Tagalog words were used. Having grown up in the suburbs of Metro Manila, I am well-acquainted with what English sprinkled with a bit of Tagalog sounds like, from your regular small town Taglish to the more metro conyo. But the use of Tagalog here just felt very off. At first I thought that perhaps I am just not that familiar with how Filipino-Americans speak but from my limited interactions with the few that I do know and from other FilAm authored books I've read, I haven't encountered dialogue that felt quite as stilted as this.
Finally, my biggest complaint about this book that docked a star from what could have been a generous three-star rating: the fact that it repeatedly says that the Tagalog word "bakla" is a gay slur. I don't know if any other homeland Filipinos have read this prior to its final edits because this to me was such a blunder that could easily have been prevented. Any modern native Tagalog speaker knows that the only time that "bakla" is used as an insult is when misogynists try to humiliate a man (straight or otherwise) for displaying effeminate traits or behavior. It is not the Tagalog equivalent of the English f-slur which is how it is used in this book. The main character repeatedly takes offense to be called "bakla" when the word literally just translates to "gay" or "queer" which he accepts himself to be! So it doesn't make sense for him to be fine with being called gay but not bakla. On the outset it might seem like a small mistake, but for homeland queer Filipinos who read this, it is incredibly Western-centric and dismissive of the decades-long use and reclamation of the word. "Bakla" is our word for "gay" and "sangkabaklaan" is our word for the LGBTQIA+ community. Reducing a word that we celebrate during Pride and in recent years even use as a term of endearment for friends both queer and straight to something as pungent as a slur grossly misrepresents the Filipino queer experience.
For these reasons and my general lack of enjoyment of this book does it merit two stars from me.
^That said, if you are the author, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS or at the very least do not let me know that you did. I did not appreciate how I was DMed after posting my rating. Please respect reviewer spaces and not make us feel unsafe in them. DMing reviewers about their less-than-positive reviews is not appropriate for an author.
Video review: https://youtu.be/b4M3WSd9Mog
***
As a bisexual Filipino, I was eager to read this book that tackled homophobia within the Filipino-American experience so when word got out that there would be a street team to promote it, I was quick to jump on the bandwagon and did my best to spread the word about this book to get enough points to have access to the ARC. (Update: I was kicked out of the street team shortly after posting this review.)
Perhaps I was too optimistic that I would like this book. But before I get into what I didn't like, I'll talk about the good.
Although I had my doubts about how well the aftermath of Pacquiao's homophobic statements would be portrayed, I was pleasantly surprised. The main character's reaction felt very real and raw, owing to how well-written his emotions were. The feeling of disappointment, confusion, and betrayal practically bled through the page.
Despite the multiple conflicts within this book, it also still manages to have a sense of lightheartedness and a cuteness factor that is much needed in queer stories, especially when most of what is published circles around homophobia. I'd say I'm glad this book wasn't as dark as it could've been, which is a matter of personal preference.
But then I had multiple other problems with this book and I'll start off with the smaller ones.
I found the themes explored to be very in-your-face and the entire cast to be mere caricatures to deliver a message. The side characters can literally be identified as such archetypes as the Ally, the Mentor, the Love Interest, the Bully, and the Wildcard. When the synopsis of the book already explains that it is about homophobia within the Filipino community and the effect that Pacquiao's statements have had, I'd expect there to be a deeper dive into these topics and a more nuanced discussion. Instead what you read from the synopsis is pretty much what you get and little else: main character is inspired to fight because of Manny, Manny disappoints him, but main character rises despite, end of story.
I also felt that a number of things were introduced to the story which seemed to promise a closer inspection on some themes, but are never really revisited or given ample attention when it could have. The book is quite short and I think would have been enriched by those discussions! This includes among others an introduction to domestic abuse and bigoted beliefs as something that can be passed on generationally, drug abuse in underprivileged communities, Filipinos in the healthcare industry, and how bullying in school can affect academic performance. I didn't necessarily need a well-rounded deep dive into any of them; it just felt that they were there for a purpose but hadn't quite fulfilled them. There was also a kind of third act conflict between the love interests that I thought didn't need to be there. To top it all off, the ending felt rather abrupt and left me unsatisfied.
As for some of my bigger issues with the book, one is that the main characters consistently dig at the antagonist's physical appearance, including the fact that he has acne and is fat. While I understand that these are teenagers who have been abused and harrassed by said antagonist, it certainly does not make me like them. Am I supposed to root for characters who resort to insulting someone's acne and fatness when they dislike a person? Where do they draw the line? And as someone who has been bullied for being acne-ridden and chubby, I cannot help but find such behavior offensive. These aren't insecure grade schoolers, these are older teens who should know better at their age. I feel that readers who have been bullied for their acne would not feel the most safe reading this book as the main characters call the antagonist names from his appearance.
I also disliked how much of the dialogue felt unnatural and poorly written. As a reader of juvenile fiction, I believe my tolerance for cheesy and predictable lines is pretty high so I can let those parts of the dialogue slide. But what I found I could barely stand was how awkward certain Tagalog words were used. Having grown up in the suburbs of Metro Manila, I am well-acquainted with what English sprinkled with a bit of Tagalog sounds like, from your regular small town Taglish to the more metro conyo. But the use of Tagalog here just felt very off. At first I thought that perhaps I am just not that familiar with how Filipino-Americans speak but from my limited interactions with the few that I do know and from other FilAm authored books I've read, I haven't encountered dialogue that felt quite as stilted as this.
Finally, my biggest complaint about this book that docked a star from what could have been a generous three-star rating: the fact that it repeatedly says that the Tagalog word "bakla" is a gay slur. I don't know if any other homeland Filipinos have read this prior to its final edits because this to me was such a blunder that could easily have been prevented. Any modern native Tagalog speaker knows that the only time that "bakla" is used as an insult is when misogynists try to humiliate a man (straight or otherwise) for displaying effeminate traits or behavior. It is not the Tagalog equivalent of the English f-slur which is how it is used in this book. The main character repeatedly takes offense to be called "bakla" when the word literally just translates to "gay" or "queer" which he accepts himself to be! So it doesn't make sense for him to be fine with being called gay but not bakla. On the outset it might seem like a small mistake, but for homeland queer Filipinos who read this, it is incredibly Western-centric and dismissive of the decades-long use and reclamation of the word. "Bakla" is our word for "gay" and "sangkabaklaan" is our word for the LGBTQIA+ community. Reducing a word that we celebrate during Pride and in recent years even use as a term of endearment for friends both queer and straight to something as pungent as a slur grossly misrepresents the Filipino queer experience.
For these reasons and my general lack of enjoyment of this book does it merit two stars from me.
October 12, 2025
This book is pretty dang good, and I’m not just saying that because I wrote it. It has fencing, fighting, revenge, giants, monsters, escapes, true love, miracles! …Or was that The Princess Bride? Er, anyhoo, it does have boxing, comic book geeks, queer Filipinos, action, suspense, and definitely true love. (I bet Columbo would read it to his grandson.) Hope you all enjoy it!
