A coming of age story about American colonialism in the Philippines. It was not exactly what I thought it would be, but I really enjoyed this one.
A coming of age story about American colonialism in the Philippines. It was not exactly what I thought it would be, but I really enjoyed this one.
Do you remember the age you were when you learned that America was not as perfect as you were raised to believe? I was in 6th grade when I learned that we had concentration camps for Americans of Japanese origins.
Bone Talk centers around three native children of the Philippines on the cusp of American Imperialism. What a great YA/MG book to learn about another culture that was ruined by Americans. Anger, guilt, sadness, fear will be felt.
An MG novel set in the #Philippines in 1899, the time of the Philippine-American war. At 10 years old, Samkad is about to reach manhood - but the ancestors are giving bad signs, so his ceremony is delayed. And his world changes beyond recognition.
This was a page-turner. I enjoyed the mc‘s perspective - the experience of colonisation and war from those living under it. It‘s more violent than I expected to see in an mg novel tho.
#readingasia2021
Candy Gourlay‘s standalone historical novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitive coming-of-age story that combines the evils of colonialism with a magical realism vibe. Gourlay does a great job of showing the clash between village life and the temptations that the Americans bring with them (and the terrible price that comes with it), depicting a period and conflict that was new to me and which I think children would be interested in.
A bit heavy, but I should have expected that from the cover copy. The author handled a kid‘s narrative voice well.
#AdvancedListenerCopy