by Jodesz Gavilan THE STORY A funny, sexy, profound dramedy about two young people at a crossroads in their relationship and the limits of love.Benson and Mike are two young guys who live together in Houston. Mike is a Japanese American chef at a Mexican restaurant and Benson’s a Black day care teacher, and they’ve been…More
Category Archives: Reviews and Recs
Bookbed reviews: ‘Girlhood: Teens around the World in Their Own Voices’ by Masuma Ahuja
by KB Meniado At 15, I moved to another city to go to college. I don’t remember it being such a difficult of an adjustment for me, as I was then coming from a melting pot. But I do recall how apparent the differences in experiences and perspectives was among the students, especially those around…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Interior Chinatown’ by Charles Yu
by Jodesz Gavilan THE STORY From the infinitely inventive author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe comes a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man.…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Between the World and Me’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates
by Jodesz Gavilan THE STORY “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Rebel Girls Lead: 25 Tales of Powerful Women’ by @rebelgirlsbook
by KB Meniado THE STORY Rebel Girls Lead: 25 Tales of Powerful Women celebrates the incredible and inspiring stories of 25 women leaders in politics, business, sports, activism, and more, all written in fairy tale form. It is part of the award-winning Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. Reach for new heights with Vice President…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘A Natural History of Empire’ by Dominic Sy
by Jodesz Gavilan THE STORY Fraying at the edge of a life lived uselessly, an old man ponders over things that were and things that may have been. A vanishing guerilla, a knife fight across the ocean, a chat with a friend come back from the dead. In these tales of doubles, delusions, and self-deceit,…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Stand Up, Yumi Chung!’ by Jessica Kim
by KB Meniado THE STORY One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian. On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-MEAT” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Exhalation: Stories’ by Ted Chiang
by Jodesz Gavilan THE STORY This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. In The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary…More
Bookbed recommends: ‘Filipino Prehistory: Rediscovering Precolonial Heritage’ by F. Landa Jocano
by KB Meniado Taking a cue from the latest Why Filipinos Should Read on why we should pick up more Filipiniana and readings on Anthropology, I decided to start this year’s reading list with a book about Filipino prehistory. Reading Wing of the Locust last year also stirred this interest, and I wanted to continue…More
Bookbed reviews: ‘Wing of the Locust’ by Joel Donato Ching Jacob #WingoftheLocust
by KB Meniado Filipino mythology was something I hadn’t been reading plenty of, and not because of a lack of offering but energy (for shame), but this year has allowed me to explore a few facets of our prehistoric origins and found the experience both fascinating and well, guilt-ridden. So when I was offered the…More
