These 29 short stories offer a highly textured
portrait of Filipino youth. 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.
Topics addressed include a gay youth's affection for his supportive mother, the
role of religious didacticism in the formation of a childhood perception,
consumer culture as it is experienced by modern teens in Manila, and coping
with bullies of all ages and stations in life.
Summary taken from: "Review
Growing Up Filipino: Philippines Literature." Philippine American Literary
House.
http://www.palhbooks.com/cbrainardrevgro3.htm
Carlson, Lori M.American Eyes: New Asian American Stories for Young Adults.
Ten young Asian-American writers re-create the conflicts that
all young people feel living in two distinct worlds -- one of memories and
traditions, and one of today. Whether it includes dreams of gossiping with the
prettiest blond girl in class, not wanting to marry the man your parents love,
or discovering that your true identity is ultimately your decision, these
extraordinary stories by writers of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hawaiian,
Filipino, and Korean descent explore the confusion and ambivalence of growing
up in a world different from the one their parents knew -- and the choices we
all must make when looking for a world to which we want to belong.
Summary taken from: Random
House of Canada Ltd. http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0449704483
Garland, Sherry. Shadow of the Dragon. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1993
Danny Vo, the teenage son of Vietnamese immigrants, has
conflicting goals: on one hand he wants to date golden-haired Tiffany Marie and
be just like the rest of his classmates in Texas, and on the other hand he
wants to show respect for his tradition-bound grandmother, who rules the family
with an iron fist. Into this volatile situation steps Sang Le, Danny's cousin,
who has spent much of his life in a Communist "re-education" camp but
has now come to join Danny's family. Garland adds to this mix a dangerous gang
of Vietnamese youths and a band of angry skinheads who stalk the streets of the
Vos' Houston suburb. The inevitable violence shatters all whom it touches.
Summary taken from:
Publisher's Weekly. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152735321/qid=1115900493/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2618708-3619917
Even
the warm, loving relationship Kim shares with her mother, her stepfather, and
her half brother can not give sixteen-year-old Kim/Kimi the answers she needs.
Half the time she is Kim Andrews, living in her all-white Iowa community-the
other half she is Kimi Yogushi, searching for her true identity. She must find out more about her
Japanese-American father, who died before she was born, and his family, if
there is any. Perhaps then she can solve her inner conflict.
Summary
taken from: Puffin Books.
Growing up in Korea during the '60s, four sisters are all
devoted to their dutiful mother and resentful of their often absent father, but
it is 11-year-old Junehee, the second oldest daughter, who is most affected by
the friction between her parents and her mother's deep despair. Like her
mother, Junehee feels sympathy for the boy who is brought to their house after
being orphaned in a flood. Others, including Junehee's strict paternal
grandmother, scorn Pyungsoo because he is from a lower class. Junehee's mother
silently endures demeaning treatment and tries to ignore ridicule aimed at the
child, until the day she is forbidden to adopt him. Shortly thereafter, both
she and Junehee rebel against restrictions of their household and their society
as their long-suppressed anger rises to the surface.
Summary taken from:
Publisher's Weekly. Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805047581/102-5880282-6532113?v=glance
Lee, Marie G. Finding My Voice. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992
Jin-Ha, the
main character in this book, was born in Korea and has been in the United States
for two years. Her father is working at a job far below his level of education
and her mother is learning English. When Jin-Ha comes home with an
"F" in math, she tells her mom the "F" stands for
"fabuloso," her friend's favorite word. Then she must improve her
math grade to cover up her lie. To her surprise, she gets the most help in this
struggle from the star hockey player after school, the same boy who calls her
racist names when his friends are around.
Summary
taken from: Sumi Hayashi. Pacific
Rim Voices.org http://www.papertigers.org/book_reviews/USA/pacificReader/F_Fabuloso.html
Lee, Marie G. Necessary Roughness. New York: Harper Collins, 1996.
Na, An. A Step from Heaven. Asheville, NC : Front Street, 2001.
Young
Ju leaves her small fishing village in Korea for a new life in "Mi
Gook" - America - when she is four years old. In this place that is
supposed to be "a step from heaven" her mother and father work
numerous harsh physical jobs so that their daughter and American-born son might
lead easier lives. A series of vignettes portrays the world of a girl caught between
countries and generations, held by the power of love and the violence of
despair. Young Ju's family struggles to stay afloat and the reader bears
witness to the family's battles with economic hardship and physical violence as
her desperate father descends into alcoholism. We are left with the courage
which begins the book as Young Ju, aided by the strength of her mother, heads
for a brighter future. It is Young Ju's future for which Uhmma has sacrificed
and Apa has yearned.
Summary taken from: Multnomah
County Library: Talk it up! http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-stepfrom.html
Roley, Brian A. American Son. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001.
American Son is the story of two
Filipino brothers adrift in contemporary California. The older brother, Tomas,
fashions himself into a Mexican gangster and breeds pricey attack dogs, which
he trains in German and sells to Hollywood celebrities. The narrator is younger
brother Gabe, who tries to avoid the tar pit of Tomas's waywardness, yet moves
ever closer to embracing it. Their mother, who moved to America to escape the
caste system of Manila and is now divorced from their American father,
struggles to keep her sons in line while working two dead-end jobs. When Gabe
runs away, he brings shame and unforeseen consequences to the family. Full of
the ache of being caught in a violent and alienating world, American Son is a debut novel that captures the underbelly of the
modern immigrant experience.
Summary taken from: Publisher. http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring01/032154.htm.