Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults

Growing Up Filipino #13

by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

GROWING UP STORIES FOR YOUNG ADULTS is the acclaimed collection of stories about the experience of growing up Filipino. Emerging and established award-winning writers are the authors of this fine collection of 29 short stories about what it means to be young and Filipino in the Philippines and the United States. Filipinos in America are the second largest in the umbrella group of Asian Americans, yet there is a scarcity of books by and for Filipinos. This impressive array captures the complexities of both the culture and history and the realities of the lives of young adults no matter what their ethnic affiliation. Each story is assigned to one of five universal family, angst, friendship, love, and home. Each story is introduced by a thumbnail sketch of the author and a paragraph or two about some element of Filipino culture or history that is relevant to the story. Authors include those born and continuing to live in the Philippines, emigres, and American-born Filipinos.

A finalist for the Philippine National Book Award, the book was in the National Geographic Summer Reading List for 2020.

"These 29 short stories offer a highly textured portrait of Filipino youth and an excellent sampling of creative writing. Thematically arranged, most of the pieces have been written since the turn of the 21st century. Each story is introduced by a thumbnail sketch of the author and a paragraph or two about some element that is relevant to the story ... The high caliber and broad but wholly accessible range of this collection, however, makes this title a solid purchase for multiple reasons." ~ School Library Journal "Emerging and established award-winning writers are the authors of this fine collection of 29 stories about what it means to be Filipino in the Philippines and in the United States ... This impressive array captures the complexities of both the Filipino culture and history and the realities of the lives of young adults no matter what their ethnic affiliation." Bookbird Journal International Children's Literature (Glenna Sloan) "In this fine short-story collection, 29 Filipino American writers explore the universal challenges of adolescence from the unique perspectives of teens in the Philippines or in the U.S. Organized into five sections -- Family, Angst, Friendship, Love, and Home -- all the stories are about growing up and what the introduction calls "growing into Filipino-ness, growing with Filipinos, and growing in or growing away from the Philippines ... The cultural flavor aspect never overwhelms the stories, and readers will be drawn to the particulars as well as the universal concerns of family, friends, love, and leaving home."' ~ Booklist "A wide range of views and insights into growing up Filipino are compiled in this anthology of short stories and memoirs.... The term Flip, the penchant for singing songs in front of relatives and friends, social conflicts among American-born and Philippine-born Filipinos, experiences of being gay, and experiences working in migrant camps are among the more significant cultural, social, and political realities depicted in this collection. Because the writings focus on issues related to childhood and adolescence, with a style that appeals to teen readers, this book is highly recommended for young adults. ~ Multicultural Review

Genres: Young Adult, Asia, Short Stories, Fiction, Asian American, Anthologies

315 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2003

About the author

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an award-winning author and editor of over twenty books. She has written three novels: WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT, MAGDALENA, and THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW. Her SELECTED SHORT STORIES BY CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD won the 40th National Book Award and the Cirilo F. Bautista Prize.

She has taught at UCLA, USC, the California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Writers Program at USCL Extension. She has served as an Executive Board Member and Officer of PEN, PAAWWW (Pacific Asian American Women Writers West), Arts & Letters at the Cal State University LA, PAWWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists), among others.
She also founded Philippine American Literary House.
(Source Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Palh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Emerging and established award-winning writers are the authors of this fine collection of 29 stories about what it means to be young and Filipino in the Philippines and in the United States. Filipinos in America are now the second largest in the umbrella group of Asian Americans, yet there is a scarcity of books by and for Filipinos. This impressive array captures the complexities of both the Filipino culture and history and the realities of the lives of young adults no matter what their ethnic affiliation. Each story is assigned to one of five universal themes: family, angst, friendship, love, and home." by Glenna Sloan, BookBird Journal International. Children's Literature, published by IBBY.

[Sasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read half of this book for a book club. I didn't have high expectations and actually didn't know what to expect at all. I don't have much exposure to Filipino writers. I really liked almost all of the short stories. My favorites that popped to mind is "San Prancisco" because it was so funny and real. I can relate to coming out how it's not a big deal for some but for others, the terminology is avoided at all cost and a euphemism is used instead. "American Son" is my second memorable. I really liked how I can feel so much emotions from the Prologue. Apparently, it's a book so I might pick it up later.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is my story the first one in this book but it was nominated for a National Book Award (Philippines 2004) for Young Adult Fiction.

Don't let the title fool you. The stories are not really "stereotypically young adult" per se but the characters within are young adults and the stories are written from the POV of adults. Many of the stories are universal too! No need to be Filipino or Filipino American to appreciate it. :)

[Onie Tadlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one while at the National Book Store in the then newly-opened SM Marikina. I enjoyed reading the stories as they tell varied experiences of the Filipino youth from the past generations. My most favorite from this collection is Anthony L. Tan's "Sweet Grape, Sour Grape". :D

[Jennifer Riddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great.

[Raine Villanueva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Filipino authors collaborated in this anthology of short stories that focuses on young adults in many experiences. In some stories, Filipinos tells their different points of views about various themes that tackled in this collection, even if they are fictional or reality. They talk about how it is become a Filipino-American or living in the Philippines, especially in the busy city of Metro Manila to provincial getaways. They also tell you how young adults did in the past, or bringing up the present day ordeals. It also has cultural references on the country and a few current issues.

If you like short stories plus learning about what it's gonna be if you are in the Philippines or being a Fil-Am, this is a must read. There's also a sequel (Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults) if you wanted to check out more of their works from returning and new writers.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice collection of stories. Most of them felt like they were written for adults though - possibly college age, but not teens so much. The cover art and even the introduction really seemed like a book written to be a college text. As with many short story collections, there were several that were amazing, but it was quite a mix. There was a glossary so even readers unfamiliar with Tagalog could look things up if necessary, but I found that most words were understandable through context anyway. I appreciated this look into Filipino culture.

[Reno · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of stories by Filipino authors about the Filipino experience.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this book was challenging but I did really enjoy it.