CONTENT WARNING for profanity, violence, and homophobic language.
CONTENT WARNING for profanity, violence, and homophobic language.
May 4, 2023
What do you do when your hero publicly announces his stance against queer people? We all know these examples, right? Does such a person fall off their pedestal, or don’t you believe that someone you looked up to could be so intolerant and will they still be your idol?
Bobby is bullied when he’s forced to come out of the closet. So he decides to follow his inspiration, world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao and starts boxing too so he can defend himself. But then Manny calls gay people worse than animals.
Rod’s writing is engaging and vivid and immediately pulled me into Bobby’s story. I had to warm up a bit to Bobby at first and didn’t always like his (re)actions. But Bobby really grows in this story and I like flawed and messy teens. A special shout-out to Bobby’s boyfriend Bran(don) and Luke, the gym’s owner. Bran was such a cute cinnamon roll and I adored the dancing scene! Luke was like a father to Bobby, and I loved his protectiveness.
Be aware there’s lots of homophobia and violence in Chasing Pacquiao. The book isn’t exactly dark, there are many fluffy moments, but it definitely has its darker parts. They fitted the story, though. In my opinion, the book could have been a bit longer, the ending felt a bit rushed and my brows knitted together because of the Bruno Scars thing. But overall, I really enjoyed Chasing Pacquiao and think it’s a great debut.
Thanks so much, Rod, for letting me read Chasing Pacquiao early! I’m curious about what you have in store for us next!
Follow me on Instagram
Bobby is bullied when he’s forced to come out of the closet. So he decides to follow his inspiration, world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao and starts boxing too so he can defend himself. But then Manny calls gay people worse than animals.
Rod’s writing is engaging and vivid and immediately pulled me into Bobby’s story. I had to warm up a bit to Bobby at first and didn’t always like his (re)actions. But Bobby really grows in this story and I like flawed and messy teens. A special shout-out to Bobby’s boyfriend Bran(don) and Luke, the gym’s owner. Bran was such a cute cinnamon roll and I adored the dancing scene! Luke was like a father to Bobby, and I loved his protectiveness.
Be aware there’s lots of homophobia and violence in Chasing Pacquiao. The book isn’t exactly dark, there are many fluffy moments, but it definitely has its darker parts. They fitted the story, though. In my opinion, the book could have been a bit longer, the ending felt a bit rushed and my brows knitted together because of the Bruno Scars thing. But overall, I really enjoyed Chasing Pacquiao and think it’s a great debut.
Thanks so much, Rod, for letting me read Chasing Pacquiao early! I’m curious about what you have in store for us next!
Follow me on Instagram
November 30, 2021
We all know what it feels like to have one of our idols let us down. Rod's book is about that very feeling and what it takes to push through it. I cannot wait to read this. Plus, stellar Filipino representation -- what could be better?!
March 29, 2023
For over a week, I’ve been trying to articulate my thoughts on Chasing Pacquiao. I’d been looking forward to this book release for quite some time, so thanks to Rod Pulido, Penguin, and NetGalley for the eARC.
The first thing that stands out to me is how well Rod Pulido integrated Bobby Agbayani’s intersecting identities - queer, Filipino-American, less privileged socioeconomic status.
While there are many YA novels that involve queer protagonists dealing with bullies, not many of them are as proactive as Bobby Agbayani, who steps out of his comfort zone to learn to box to defend himself (Rod’s writing about Bobby learning to box was so compelling that I looked up local boxing gyms). Like Bobby (and many others with Filipino heritage), I was a fan of Manny Pacquiao and was disappointed by his homophobia. I appreciated how the book addressed that issue, and how Bobby’s friends handled it in a sensitive way.
Though my level of anticipation was high, Chasing Pacquiao exceeded my expectations. I’m a fairly voracious reader of YA fiction, and I can’t remember encountering another book that had such a relatable representation of Filipino-American culture. I had never heard of Tanaga (a Filipino poetry style) before, so I found myself learning things I didn’t know about my own culture.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fiction, but especially those who share identities with Bobby. Rod Pulido’s debut novel is an excellent start for an author who will hopefully write many more books in the future.
The first thing that stands out to me is how well Rod Pulido integrated Bobby Agbayani’s intersecting identities - queer, Filipino-American, less privileged socioeconomic status.
While there are many YA novels that involve queer protagonists dealing with bullies, not many of them are as proactive as Bobby Agbayani, who steps out of his comfort zone to learn to box to defend himself (Rod’s writing about Bobby learning to box was so compelling that I looked up local boxing gyms). Like Bobby (and many others with Filipino heritage), I was a fan of Manny Pacquiao and was disappointed by his homophobia. I appreciated how the book addressed that issue, and how Bobby’s friends handled it in a sensitive way.
Though my level of anticipation was high, Chasing Pacquiao exceeded my expectations. I’m a fairly voracious reader of YA fiction, and I can’t remember encountering another book that had such a relatable representation of Filipino-American culture. I had never heard of Tanaga (a Filipino poetry style) before, so I found myself learning things I didn’t know about my own culture.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fiction, but especially those who share identities with Bobby. Rod Pulido’s debut novel is an excellent start for an author who will hopefully write many more books in the future.
August 21, 2021
I plan on pre-ordering this one so hard.
March 15, 2023
This is definitely one of my new favorite gay ya books! Loved the love story between Brandon and Bobby and the un breakable bond between Brandon, Bobby, and Rosie! Fell in love with those three i wanted more!!!! I hope this is just the beginning of these characters and the amazing writing of Rod Pulido! The connection of Pacquiao was genius and writing about his homophobia was earth shattering and hit me at the core!
November 13, 2022
Very excited for this! One of my most anticipated books of 2023
November 15, 2022
"Chasing Pacquiao" was everything I wanted in a book and more. Funny, honest, heartwarming, and Filipino to the core, this book stirred up a lot of feelings. From Bobby's pain at losing his father to the joys of first love to dealing with a bully, "Chasing Pacquiao" recalled so much of my own adolescence and helped heal parts of me that I didn't know were still hurting.
Through Bobby -- who is a poet as well as a budding boxer -- I was introduced to the Filipino poetic form of Tanaga. Inspired, I wrote my first poem in this form inspired by the book:
Pacquiao's views are bigoted;
Love can't be prohibited.
Bobby's got a mean right hook,
Rod wrote a hell of a book.
"Chasing Pacquiao" is the kind of book that will burrow into your soul and stay there after you've read the final page. It truly has something for everyone and you will fall in love with its characters and author Rod Pulido's masterful writing.
Through Bobby -- who is a poet as well as a budding boxer -- I was introduced to the Filipino poetic form of Tanaga. Inspired, I wrote my first poem in this form inspired by the book:
Pacquiao's views are bigoted;
Love can't be prohibited.
Bobby's got a mean right hook,
Rod wrote a hell of a book.
