in the country. mia alvar. (310)

i was excited when i learned of in the country, because mia alvar is filipino and being filipino myself, i had to read her book.  i must add that though racially i am filipino, culturally i am more american, a blend of all of the cultures in my household and that i interacted with growing up.  due to this, i was not anticipating identifying completely with alvar's characters but being able to recognize their experience.

reading this collection of short stories, i realized that i know nothing about filipino history.  as i read "old boy" and "in the country", i was confused by the politics i read.  i know that the philippines like most southeast asian countries had a dictatorship, however, i don't know who it was? was it marcos? i only know imelda because of her shoes and that david bryne album.  i really need to study up on this.  i would like to think that i will study of the history of the philippines but i probably won't.  i have some much to read already, and not the biggest fan of non-fiction, but will try.  

it would have be nice to know if the senator in "old girl" and "in the country" was based on an actual person.  i enjoyed both stories though i really did not like the senator, reading about his arrogant ways and his selfless wife, i was frustrated as i read. i also expected him to die in a bombing since he was set to run the boston marathon, but this was a different time.

before i go on, i have to admit that filipino males are not protrayed in the greatest light in these stories, which unfortunately i can related to.  my father is filipino, and though without him i would not be here, he was a dead best dad.  furthermore, he too had a shadow family, a term i learned of in a story of the same name. the story goes that my dad wanted to marry my mom when she was pregnant with me, yet, i have a half sister that is about a year younger than me, so you do the math.  in the stories, the men are greedy, dominate, drive by sex, lazy, and selfish.  yet oddly enough, and sadly, the women in the stories allow them to be as such.  i haven't read any of the author's interviews, but i wonder if this was intended.

another thing that this collection covered was filipinos working in the middle east.  i learned of this a couple years ago, when i worked for a saudi family that had two filipino nannies.  they, of course, took a liking to me, because i was filipino as well and once shared adobo with me.  reading this collection, it was interesting to see how long this has been occurring. it was also interesting to see why filipinos are nurses, i didn't know that the government had called for them to be educated as such to help supply the world with nurses!

so my favorite stories were "in the country", i think it demonstrated how corrupt the government was and how it crushed the spirit of the people

of the phillippines.  i sympathized with the milagros and it was sad to see how her son's life ended.

"the miracle worker" was enjoyable story because it demonstrated that though you can everything money can by, the most valuable thing is hope.  it was also disheartening to read about what the maid did to the baby.

i really liked old girl in "old girl", though her husband was a monster.  i was happy that she became president in "in the country".

overall, this collection of short stories demonstrated just how hardworking and how truly dedicated the women of the phillippines are.  they support and care for the men and as we see help keep the country great. 

i hope to read more form alvar in the future and am happy there is a female filipino writer, i can read!

gumption: relighting the torch of freedom with america's gutsiest troublemakers. nick offerman (308)

i learned of nick offerman's gumption:  relighting the torch of freedom with america's gutsiest troublemakers at bookcon.  i knew he had written another book but assumed it was autobiographical but discovered at his panel it was about americans he admired for their gumption.  i have to add that he brought out both john hodgman and paul rudd during his panel, and yes, rudd was a huge distraction for me.

to be completely honest, this work did not live up to my expectation.  i had expected profiles of some great americans, but what i really got was some interesting facts, offerman gushing about why he loved them, and then some random discussion on politics, life, social media, etc.  i mean the points he made were interesting, but after a while it just got too redundant.  although i love ron swanson, i don't feel that close to offerman, as say, amy poehler or aziz ansari, so all of his random jokes where more awkward than funny. or maybe i am being mean, i just didn't literally laugh out loud as i read, though i am sure there was an the expectation that i did.

that being said, i learned a lot, just wish i had learned more and plan on doing some further reading with the books he suggested for further reading. 

my absolute favorite profile was yoko ono, perhaps because she was the person that i was the most familiar. i loved how offerman started off with admitting how he was judgmental about her, believing in the music folklore that she had broke up the beatles, but thanks to his wife, megan mullally, he saw the light.  and can i just add way to go mullally for purchasing some yoko art, i would have purchased a piece if i could afford it.  anyway, it was lovely to read about how she and john met through her art.  something that i didn't know, but i recognized the pieces because i attended her one woman show at the moma this past may.  i knew of the apple that john was intrigued by and was frustrated when i couldn't climb the ladder to read the message on the ceiling like john did.  but yes, it is amazing that her message was one of positivity and not negativity.  i should add that the book closes with a photo of this piece.  i like offerman found it amazing how she still lived in the dakota.  i am also amazed by her continued activism for social progress.  i really want a poster that says "war on women is over (if you want it)" or maybe a shirt.  but yes i loved the chapter on yoko ono and will be doing some further reading on her.

