Armor

by John Bengan

Genres: Short Stories

219 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

John Bengan is a writer and translator from the Philippines whose work has appeared in Likhaan, Kritika Kultura, BooksActually's Gold Standard, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Words Without Borders, LIT, Shenandoah, and World Literature Today. He holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School. A recipient of a Ford Foundation International Fellowship, he has won prizes from the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards and the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his short fiction. He lives in Davao City.

Reviews

[Jean Louise | bookloure · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 | If you're a 90s kid and you have distinct memories of watching primetime news about drug pushers being "salvaged" with signs "huwag pamarisan, pusher ako" left on their bodies... this short story collection has that kind of atmosphere throughout the whole book. Unfortunately, this one did not work for me.

The subject matter of this short story collection is very interesting, but I found the execution left a lot to be desired. I like some of the stories, three that stood out to me were "Manny Pacquiao Speaks to a Butterfly in California," the title story "Armor," and "Disguise." However, the rest are forgettable. And it has a lot to do with the writing, not the stories themselves.

I like my short stories playful, ticklish, experimental, and impactful. The stories in this collection are interesting to think about, but are told in a lackluster way. The writing is bland and awkward in places. Some Filipino expressions and terminologies were translated to English, which did not work. Not one of the stories written in second person is riveting.

I almost wish the author just wrote creative nonfiction, because the idea behind this collection is compelling. The blurb sounded so good. I'm a bit disappointed because this is an anticipated read for me.

[Kloyde Caday · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for unflinching short stories in Davao City that seem to say, “life is not here,” or “this is our life,” here’s Armor by John Bengan!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the worst things that the Duterte administration caused was the further desensitization of people to violence. His promise of peace and order, stemming from his infamous run as Davao City's previous mayor, no matter the means, were lapped up by many. People who were killed became mere names mentioned in nightly news cycles. Moreover, these names were easily dismissed as deserving of the fate forced upon them. But John Bengan in this collection gave those names stories and presented them as they really were: victims—a father, a son, a brother. He broke the notion that everything is as easy as discerning black from white, good from bad, listed name to unlisted. But Bengan also did the complicated task of distancing himself from the tales and leaving it all up to the readers. Through this, Bengan became free from the morality of stories and delivered the kind of tales like “Disguise”, where he found himself in the mind of the strongman who implemented the deathly rules on the city, or the opener, “Higher Orders”, about a new recruit to a merciless assassination group. But of course, the stories that really made an impact to me were those told from the minds of the more affected victims of extrajudicial killers, of circumstances they found themselves in, and of life itself. Like that of Ronnie in the title story ‘Armor’, a drug-using gay man who found himself hanging by a thread as he prepared for a final hurrah: a gay pageant show. Or like that of Alex Abelar in the story ‘After the Warning’, an innocent high schooler who unfortunately found himself on the watchlist, the one story in this collection which filled me with actual, heavy terror. Most of the entries in this collection are unforgettable in their feats (worth mentioning that other than the earlier two titles mentioned, ‘Bad Heart’ has a very special place in my, well, bad heart), but the most memorable for me was how Bengan opened the book with unadulterated horror, but he closed it with something that could trump it easily—hope in the form of defiance.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been hunting for good literary works set in the city where I live, Davao City. The search is over in this collection of short stories that speak volumes about the city that has been closely linked to the political dynamics of the Philippines for a few years now. The 13 brave and gripping stories in this collection tell of people in dire straits: people caught at the crossroads of a milieu that still fosters fear and paranoia alongside safety and security. We meet a gay beauty queen preparing for his last pageant, a newly-minted hitman anxious for his first kill, a mayor who moonlights as a taxi driver at night, a famous boxer confiding to a butterfly, a teen whose name is on the drug watch list, and a constellation of people whose lives are enveloped in tension. The characters are the best part of this collection because they feel natural and fully realized, and you somehow get invested in the circumstances they're in. Indeed, what a good way to start my 2023 reading year.

My favorite stories in this collection are Higher Orders, Armor, and Disguise.

[Ivan Labayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://chopsueyngarod.wordpress.com/...


Behold, there’s a tiger. Beauty is in the eye of Bengan’s armor.

*

In “Skin Flick,” a story that took place during the shoot of a pito-pito film—“low budget, soft-core porn shot in seven days” (Bengan 80)—Selina Lacson grumbles—reasonably most of the time—about many things related to the shooting. A scene she wants removed because it involves her character being raped; “she refuses to play another victim of assault” (83). The presence of an actor who is harassing her offscreen, incidentally playing the role of the rapist in the film. This last one less a grumble than a wistful pining: “She thinks of TV executives calling about a possible sitcom, or perhaps a role in a soap opera. Her idol, Ana Maceda, has crossed over to mainstream projects…. landed a supporting role in a drama that won her an award from a group of film critics” (80).



https://chopsueyngarod.wordpress.com/...

Mula kay John Bengan, isa sa tatlong posibleng moral of the story na matatagpuan sa kaniyang “Slaughter Story.”

“(1) The impossibility of the real ends where the possibility of story begins.

(2) Real events translate horribly in fiction.

(3) Look around before you enter” (44).

Tungkol sa (1):

Magwawakas ang imposibleng mundo sa posibilidad ng kuwento.
Maiwawaksi ang kaimposiblehan ng mundo sa pamamagitan ng posibilidad ng kuwento
Kapag sobrang imposible na ng mundo, makapagsisimula na ang mga posibleng kuwento.
Protektado si Bengan ng kaniyang armor, at gamit ang talas ng kaniyang bernakular na wika, sinugatan niya si Nick Land, uhaw sa annihilation. Papanaw si Nick, ngunit magagawa pa niyang sambiting, “‘I’ am (alone), as the tasteless exhibition of an endogenous torment, as the betrayal of communication, as a festering wound, in which the monadic knitting of the flesh loses itself in a mess of pus, scabs, etc. etc…” (xv).