"Chasing Pacquiao" is the kind of book that will burrow into your soul and stay there after you've read the final page. It truly has something for everyone and you will fall in love with its characters and author Rod Pulido's masterful writing.
January 18, 2022
Just read your article. So glad to hear it'll be published finally!
May 3, 2023
Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an ARC last year, a finished copy this year, and collabing with me for an IG Reel promoting this book!
TW: extreme homophobia, bullying, physical abuse
As a Pacquiao fan for most of my life, it was incredibly jarring to hear about his homophobic stance AGAIN upon reading this book. I remember vaguely hearing about it seven years ago when the interview came out, but I didn't actually watch the video and hear the hurtful words he said. This book explores how to grapple with the situation of when your heroes let you down once their true colors are revealed, and I think it has some really good discussions to keep in mind for when the next author inevitably is deemed "problematic," for example.
The humor in this was great, and the Filipino culture interwoven was definitely relatable. Some of the language felt kind of cringey and forced without the direct translations, but it still worked for me. Also love the friendship and relationship dynamics; they definitely felt realistic enough for the age range.
Pulido also did not hold back with the bullying and homophobia, as well as the discussions on classism.
For a 250ish page book, it covers a lot of important topics, and it was really nice to see myself and my culture in a 2023 release.
TW: extreme homophobia, bullying, physical abuse
As a Pacquiao fan for most of my life, it was incredibly jarring to hear about his homophobic stance AGAIN upon reading this book. I remember vaguely hearing about it seven years ago when the interview came out, but I didn't actually watch the video and hear the hurtful words he said. This book explores how to grapple with the situation of when your heroes let you down once their true colors are revealed, and I think it has some really good discussions to keep in mind for when the next author inevitably is deemed "problematic," for example.
The humor in this was great, and the Filipino culture interwoven was definitely relatable. Some of the language felt kind of cringey and forced without the direct translations, but it still worked for me. Also love the friendship and relationship dynamics; they definitely felt realistic enough for the age range.
Pulido also did not hold back with the bullying and homophobia, as well as the discussions on classism.
For a 250ish page book, it covers a lot of important topics, and it was really nice to see myself and my culture in a 2023 release.
May 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! As a boxer myself, I appreciated the fact that all of the boxing terminology was researched beforehand and was correct and made sense. The characters were all fully fleshed out humans who make mistakes, and I even felt bad for the antagonists of the story. From start to finish you feel for all of the characters and are invested in the story of Bobby. A wonderful read for sports fans or the not straights.
April 24, 2023
Trigger Warnings: homophobia, bullying, blood, violence, cursing, cancer, poverty, classism, hate crime, coming out, outing, religious bigotry, past death of a parent, mention of past murder, theft, parental abuse, church, knife violence, fighting
Representation: Queer, Filipino-American
Chasing Pacquiao is a queer contemporary about queer, Filipino-American student, Bobby. When Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.
This eARC was provided as part of the #ChasingPacquiaoStreetTeam by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This contemporary piece shines a light on the ugly darkness that our community continues to face today. Very different than other stories I have read, this author introduces the readers to a new community and the intersectionality of it all. And the use of an actual person with homophobic beliefs was portrayed very well.
Overall, I thought this story was very needed but is not my cup of tea. There is a lot of violence and abuse in this story. I understand the use of it and the place it has, it’s just not something I enjoy. I did think the inclusion of the abusive parent felt a bit simplified and rushed. I wish this had been fleshed out more. Otherwise I enjoyed the story and thought it was written very well.
Representation: Queer, Filipino-American
Chasing Pacquiao is a queer contemporary about queer, Filipino-American student, Bobby. When Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.
This eARC was provided as part of the #ChasingPacquiaoStreetTeam by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This contemporary piece shines a light on the ugly darkness that our community continues to face today. Very different than other stories I have read, this author introduces the readers to a new community and the intersectionality of it all. And the use of an actual person with homophobic beliefs was portrayed very well.
Overall, I thought this story was very needed but is not my cup of tea. There is a lot of violence and abuse in this story. I understand the use of it and the place it has, it’s just not something I enjoy. I did think the inclusion of the abusive parent felt a bit simplified and rushed. I wish this had been fleshed out more. Otherwise I enjoyed the story and thought it was written very well.
April 15, 2023
Good morning lovely humans. I’m so excited to share my review for Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido with you. This book was so good.
-
A (mostly) in the closet gay filipino kid, Bobby, just wants to hang out with his bestie Rosie and his boyfriend Bran. He wants to nerd out and stay in the closet for fear of homophobes. Unfortunately he is forced out of the closet and right into a violent assault by some classmates. He is then rocked with the revelation that his Hero Manny Pacquiao is a raging homophobe. Having to come to terms with this is gutting when he needs his hero most.
-
What I liked:
-The nerdiness
-The book deals with a lot of different aspects of Filipino culture and issues that can arise through the loss of a parent. Bobby’s mom works HARD and works really crap hours. She is not around a lot and that is heavy on him.
-This book took me back to my jr high and high school days. I was right back in the basement of my boyfriends and friends homes with their families and friends enjoying music and AMAZING FOOD.
-Looking at the ways abuse can be a catalyst for bullies.
-Finding strength in yourself over needing others to be your strength.
-Setting healthy boundaries in relationships and what is needed vs what is given.
-Bobby genuinely tries to deal with what has happened to him in such a realistic way. Hiding things from his mom, frustration at his teacher who thinks she knows best, needing his boyfriend to listen to what he needs… I loved the way this was portrayed.
-The moment we all learn our heroes are human. When we see them for what and who they really are.
-
What I didn’t like:
-There were some descriptions of fat people that I didn’t dig. They felt uncomfortable and fat phobic.
-Some of the language the kids used was ick. But I also remember being that age and hearing as well as using some crap language and behaviour. It’s a time of growth and even though I don’t like it I understand it’s realistic.
-
Now I’m craving Pancit 😝🥲😮💨😭
-
A (mostly) in the closet gay filipino kid, Bobby, just wants to hang out with his bestie Rosie and his boyfriend Bran. He wants to nerd out and stay in the closet for fear of homophobes. Unfortunately he is forced out of the closet and right into a violent assault by some classmates. He is then rocked with the revelation that his Hero Manny Pacquiao is a raging homophobe. Having to come to terms with this is gutting when he needs his hero most.
-
What I liked:
-The nerdiness
-The book deals with a lot of different aspects of Filipino culture and issues that can arise through the loss of a parent. Bobby’s mom works HARD and works really crap hours. She is not around a lot and that is heavy on him.
-This book took me back to my jr high and high school days. I was right back in the basement of my boyfriends and friends homes with their families and friends enjoying music and AMAZING FOOD.
-Looking at the ways abuse can be a catalyst for bullies.
-Finding strength in yourself over needing others to be your strength.
-Setting healthy boundaries in relationships and what is needed vs what is given.
