My Personal Collection of Filipino Literature

I love reading. I consume books at a voracious pace (it's actually quite shameful how I've run out of space and now just have them in stacks on the floor). However, growing up in North America, my exposure to Filipino literature was limited at best. Due to this, my familiarity with my culture and heritage through literature was limited to articles I'd find on the web.

I've accumulated a modest collection of Filipino publications over the last few years. I've tried to gather books covering many different topics and offering varying perspectives. Below are a list of the books I've read or in the process of reading.

Here they are in no particular order:

• Noli Mi Tangere -- Jose Rizal
• El Filibusterismo -- Jose Rizal
• The Roots of the Filipino Nation Vol. 1 & 2 -- by O.D. Corpuz
• The Flip Reader - An greatest hits collection from Flip Magazine -- edited by Jessica Zafra
• Growing Up Filipino - Stories for Young Adults -- collected by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
• Prehispanic Source Materials -- by William Henry Scott
• 20 Speeches that Moved a Nation -- selected and with introduction by Manuel L. Quezon III
• Rizal: and Heroic Traditions: A Sense of National Destiny -- by Pablo S. Trillana III
• A Nation Aborted - Rizal, American Hegemony, and PhilippineNationalism -- Floro C. Quibuyen
• In the Name of Civil Society - From Free Election Movements to PeoplePower in the Philippines -- by Eva Lotta E. Hedman
• Pinay - Autobiographical Narratives by Women Writers, 1926-1998 -- edited by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo
• The Modern Principalia -- by Dante C. Simbulan
• FIlipino Value System -- by F. Landa Jocano
• Filipino Social Organization -- by F. Landa Jocano
• A History of the Inarticulate -- by Luis Camara Dery
• (Re)Making Society - The Politics of Language, Discourse, and Identity in the Philippines -- by T. Ruanni F. Tupas
• Brains of the Nation -- by Resil B. Morales
• When the World Loved Filipinos -- by Luis Camara Dery
• The FIlipino Saga - History as Social Change -- by Rosario Mendoza Cortes | Celestina Puyat Bondan | Ricardo Trota Jose
• Myths & Legends of the Philippines Vol. 1 & 2 -- by Marlene Aguilar
• Kapwa - The Self in the Other -- by Katrin De Guia
• Philippines - Living Landscapes and Cultural Landmarks -- by Agusto F.Villalon
• The Rulemakers - How the Wealthy and the Well-Born Dominate Congress-- by Sheila S. Coronel | Yvonne T. Chua | Luz Rimban | Booma B. Cruz
• Philippine Presidents 100 Years -- National Centennial Commission
• The First Filipino -- by Leon Ma. Guerrero
• Culture & History -- by Nick Joaquin
• Rizal Without the Overcoat -- by Ambeth Ocampo
• Great Scott: the New Day William Henry Scott Reader -- William Henry Scott
• Martial Law Babies: A Graphic Novel -- Arnold Arre

By F. Sionil Jose:

• Po-on
• Tree
• My Brother, My Executioner
• The Pretenders
• Mass
• We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage
• Why We are Poor
• Why We are Hungry
• Ermita
• Viajero

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I'm also open to suggestions from others as to which other books I can read to increase my knowledge of our culture and history. I also wish to gain further insight on our society, politics and overall will of our people.

Having said that, below are a list of books that have been recommended to me by friends and will be buying at the earliest possible opportunity:

(Thanks to Carlos Celdran)

• Manila My Manila -- Nick Joaquin
• Portrait of the Artist as Filipino -- Nick Joaquin
• Visions of the Possible -- Felice Sta. Maria
• Streets of Manila -- Luningning Ira
• America's Boy -- James Hamilton Patterson
• White Love -- Vince Rafael
• Vestiges of War -- Angel Shaw
• History of the Burgis -- Mariel N Francisco, Fe Maria C Arriola
• The Soul Book --Gilda Cordero-Fernando
• The Body Book -- Gilda Cordero-Fernando
• Writings by Renato Constantino.

(Thanks to Diego Maranan)

• Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism -- Benedict Anderson
• Authentic but Not Exotic -- Fernando Zialcita
• Txt-ing selves: cellphones and Philippine modernity -- Raul Pertierra
• Science, Technology, And Everyday Culture In The Philippines -- Raul Pertierra

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If you have any other books that you can recommend, tell me in the comments. Tell me why you enjoyed it and what you think readers will get out of reading it... I'd LOVE to have a conversation with a group of people discussing Filipino Literature. Book Club anyone?

Comments

[Torrent Download]

Wow! You have so many kinds of Filipino Literature textbook. Thanks for sharing..

[Gilda Cordero-Fernando]

I've been looking for a copy of The Soul Book for almost a year now for my Filipina-American fiancee, could you pass on where you found one? The publisher seems to have gone out of business. Thanks so much! Jerry jerryre@yahoo.com or Jerry Ensminger from Napa, CA on Facebook

[Tilay Angbetic]

Thanks for your interest in increasing your knowledge of Philippine culture and history through books. What an impressive collection you've got there! Shameless self-promotion aside, may I suggest LOVE & OTHER FIRSTS, my recently-published coming-of-age novel set in Cebu City, Philippines? Please visit my Web site at www.tilayangbetic.com for more info. LOVE & OTHER FIRSTS now has fourteen five-star reviews on Amazon. I will be a featured author and "Hot off the Press" panelist at the Filipino American International Book Festival in SF on Oct. 1-2. Hope to see you there!

Thanks and all best,
Tilay