Matapos ilatag ni Bengan ang tatlong posibleng moral of the story na matatagpuan sa kaniyang “Slaughter Story,” kakambyo siya upang sabihing “forget about the moral. Compression, not reduction, is our true goal. Trust the reader is onboard until the last punctuation. The story, if we are lucky, might mean more to someone other than you” (44).

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished my first round of reading through Bengan’s short story collection. Most of the stories, if not all, any Filipino reader is surely and already familiar with (even just from the national news) due to them being deeply inspired by and/or written after the true, harrowing events in Davao leading to the presidential position of the mayor from the said city.

This collection tackled a range of narratives with societal class, familial issues, queerness (coming-of-age and sometimes in hints), and the deep trauma embedded in them. From this first read, some titles already stuck with me: Slaughter Story, Manny Pacquiao Speaks to a Butterfly in California, Armor, Disguise, After the Warning, and Going Away.

I also consider it worth-noting to mention that Bengan ironically and fortunately chose to end this short story collection (the first collection I have ever read as a gift from my SO), filled with accounts of death, violence and hopelessness, on a somewhat hopeful note.

[Hayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories around the summary killings and the regime of the Davao Death Squad while a certain ex-president was the mayor of the cities.
Stories from the point of view of gunmen, users, pushers, the mayor itself and even Manny Pacquiao’s.

(Side note: Manny Pacquiao narrating in english talking to a butterfly in California is funny but wack that serves just as a fluff for the collection.)

There are standout pieces that will give you nail-biting anxieties and there are stories but humanizes the mayor in some certain light but turns the narrative around on another page. Stories run from chilling realities to homoerotic fantasies, which give the collection range at the same time feels that it goes all over the place.

[Charmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 13 stories set in Davao.

Things I didn't like:
1. We have an essay that humanizes someone who has done inhumane things. What was the motivation? Lol. I just expected a twist somewhere and got none.

2. The inconsistencies in choosing what to translate. It started with The Above but when you reach other parts, some phrases and words were kept in Binisaya. (To borrow Pokwang's words, "Medyo naguluhan ako, nak."

3. I skipped Manny Pacquiao. What tf was that? I guess I'll never know.

Me likey:
1. Armor. That's it.

2. This is a good resource book that is literary in nature.

3. He really captured paranoia and terror.

4. Queer!!!

[june · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

clear voice and a cohesive premise for each short story even though i think it was published in variations, bengan has such a way with prose that once you read it u just cant get ur eyes off it. didnt really speak to me as much but maybe its the sin of reading a short story collection in one sitting, though it speaks volume how engrossed i was that i had to finish it as i picked it up. read most of these stories in class already and “slaughter story” for fiction was such a great exercise and made me buy this book, didnt regret it. this is so gay like… gets… “bad at heart” ako yan eh…

[miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read. It emasculates the masculinity of political violence in Davao by using tales and narratives from silenced groups. It's really nice how Rosario Cruz-Lucero's style of drawing connections between characters from one short story to another is reflected in this book. Very digestible yet painfully melancholic.

[Amiel Subingsubing · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The love we give to the undeserving may be true, but it cannot save us."

[ReadingBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way John Bengan writes is just so delicious to me!!! Love love love

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still digesting everything, but I always thought those were blueberries in the cover.

[Nikka]

Iniisip ko pa rin ang konektadong After the Warning at Going Away. Paborito ko rin ang Bad Heart, Armor, at To the Night Market

[Dominic Dayta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genius collection from a rising star of Philippine literary fiction.

[arlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falls short

[Yuan Logmao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armor is a great way to know more about (and be more empathetic toward the victims of) the Davao drug war.

[Ava (jeepneylit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing read. The characters are interesting. I highly recommend this book!

[Eron Bituin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Armor
John Bengan
ADMU Press/Bughaw (2022)
🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐

Kilala ni John Bengan ang mga karakter niya at hindi ito nalalayo sa unibersal na karanasan sa kasalukuyan ng mga Pilipino dala ng karahasan ng nagdaang rehimeng Duterte.

Kinukumpronta na natin ang mga nakasanayang dahas. Natututo na rin ang lahat na harapin ang bala ng katotohanang nanormalisa na at ang kahalagahan ng pagkilos upang matuldukan ito.

Matapang ang kaniyang mga karakter at ang tapang na ito ang nagsisilbing armor nila laban sa pandadahas na ito (di ako magbibigay ng halimbawa dahil nais kong maranasan ng mga bago niyang readers ang kahusayan niya sa pagbuo ng karakter).

Para sa akin na mambabasa, binigyan ako ni Bengan ng pagkakataon na pag-isipan ang ilang mga bagay na kadalasang hindi ko napapansin. Dahil nagsilbing panlipunang komentaryo ang mga akda sa koleksyon na ito, isinatitik ni Bengan ang mga kuwentong naging danas lalo ng mga naninirahan sa Mindanao gaya ng militarisasyon at paglabag sa kanilang karapatang pantao.

Tangan ng wika Bengan ang kahusayan sa pagbibigay ng imahen sa mga mambabasa ng karanasan ng kanyang mga karakter, tila naging bahagi ako ng karamihan sa kada dahil natural ang tono nito.

Bukod sa mga karahasang nakasanayan, naging tema rin ng ilang maikling kuwento sa koleksyon na ito ang usapin ng kasarian, lalo sa naratibo ng LGBTQ, at paghahanap nila ng identidad at pagkilala.

Sa kabuuan, bagaman piksyon, inakda ni Bengan ang lahat ng maaabot ng alam niyang katotohanan.