-Bobby genuinely tries to deal with what has happened to him in such a realistic way. Hiding things from his mom, frustration at his teacher who thinks she knows best, needing his boyfriend to listen to what he needs… I loved the way this was portrayed.
-The moment we all learn our heroes are human. When we see them for what and who they really are.
-
What I didn’t like:
-There were some descriptions of fat people that I didn’t dig. They felt uncomfortable and fat phobic.
-Some of the language the kids used was ick. But I also remember being that age and hearing as well as using some crap language and behaviour. It’s a time of growth and even though I don’t like it I understand it’s realistic.
-
Now I’m craving Pancit 😝🥲😮💨😭
March 10, 2023
This book was overall quite enjoyable. I enjoyed seeing the main character's growth throughout the book and the writing was well done. It didn't feel awkward. My only complain would be his relationship with his boyfriend. His boyfriend was obviously very supported of Bobby but it was so obvious that there was a bit of a disconnect between them as they come from different economic statuses. Thank you netgalley and penguinteen for an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
April 4, 2023
I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.
May 2, 2023
**Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the eARC. This in no way changes my opinion**
I'm calling it now that this will probably be in my top 10 of the year. The synopsis recommended it for fans of Patron Saints of Nothing, but I think it would also be a good fit for fans of Darius the Great is Not Okay. This book is about Bobby, who is a closeted queer Filipino-American teen. After he is publicly outed at school and beaten by a homophobic classmate, Bobby decides that he's going to learn how to box, coming to identify with Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao. With the support of his best friend, Rosie, and his boyfriend, Brandon, Bobby starts to learn to defend himself and gain confidence in who he is as a person.
I will acknowledge that I had very little knowledge of boxing as a sport before I read this book. I still have very little knowledge. I knew the name Manny Pacquiao. I didn't know the extent of his homophobic comments. The synopsis makes it sound like Pacquiao's awful comments were going to be a bigger part of the book. The book is mostly about Bobby's relationship with his friend and boyfriend, his school life, and his life at home with his single mother. This part doesn't occur until about 80% through. So if you're like me and you didn't know, but you kept waiting for the shoe to drop, just know you'll be waiting a little bit.
Bobby is a great character. I really liked how he grew over the course of the story and was able to speak up for himself and others. He has flaws which makes him more human than some other YA character I've read, but they're things that can be worked on (ex. jealousy or insecurity about the class difference between him and his boyfriend). I also loved that he isn't this boxing phenom who is taking down people who trained years left and right in a few weeks. He works hard and at a believable pace. It didn't feel like a superhero movie where he does no training and is amazing at it.
I also really enjoyed his relationship with Rosie, who is an enjoyable friend character with strongly held beliefs, and his mother. As someone who grew up with a single parent, it's nice to see this relationship portrayed in such a sweet light I liked Brandon and understand his character, but I didn't love that he was pushy about Bobby coming out. I realize it might be harder for Brandon as an out gay teen to be with someone who is still closeted because he wants certain things in a relationship, such as being able to publicly kiss or hold hands, but I had a similar issue with You Should See Me in a Crown. Characters who push the other character to out themselves when they're not ready just come across very unsympathetic to me and it makes it harder to want the relationship continue. While they both work on things in their relationship to make it better by the end, this was just the one thing that made it harder to give it a 5 star rating.
Overall, I really liked this book. I will definitely be recommending it at my library. It has so much heart. The story was excellent. The writing was great. I can't wait to see what Rod Pulido writes next.
4.5/5 stars (rounded to 4 for Goodreads)
I'm calling it now that this will probably be in my top 10 of the year. The synopsis recommended it for fans of Patron Saints of Nothing, but I think it would also be a good fit for fans of Darius the Great is Not Okay. This book is about Bobby, who is a closeted queer Filipino-American teen. After he is publicly outed at school and beaten by a homophobic classmate, Bobby decides that he's going to learn how to box, coming to identify with Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao. With the support of his best friend, Rosie, and his boyfriend, Brandon, Bobby starts to learn to defend himself and gain confidence in who he is as a person.
I will acknowledge that I had very little knowledge of boxing as a sport before I read this book. I still have very little knowledge. I knew the name Manny Pacquiao. I didn't know the extent of his homophobic comments. The synopsis makes it sound like Pacquiao's awful comments were going to be a bigger part of the book. The book is mostly about Bobby's relationship with his friend and boyfriend, his school life, and his life at home with his single mother. This part doesn't occur until about 80% through. So if you're like me and you didn't know, but you kept waiting for the shoe to drop, just know you'll be waiting a little bit.
Bobby is a great character. I really liked how he grew over the course of the story and was able to speak up for himself and others. He has flaws which makes him more human than some other YA character I've read, but they're things that can be worked on (ex. jealousy or insecurity about the class difference between him and his boyfriend). I also loved that he isn't this boxing phenom who is taking down people who trained years left and right in a few weeks. He works hard and at a believable pace. It didn't feel like a superhero movie where he does no training and is amazing at it.
I also really enjoyed his relationship with Rosie, who is an enjoyable friend character with strongly held beliefs, and his mother. As someone who grew up with a single parent, it's nice to see this relationship portrayed in such a sweet light I liked Brandon and understand his character, but I didn't love that he was pushy about Bobby coming out. I realize it might be harder for Brandon as an out gay teen to be with someone who is still closeted because he wants certain things in a relationship, such as being able to publicly kiss or hold hands, but I had a similar issue with You Should See Me in a Crown. Characters who push the other character to out themselves when they're not ready just come across very unsympathetic to me and it makes it harder to want the relationship continue. While they both work on things in their relationship to make it better by the end, this was just the one thing that made it harder to give it a 5 star rating.
Overall, I really liked this book. I will definitely be recommending it at my library. It has so much heart. The story was excellent. The writing was great. I can't wait to see what Rod Pulido writes next.
4.5/5 stars (rounded to 4 for Goodreads)
March 25, 2023
Queer Pinoy boy channels his inner Manny Pacquiao in order to kick homophobic wannabe gangster's ass with the help of his badass latina bestie and his geeky pogi boypren, and learns how much inner strength he has along the way.
It was like queer pilipino karate kid but make it boxing, and honestly that really worked for me lol
It is really cool to read young adult books about being gay AND Filipino. I hope the young ones get their hands on tons of books like this. We deserve to see queer kids standing up for themselves and WINNING, all the while finding true love in romance, friendship, and found family 🥹
It was like queer pilipino karate kid but make it boxing, and honestly that really worked for me lol
It is really cool to read young adult books about being gay AND Filipino. I hope the young ones get their hands on tons of books like this. We deserve to see queer kids standing up for themselves and WINNING, all the while finding true love in romance, friendship, and found family 🥹
December 12, 2022
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This one was hard to read because the violence queer people, especially queer people of color, face is real and still happens.
This one was hard to read because the violence queer people, especially queer people of color, face is real and still happens.