i also plan on reading more about eleanor roosevelt.  i had no idea that she and franklin d. were distant cousins.  i also loved reading about how she stuck to her beliefs regardless of what her husband supported.  eleanor lobbied for a bill that made lynching illegal in the south, even though her husband was worried that he would lose southern support.  she was also against imprisoning the japanese americans in internment camps after pearl harbor.  again i would have loved to read more about her, but am glad that offerman pointed me in the right direction to read more about her.

maybe it's the feminist in me, but i also plan on reading more about carol burnett.  i used to watch reruns of the carol burnett show, as a kid.  my grandma turned me on to her.  i remember laughing though i don't remember any specific jokes.  i would really love to revisit her show.  it was extraordinary to learn of her humble beginnings and to see that she is a fellow bruin!

the other woman that sparked an interest in me and one that i had never heard of was laurie anderson.  her music and art sounds amazing.  also i loved that she ordered a grilled cheese and bourbon when she and offerman met up.  i did like her idea about reverse boot camp, i feel like we do need to help our servicemen and woman return back to civilian life.  i didn't put in a request for her work, but will later on down the road.

i loved the conan o'brien chapter.  who knew he was so intelligent? and i have to admit it made him really sexy.  it was great to read his thoughts especially about how we view these times, i agree that we romanticize the past and the world is really not as bad as we think it is.  also conan knows his stuff, i mean he is a harvard grad and a history major.  i mean i would love to read books about history from him or even just a book about his life.  why hasn't that happen yet?  also since sadly there are no books, about conan, his further reading section, included books that he mentioned in his chapter.  i think i will read his books just for fun!

i enjoyed reading about james madison, we really do owe a lot to him.  i had no idea how crucial he was to the creating of the constitution and the bill of rights.  also, love that he was a big reader.  (actually alot of people featured were big readers.)

speaking of big readers, the stories in theodore roosevelt's chapter was awesome.  i mean he got shot during a speech and continued on with his speech! talk about impressive!

the chapter on frederick law olmsted was really interested.  thanks to my friend ivan, i have learning about new york, and how it came to be, so loved learning about olmsted and the designing of central park.  it was great to know that olmsted wanted the park to be one everyone and not just the rich.  i also learned that the entrances are labeled different, next time i am in nyc, i'm looking for the strangers' entrance and the warriors' entrance.  another central park bucket list item for me is to eat at tavern on the green.  i also plan on going to prospect park, which is supposed to be he and his partner, valux's best work.  i have been to the brooklyn museum but never explored the park.

i did enjoy micheal pollen's chapter, i would like to read his work, the omnivore's dilemma but am worried they may change my diet.  but i love my food! i will check out the rest of his works, i just don't read much non-fiction, but will add him to my to-be read list.

i sadly wasn't familiar with the writers mentioned, though i did recall coming across george saunder's congratulations by the way on california bookstore day, but didn't buy it.  however, i think i will given it read.

last but not least, i enjoyed read about george nakashima, a furniture maker.  his story was incredible because he was in an internment camp during world war II, after which, he started marking furniture and became successful.

the individuals that offerman wrote about were interested, again i would have liked to see more about them, versus offerman's opinion of them or thoughts he inspired by him.  if you like offerman, check it out, but just know that you there will much left to be desired, so hit up that further reading list.

further reading (for my personal reference):
 the autobiography of eleanor roosevelt eleanor roosvelt
days that i'll remmber: spending time with john lennon and yoko ono joanthan clott
all we are saying: the last major interview with john lennon and yoko ono david sheff
one more time carol burnett
this time together carol burnett
stories from the nerve bible:  a twenty-year retrospective laurie anderson
king lear shakespeare
the beatles:  the biography bob spitz
the soul of a tree george nakashima
congratulations, by the way geroge saunders
a clearing in the distance witold rybczynski
and michael pollan's works