Why Filipinos Should Read
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation’ edited by Alfredo R. Roces
by Bryan Meniado I have been collecting Filipiniana for several years now, and recently, I have completed a set of one of the holy grails in my book-hunting journey: the ten-volume Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation, published by Lahing Pilipino Publishing. I had bought each volume from different sources in the span of…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Armor: Stories’ by John Bengan
by Bryan Meniado I was at the Mindanao Book Fair 2023 (MBF) in Davao City last month in search of books to add to my never-ending TBR pile. For its inaugural run, the MBF brought in local and independent publishers and authors to promote the love for reading to the Mindanao public. I had a…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Dekada ‘70’ by Lualhati Bautista
by Bryan Meniado For Women’s Month, I’m sharing the classic novel and winner of the 1983 Palanca Award Grand Prize: Dekada ‘70 by the late Lualhati Bautista, one of the most celebrated Filipina authors. I’ve read this once before but of course many books, such as this one, deserve a couple or more rereads to…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry’ by Neil deGrasse Tyson
by Bryan Meniado I watched the Dark series on Netflix and it totally blew my mind. Dark is a German science fiction thriller that revolves around the concept of time travel across several generations. The plot is so mind-bending and complex that it would be almost impossible to faithfully retell it to someone who hasn’t…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius
by Bryan Meniado Happy New Year! I hope 2023 is treating you well so far. As we inch closer to February, I hope that many of us are still optimistic and hanging on to our respective New Year’s resolutions (if any!). While it may be difficult for some to remain positive amid the pandemic, poor…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: “Tarantadong Kalbo 1” by Kevin Eric Raymundo
by Bryan Meniado I was at the Manila International Book Fair 2022 (MIBF), rummaging through the stalls for my next great reads. The MIBF is the largest and the longest running book fair in the country. And since this was the first on-site fair in three years, Filipino bookworms went all out to get their…
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Why Filipinos Should Read at Local and Community Libraries
by Bryan Meniado G’day! I’m in Gold Coast, Australia temporarily. Beyond the beaches, culture, and wildlife, what has struck me about Gold Coast is its robust and efficient public library system. Over the past months, their local libraries have been one of my most frequented places where I get to enjoy their spaces, services, and…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: Ayala Museum’s (@ayalamuseum) The Diorama Experience of Philippine History
by Bryan Meniado Every time I travel to a new place, I make a conscious effort to drop by local museums as part of my itinerary. Being repositories of objects of historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural significance, museums give a glimpse of the local culture and heritage that help us appreciate the people and the…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on the Human-centered Planet’ by John Green
by Bryan Meniado Apart from reading, I typically spend my free time watching and spiraling into the endless labyrinth of suggested videos on YouTube. One of my favorites to binge-watch is the educational channel started by the brother tandem of John and Hank Green called “Crash Course.” Their channel features diverse topics on history, philosophy,…
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘To Be Poor and Obscure: The Spiritual Sojourn of a Mindanawon’ by Karl Gaspar
by Bryan Meniado Last weekend, Dabawenyos celebrated the first in-person Kadayawan Festival after a two-year hiatus brought by the pandemic. The Kadayawan is an annual thanksgiving of life, culture, and bountiful harvest. It is derived from the local term “madayaw,” which loosely translates to good, valuable, and beautiful. This year’s celebration was also my first…
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