December 26, 2022
tws: violence, blood, the f-slur, homophobia/queerphobia, side character has abusive father
a well-written story about standing up for yourself. chasing pacquiao is about the intersection between being filipino and being queer, and as a queer asian i loved to see it. i like how this book tackled pacquiao's real life homophobia while not turning him into a caricature. i personally didn't know much about boxing or pacquiao at all before reading this, and i think this book introduced both topics well. docked a star because the writing was cringey at certain points; i'd say this book is aimed at the younger end of YA readers and i am not that haha.
a well-written story about standing up for yourself. chasing pacquiao is about the intersection between being filipino and being queer, and as a queer asian i loved to see it. i like how this book tackled pacquiao's real life homophobia while not turning him into a caricature. i personally didn't know much about boxing or pacquiao at all before reading this, and i think this book introduced both topics well. docked a star because the writing was cringey at certain points; i'd say this book is aimed at the younger end of YA readers and i am not that haha.
continue-later
August 13, 20218/13/21: hit me up once it's 2023 so i can preorder this asap!
yes, i'm always a hoe for any fil-am rep in YA fiction
yes, i'm always a hoe for any fil-am rep in YA fiction
June 12, 2023
First off, why did the author review his own book? That is the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen here on Goodreads. Not only does it skew the ratings in their favor, but shouldn’t this space be for actual readers? A note about the book would’ve sufficed.
Now on to the book. I was excited to read this one for Pride Month but this was just an overall disappointment. Here are some reasons why:
1. The butchered use of Tagalog - Taglish was not correctly used here. This was the most awkward use of Tagalog I’ve ever read as the nature of mixing it with English is to shorten the sentences. Inserting words like “tanga bullshit”, “tanga bitch”, “damn gago”, “pogi guy”, “pogi butt”, “bakla ass”, or “bakla bitch” then randomly mentioning adobo, lumpia, and ube just doesn’t make it authentically Pinoy. No one says this in real life. For example, there was a phrase in the book that puts “kaibigan” and “pare” together, when they both already mean friend. Or even “Bakla boy”, when “Bakla” usually pertains to a male so there is no reason to add boy to the sentence. Any Filipino would tell you that you can end your sentence with a Filipino word since “Bakla”, “Pogi”, and “Tanga” are also nouns. The brevity of Tagalog wasn’t captured here, which resulted to mouthful sentences. It is clear the author did not do his research or even bothered to consult a native speaker either. I also have Filipino-American friends and family who don’t talk like this, the dialogue just felt forced to insert a Tagalog word.
2. Bakla as a “slur” - A quick Google search would tell you Bakla just means gay. In fact, the term has been widely celebrated in the Philippines like “Kabaklaan”. To see that it is defined by this book as a Tagalog gay slur is to deceive non-Filipino readers who are not aware of this. This alone causes damage to the LGBTQIA+ community rather than uplifting it.
3. Cringeworthy Dialogue- On top of the icky usage of Tagalog, you can pinpoint the phrases where it tries to be punch lines but fails immensely. Sure, YA fiction tends to be corny but this was just cringe from start to finish. “Ube-loving Bootay”, “Gay Bae”, or “Purple Yam Stans” just didn’t deliver.
4. Bobby as a character - We’re supposed to root for him since he goes through homophobia from his peers. But it was difficult to do so with how he perceives the positive influences in his life like Rosie, Brandon, Eric, his Mom, and his teacher. He seems to be annoyed and judgmental towards everyone who is there for him. Some scenes make me question if he even likes his boyfriend lol. Also, he doesn’t really grow as a character as he continues to put down his enemy’s physical appearance. While I know that is the natural response when we antagonize someone, he doesn’t outgrow that habit and it is brushed off like he was in the moral high ground to do so. The fact that the other characters are just accessories to Bobby’s journey and how they serve him, makes it a very shallow story as the others aren’t fleshed out. Which makes him a very self-absorbed character.
5. The Plot - The revelation that Manny is a homophobe comes at almost the end of the book. This was used as a plot twist to test Bobby’s strength before the fight when it shouldn’t be as the reader already knows what Manny Pacquiao thinks of the gay community. This book would’ve been better if Bobby explored his ambivalence towards his hero earlier. The most striking paragraph in the novel is this and I wish that it was given more focus:
“Manny isn't just some punk-bully nobody. He's probably the greatest boxer of his generation, yeah? The most famous Pinoy on planet Earth with influence over millions of fans. How many Rexes did he create with that interview? How many little kids are going to think we're no better than animals? That we can be treated worse than animals?"
This is a character-driven story, yet the complexity of your heroes disappointing you wasn’t properly navigated. The discourse on how his bully and his hero shares the same principles was executed poorly. The ending felt incredibly underwhelming when it had the potential to be a great book. Manny Pacquiao was the hook of the premise but was the weakest point of the plot.
In conclusion, Pulido fails to deliver a knockout FilAm book. There was a lack of impact to what the book promises. While I know this is a book about diaspora, there is still a responsibility to represent the culture and language with respect as doing it wrong alters the perception of us in the homeland. Saying a character is Filipino is not enough to claim this is good representation.
If I can pick a word that would sum up the book it would be baduy.
May 4, 2023
You know that feeling when you pick up a book and know it’s going to be a 5⭐️ read? I had that from the moment I started reading Chasing Pacquiao.
Bobby goes to school in a poorer neighborhood. His father passed away and it’s on his mom to work hard and give them what they have. His mom and best friend are the only people that know that he’s gay… and he’d like to keep it that way. The people at his school are not the kind of people who treats queers with kindness. He’s seen the school bullies terrorizing and beating up kids for less.
His boyfriend Brandon, on the other hand, is home schooled. He lives in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, with his wealthy family, and has beautiful teeth, thanks to his dentist father. He wants to be able to hold his boyfriend’s hand as the walk down the street and doesn’t know what actual fear for his life over his sexuality really is. He doesn’t outright give Bobby an ultimatum, but he does hint at wanting him to come out (which I HATEEEEEEED).
When Bobby’s sexuality is discovered, the school bullies pick him as their next target, but in their process of beating him up and stealing his bike, he fights back… which they didn’t like. And now he’s the target of consistent hate crimes. So he decides it’s time to learn to fight back.
I really loved that Bobby wanted to learn to protect himself and his loved ones. By joining a boxing gym (getting a job there more like it) and learning to fight, he made himself feel more empowered. Did this stop the hate? Absolutely not. It just made him feel like he could do more. And I loved that for him.
I know that the idea for this story centered around Manny Pacquiao coming out as a religious bigot and spouting hate speech about queers being less than animals, but the story doesn’t focus on that as much as I thought it would. Yes, Bobby idolizes him and that’s what spurs his want to box, but he becomes my idol in the end.
Trigger warnings: Hate crime, bigotry, homophobia, bullying, parental abuse, and prior death of a parent due to cancer.
Bobby goes to school in a poorer neighborhood. His father passed away and it’s on his mom to work hard and give them what they have. His mom and best friend are the only people that know that he’s gay… and he’d like to keep it that way. The people at his school are not the kind of people who treats queers with kindness. He’s seen the school bullies terrorizing and beating up kids for less.
