Flippin' Filipinos on America

The Philippines, America's "showcase of democracy" and its only former colony in Asia, remains enigmatic to most Americans. What we know of this archipelago is very often condensed, filtered, or distorted y Western preconceptions and interpretations. Here, for the first time, are Filipino and Filipino American writers telling their lives in their own words. Here are stories of passion and betrayal, home and exile, the politics of the self and a nation in search of itself. Here are poems of such power and beauty that can rank among the best in the world. In these pages the reader will find familiar figures -- the greedy Marcoses, teenage gangs, game shows, rock star clones -- as well as characters and themes of every stripe and hue, from gay youngsters checking out surfer jocks in Hawai'i to Westernized girls coming out of convent school, from a searing recollection of gang rape to meditations on the spirit. Altogether, these works provide a deeper image of the Philippines and of Filipinos in America, as seen by some of the best writers from both sides of the world. Ultimately, it gives a unique and vivid perspective of America as well.