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Squatters' Rites
For six months in 1983, Tim Bascom lived with a family in the Tatalon slum, Quezon City, Philippines, sharing their day-to-day struggles. There the seed was planted for this novel--a story that would reveal the lives of the Filipino poor in their suffering and dignity.
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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January 14, 2018
It was the cover that enticed me to buy a copy and after a couple of days of mapping out which books to read first, I managed to finish this one in a couple of hours after having dinner and waiting for some time before working on my teaching materials for tomorrow.
Set in the slums of Tatalon in Manila, the protagonist--who is a PhD anthropologist conducting a field research for a couple of months, is entwined in the lives of his neighbors, who eventually becomes some sort of a family for him. At least during this stay. While it seems that this relationship is a one-sided affair instead of a two-way street as he takes in the privilege of being a White Man in an area full of the disadvantaged, it is revealed that the main character takes a liking to the people in the slums, and makes an effort to participate in the chaos of the environment--from nearly daily brawls, suspicious fires, and incessant land grabbers.
Set in the slums of Tatalon in Manila, the protagonist--who is a PhD anthropologist conducting a field research for a couple of months, is entwined in the lives of his neighbors, who eventually becomes some sort of a family for him. At least during this stay. While it seems that this relationship is a one-sided affair instead of a two-way street as he takes in the privilege of being a White Man in an area full of the disadvantaged, it is revealed that the main character takes a liking to the people in the slums, and makes an effort to participate in the chaos of the environment--from nearly daily brawls, suspicious fires, and incessant land grabbers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review