His boyfriend Brandon, on the other hand, is home schooled. He lives in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, with his wealthy family, and has beautiful teeth, thanks to his dentist father. He wants to be able to hold his boyfriend’s hand as the walk down the street and doesn’t know what actual fear for his life over his sexuality really is. He doesn’t outright give Bobby an ultimatum, but he does hint at wanting him to come out (which I HATEEEEEEED).
When Bobby’s sexuality is discovered, the school bullies pick him as their next target, but in their process of beating him up and stealing his bike, he fights back… which they didn’t like. And now he’s the target of consistent hate crimes. So he decides it’s time to learn to fight back.
I really loved that Bobby wanted to learn to protect himself and his loved ones. By joining a boxing gym (getting a job there more like it) and learning to fight, he made himself feel more empowered. Did this stop the hate? Absolutely not. It just made him feel like he could do more. And I loved that for him.
I know that the idea for this story centered around Manny Pacquiao coming out as a religious bigot and spouting hate speech about queers being less than animals, but the story doesn’t focus on that as much as I thought it would. Yes, Bobby idolizes him and that’s what spurs his want to box, but he becomes my idol in the end.
Trigger warnings: Hate crime, bigotry, homophobia, bullying, parental abuse, and prior death of a parent due to cancer.
May 3, 2023
As a queer American that resides in the suburbs of a town in the Southern parts of America, I completely related to Bobby’s struggles of being queer in a homophobic area (especially with religious people). I couldn’t help but admire his when he came out to his school—though technically he was forced to come out. I’m glad Jorge (the now ex-member of Rex’s gang) showed his support to Bobby, especially since his queer uncle was killed. But what I did not like about Jorge was how no matter how hard he tried to refrain, he ended doing what Rex wanted him to do and stab Bobby’s left hand before the fight. As I read that part I was like, “For goodness sake LET BOBBY BEAT THE BIGOT UP!!”. But in the end, Jorge still showed that he would support Bobby. During the actual fight between Bobby and Rex, I was on a rollercoaster of hope, some moments made me feel a sense of dread while others made me feel optimistic for Bobby. And when I tell you how heart-wrenching it was to read the part where Bobby felt betrayed, because Manny was against LGBTQ+ community, I mean it. Overall, it was a really good read, and—for some random reason—it sparked an interest in learning the Tagalog language. Good luck on your future YA novels Rod Pulido!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2023
Trigger Warnings: violence, assault, homophobic language
When Bobby is unwillingly outed at his notoriously violent high school, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. After a vicious encounter with a group of boys from his school, Bobby must find a new way to survive (and fight back). Inspired by Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Bobby takes up boxing and challenges his attacker. But when Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against the Queer community, Bobby must figure out what and how he’s going to find the strength to continue.
Be aware there is a lot of homophobia and violence in this novel. It’s not dark or gory or anything like that, but it’s a book about boxing - so there’s fighting, you know?
It took me a bit to get a feel for Bobby. Male YA main characters and I tend to not get along very well to begin with so I wasn’t his biggest fan at the beginning, but he definitely grew on me.
I had also wanted to read this book because of boxing. I box myself so I’m always interested in how writers write about boxing and if the descriptions make sense or not. I feel like Rod Pulido did a wonderful job at describing the different strikes and foot movement needed to box. It’s not all just arm movements and that’s sometimes forgotten when writing about this sport.
Overall, I enjoyed this contemporary, queer, YA novel about a new boxer learning the sport alongside finding out what he stands for. I can see this having a little bit of everything for everybody, but again, it is a book with bullying violence, so keep that in mind.
*Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
When Bobby is unwillingly outed at his notoriously violent high school, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. After a vicious encounter with a group of boys from his school, Bobby must find a new way to survive (and fight back). Inspired by Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Bobby takes up boxing and challenges his attacker. But when Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against the Queer community, Bobby must figure out what and how he’s going to find the strength to continue.
Be aware there is a lot of homophobia and violence in this novel. It’s not dark or gory or anything like that, but it’s a book about boxing - so there’s fighting, you know?
It took me a bit to get a feel for Bobby. Male YA main characters and I tend to not get along very well to begin with so I wasn’t his biggest fan at the beginning, but he definitely grew on me.
I had also wanted to read this book because of boxing. I box myself so I’m always interested in how writers write about boxing and if the descriptions make sense or not. I feel like Rod Pulido did a wonderful job at describing the different strikes and foot movement needed to box. It’s not all just arm movements and that’s sometimes forgotten when writing about this sport.
Overall, I enjoyed this contemporary, queer, YA novel about a new boxer learning the sport alongside finding out what he stands for. I can see this having a little bit of everything for everybody, but again, it is a book with bullying violence, so keep that in mind.
*Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
December 18, 2022
Have conflicting feelings about this one. Review to follow soon.
May 3, 2023
3.5 rounded up
May 7, 2023
I'm a pretentious book geek and a know-it-all copy editor, so if the first few pages of a book don't grab me—and, if, during which, I spot an egregious grammatical error—I move on to my next read. In the case of Rod Pulido's CHASING PACQUIAO: I bought it on a Tuesday evening, started reading it on my plane ride home on Wednesday morning, and was finished by Thursday before bedtime—and this is coming from someone who was looking into speed-reading classes back in college.
The protagonist, Bobby Agbayani, is spirited, snarky, and scholarly, not to mention steadfast. He is also a queer Filipino teen, which is an oxymoron in a culture whose religion condemns homosexuality. In the first fifty pages, Bobby is outed at school (albeit inadvertently by his best friend), then is beaten up by homophobic bullies (who, sadly, happen to be Filipino). After Bobby watches an old Manny Pacquiao fight at his boyfriend's house, he's hell-bent on learning how to fight like his hero, to be able to defend himself against these thugs should they confront one another again. Bobby also shares the story behind his admiration for Pacquiao, who once gave out hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys to the people of Historic Filipinotown, including Bobby and his mother. Talk about immediacy: You're brought straight to the action, embarking on a journey that unfolds in a way that urges readers to care about Bobby.
Pulido's prose is razor-sharp—had I not already known that he wrote, directed, and produced a movie that was featured at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, I might have guessed that his writing chops originated from filmmaking. Fast-paced, witty dialogue, concise phrasing, and stylistic techniques had me nodding my head and smiling at each turn of the page. A few of my favorite lines:
"Adrenaline courses through me, and my chest heaves. Is that his pulse thumping or mine? Even in the dim light coming inside from the street lamp, I see him blush. It's catching; my cheeks flush."
*****
"I gnaw my lip, stalling. How I answer will determine whether or not Rex and his crew take things further. 'I-it was just a misunderstanding. Nothing big happened.'
"'See, just like I said.' Rex smiles smugly. 'We was just messin' around. Little dude here's my kaibigan. Right, pare?'
He holds up his fist for me to bump. I want to shove it down his mouth and keep pushing until it sprouts out his other end. Instead, I ignore it. His lips press together in a thin line."
So here I was rooting for Bobby, pumping one fist while holding the book with my other hand...then suddenly realizing, by the thickness of my grip of the remainder of this hardcover, that I had only twenty or thirty pages left to go.
My initial feelings? It may seem hackneyed to say this, but I wanted so much more. So much. First, the book was too dang short! Second, the discovery of Pacquiao's homophobia arrives a bit late in the story (both of which I suspect are due to editors' revisions and/or suggestions and not the choices of the author).
I would have loved another Pacquiao anecdote, similar to that of his Thanksgiving philanthropy, leading up to his insulting commentary about gays being lower than animals, for the purpose of making that gut punch—not just Bobby's, but also the readers'—something to really "ooof" about. I found myself anticipating this moment and being sort of let down; maybe the solution here would have been to omit the rude unmasking of Bobby's superhero from the book-jacket blurb...?
Alas, my "complaints" are for the editors. A wise friend recently told me that writing itself is "securing the room." Revision is "rearranging the room's furnishings." Editing is, finally, "cleaning up the room itself."
I was done with this book in less than two days, which means Pulido did more than just "secure the room" for me as a reader: His writing, to me, is elevated yet accessible, which is such a difficult thing to pull off, especially in the YA genre. There are so many "good" writers out there—with lyrical prose that just blows my mind—but not many can engage me past the first five pages *and* get me to write a review this quickly.
Bravo to this talented author also for introducing characters whose voices deserve to be heard, and a story that I look forward to seeing on the big screen someday soon. Hear that, Hollywood? SOON.
The protagonist, Bobby Agbayani, is spirited, snarky, and scholarly, not to mention steadfast. He is also a queer Filipino teen, which is an oxymoron in a culture whose religion condemns homosexuality. In the first fifty pages, Bobby is outed at school (albeit inadvertently by his best friend), then is beaten up by homophobic bullies (who, sadly, happen to be Filipino). After Bobby watches an old Manny Pacquiao fight at his boyfriend's house, he's hell-bent on learning how to fight like his hero, to be able to defend himself against these thugs should they confront one another again. Bobby also shares the story behind his admiration for Pacquiao, who once gave out hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys to the people of Historic Filipinotown, including Bobby and his mother. Talk about immediacy: You're brought straight to the action, embarking on a journey that unfolds in a way that urges readers to care about Bobby.
Pulido's prose is razor-sharp—had I not already known that he wrote, directed, and produced a movie that was featured at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, I might have guessed that his writing chops originated from filmmaking. Fast-paced, witty dialogue, concise phrasing, and stylistic techniques had me nodding my head and smiling at each turn of the page. A few of my favorite lines:
"Adrenaline courses through me, and my chest heaves. Is that his pulse thumping or mine? Even in the dim light coming inside from the street lamp, I see him blush. It's catching; my cheeks flush."
*****
"I gnaw my lip, stalling. How I answer will determine whether or not Rex and his crew take things further. 'I-it was just a misunderstanding. Nothing big happened.'
"'See, just like I said.' Rex smiles smugly. 'We was just messin' around. Little dude here's my kaibigan. Right, pare?'
He holds up his fist for me to bump. I want to shove it down his mouth and keep pushing until it sprouts out his other end. Instead, I ignore it. His lips press together in a thin line."
So here I was rooting for Bobby, pumping one fist while holding the book with my other hand...then suddenly realizing, by the thickness of my grip of the remainder of this hardcover, that I had only twenty or thirty pages left to go.
My initial feelings? It may seem hackneyed to say this, but I wanted so much more. So much. First, the book was too dang short! Second, the discovery of Pacquiao's homophobia arrives a bit late in the story (both of which I suspect are due to editors' revisions and/or suggestions and not the choices of the author).
I would have loved another Pacquiao anecdote, similar to that of his Thanksgiving philanthropy, leading up to his insulting commentary about gays being lower than animals, for the purpose of making that gut punch—not just Bobby's, but also the readers'—something to really "ooof" about. I found myself anticipating this moment and being sort of let down; maybe the solution here would have been to omit the rude unmasking of Bobby's superhero from the book-jacket blurb...?
Alas, my "complaints" are for the editors. A wise friend recently told me that writing itself is "securing the room." Revision is "rearranging the room's furnishings." Editing is, finally, "cleaning up the room itself."
I was done with this book in less than two days, which means Pulido did more than just "secure the room" for me as a reader: His writing, to me, is elevated yet accessible, which is such a difficult thing to pull off, especially in the YA genre. There are so many "good" writers out there—with lyrical prose that just blows my mind—but not many can engage me past the first five pages *and* get me to write a review this quickly.
Bravo to this talented author also for introducing characters whose voices deserve to be heard, and a story that I look forward to seeing on the big screen someday soon. Hear that, Hollywood? SOON.
August 1, 2023
I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.
What a powerful debut novel!
First off, I am Filipino American so I’m always extra excited to read any book with Filipino rep. This one did not disappoint.
I love that this book explores all of the main character’s identities. Bobby is not only Filipino American, but also gay and lower income. He’s also a huge comic book nerd. All of his identities intersect in a real and authentic way.
There was a good balance between the lighter moments and the heavy ones. This book does feature quite a bit of violence (both in boxing and non-boxing contexts) and homophobia, so the lighter moments are much needed.
Additionally, I did like that the antagonists (the bullies) of the story were also Filipino American. The book highlights the positives of Filipino culture, but also shows how homophobia can still exist within it (the Philippines is still a very Catholic country). I’m glad that the author did not shy away from that.
Finally, the way the book handled Bobby’s reaction to Manny Pacquiao’s statements was also well done. It felt very realistic and showed that sometimes our idols are not all that great.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel! I recommend it if you’re looking for a YA book with Filipino or LGBTQ representation.
What a powerful debut novel!
First off, I am Filipino American so I’m always extra excited to read any book with Filipino rep. This one did not disappoint.
I love that this book explores all of the main character’s identities. Bobby is not only Filipino American, but also gay and lower income. He’s also a huge comic book nerd. All of his identities intersect in a real and authentic way.
There was a good balance between the lighter moments and the heavy ones. This book does feature quite a bit of violence (both in boxing and non-boxing contexts) and homophobia, so the lighter moments are much needed.
Additionally, I did like that the antagonists (the bullies) of the story were also Filipino American. The book highlights the positives of Filipino culture, but also shows how homophobia can still exist within it (the Philippines is still a very Catholic country). I’m glad that the author did not shy away from that.
Finally, the way the book handled Bobby’s reaction to Manny Pacquiao’s statements was also well done. It felt very realistic and showed that sometimes our idols are not all that great.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel! I recommend it if you’re looking for a YA book with Filipino or LGBTQ representation.
May 22, 2023
Chasing Pacquiao has a lot of promise as a YA novel. The premise of the story - that you can idolise someone who ends up embodying everything you stand against - is a powerful and intriguing one with which I’m sure many queer bookworms have been relating heavily (particularly since a certain once-beloved, transphobic author took to twitter). Unfortunately, where Chasing Pacquiao falls short is that this premise is not really what this book is about. The inner conflict that Bobby feels about Manny has surprisingly little time in the spotlight, given that “the reveal” doesn’t happen until the final quarter of the story, by which point Bobby is already well and truly deep into the actual A plot of the book (him trying not to be killed by his bully). Bobby’s relationship with Manny and his own memories of him could have been explored so much deeper had the reveal happened much earlier in the story, and the fact that nothing really comes of it is definitely a letdown.
This theme of unfulfilled potential carries through the entirety of the story, with the plot touching on ideas such as classism/wealth inequality, addiction, police brutality, complicated parent-child dynamics and a broken healthcare system while never actually exploring any of them meaningfully. This book has all the building blocks of a thrilling and scathing social commentary but ultimately falls flat.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that Bobby is very difficult to like. His inner monologue, particularly in the first half of the book, is constantly negative which makes it a challenge to get through. He’s condescending, judgemental and rude to countless people who try to offer him help – Bran, Rosie, Eric, his teachers, Jorge. He also displays an alarming amount of internalised homophobia – another really interesting concept which is never really addressed, and does not result in any character growth by the end of the book. While I understand that being a surly teenager is definitely a stage of life most of us experience, there’s very little to break up the monotony of complaining about his financial status, Bran’s financial status, Rosie’s presence, and just general snark. Snark is the default mode for Bobby. In his verbal conversations with his friends, he always finds a way to bring the conversation back to him and his issues, as though the other characters in this book exist purely for him; they seem to have no purpose or characterisation in the book outside of serving Bobby.
Another trait that makes Bobby rather unlikeable is his tendency towards lashing out at others by picking on their physical appearances. He makes fun of people for things that they can’t help (nose hair, acne etc) which is exactly what he is being bullied for – something he can’t control. This could have been turned into a character arc of growth with Bobby becoming more self-aware and less nasty as a defence mechanism, but Bobby unfortunately never experiences any progress in this area.
There are also several quite damaging aspects to this book. The biggest standout for me is Bobby’s toxic involvement with diet culture. He spends a large amount of the book heavily restricting his food intake and referring to himself as “dieting”. As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for well over a decade, not at all helped by unhealthy portrayals of nutrition in media, this was really disappointing to see and seemed like a very old-fashioned approach to physical improvement when two seconds on Google would have shown Bobby that he doesn’t need to eat a dozen eggs a day and cut rice completely out of his diet (hello 90s Atkins cult flashbacks) in order to gain muscle. I’m concerned that this blatant display of toxic diet culture could be damaging to young readers.
In terms of the actual writing of the book, it lacks nuance. Coming back to the poorly developed characterisation, it feels like there’s a lot of stereotyping in this book, both racially and with regards to queer people/relationships. Everything feels very surface level and tokenistic, and none of the characters outside of Bobby feel very believable. The humour in this story is also uncomfortable – there’s a definite sense that it’s boomer humour. The dialogue does not feel realistic and as though it were spoken by teenagers. There’s also an awful lot of signposting for the readers – things are overexplained and it doesn’t feel as though the author trusts the reader to form fairly obvious connections (i.e. explaining that “anak” is the Filipino word for son, when it’s very clear in the context of the text what this word means to anyone who doesn’t speak Tagalog). However, given that this is a debut novel, I’ll give the author some slack – but this is definitely a focus area for any future works. Trust your readers.
All in all, although the book definitely picks up in the second half, in the end it fell short for me. I will finish with two parting thoughts: “self-preservation” is not a motto, and PLEASE for the love of god don’t mix cleaning chemicals unless you absolutely know what you’re doing!
This theme of unfulfilled potential carries through the entirety of the story, with the plot touching on ideas such as classism/wealth inequality, addiction, police brutality, complicated parent-child dynamics and a broken healthcare system while never actually exploring any of them meaningfully. This book has all the building blocks of a thrilling and scathing social commentary but ultimately falls flat.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that Bobby is very difficult to like. His inner monologue, particularly in the first half of the book, is constantly negative which makes it a challenge to get through. He’s condescending, judgemental and rude to countless people who try to offer him help – Bran, Rosie, Eric, his teachers, Jorge. He also displays an alarming amount of internalised homophobia – another really interesting concept which is never really addressed, and does not result in any character growth by the end of the book. While I understand that being a surly teenager is definitely a stage of life most of us experience, there’s very little to break up the monotony of complaining about his financial status, Bran’s financial status, Rosie’s presence, and just general snark. Snark is the default mode for Bobby. In his verbal conversations with his friends, he always finds a way to bring the conversation back to him and his issues, as though the other characters in this book exist purely for him; they seem to have no purpose or characterisation in the book outside of serving Bobby.
Another trait that makes Bobby rather unlikeable is his tendency towards lashing out at others by picking on their physical appearances. He makes fun of people for things that they can’t help (nose hair, acne etc) which is exactly what he is being bullied for – something he can’t control. This could have been turned into a character arc of growth with Bobby becoming more self-aware and less nasty as a defence mechanism, but Bobby unfortunately never experiences any progress in this area.
There are also several quite damaging aspects to this book. The biggest standout for me is Bobby’s toxic involvement with diet culture. He spends a large amount of the book heavily restricting his food intake and referring to himself as “dieting”. As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for well over a decade, not at all helped by unhealthy portrayals of nutrition in media, this was really disappointing to see and seemed like a very old-fashioned approach to physical improvement when two seconds on Google would have shown Bobby that he doesn’t need to eat a dozen eggs a day and cut rice completely out of his diet (hello 90s Atkins cult flashbacks) in order to gain muscle. I’m concerned that this blatant display of toxic diet culture could be damaging to young readers.
In terms of the actual writing of the book, it lacks nuance. Coming back to the poorly developed characterisation, it feels like there’s a lot of stereotyping in this book, both racially and with regards to queer people/relationships. Everything feels very surface level and tokenistic, and none of the characters outside of Bobby feel very believable. The humour in this story is also uncomfortable – there’s a definite sense that it’s boomer humour. The dialogue does not feel realistic and as though it were spoken by teenagers. There’s also an awful lot of signposting for the readers – things are overexplained and it doesn’t feel as though the author trusts the reader to form fairly obvious connections (i.e. explaining that “anak” is the Filipino word for son, when it’s very clear in the context of the text what this word means to anyone who doesn’t speak Tagalog). However, given that this is a debut novel, I’ll give the author some slack – but this is definitely a focus area for any future works. Trust your readers.
All in all, although the book definitely picks up in the second half, in the end it fell short for me. I will finish with two parting thoughts: “self-preservation” is not a motto, and PLEASE for the love of god don’t mix cleaning chemicals unless you absolutely know what you’re doing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews