Book Review: MARTIAL LAW (Looking Back # 15) by Ambeth Ocampo

Martial Law by Ambeth R. Ocampo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The pro-Marcos narrative continually foisted on us... is nothing but barefaced lies and half-truths. This is not historical revisionism, it is historical denialism."

I finished this book a few days after the living half of the conjugal dictatorship was given an award by the Chinese embassy for promoting intercultural ties. I'm continuously amazed at the amnesia of my own countrymen about the abuse our country went through, something that the whole world seems to know, and yet Filipinos ignore.

Which is why books and columns like Ambeth Ocampo's are very important. He seeks to shed light, a little at a time, with these simple articles that anyone can understand.

This fifteenth book in the LOOKING BACK series is probably the shortest, being only 98 pages long. But if I recall correctly what Mr. Ocampo said in one of his live lectures, this is only a preparatory book, a taste of what's to come when he publishes his book on the Marcos diaries.

I remember listening to the exciting story of how he got hold of a copy with bated breath, it would do James Bond proud.

How can we trust what Mr. Ocampo writes? Simple. He always mentions his sources. This complete transparency is what separates the honest man from the dishonest one.

I respect Ocampo for his meticulous mentioning of his references, always going to the primary sources. To illustrate the point, he said that he got in touch with the living children of Ferdinand Marcos so he could confirm whether or not the diaries had been written in their father's own hand (and they did confirm this).

Compare this to a family who lies so often they forget what is true: the false World War II medals of the patriarch, the false degrees they earned, the amount of money they stole.

In a country where we have not only forgotten but seem to have rewarded the crimes of this infamous family (where else can a deposed plunderer be buried in a cemetery meant for heroes?!), this is essential reading.

"All of this made me reflect on the value of history and historians against social media inundated by fake news and a world populated by those confronted with truth and yet believe what they want to believe."

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Book Review: THE PHILIPPINES IS NOT A SMALL COUNTRY by Gideon Lasco

The Philippines Is Not a Small Country by Gideon Lasco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this beautiful little book on the sorrowful day of a former President's burial in the city where I live. Much has been written and said about the man who was the son of a hero and the first woman president of our country, but above all, we mourn because he stood for decency and the rule of law.

I think I am not alone when I say that the lack of these two essentials these past several years have somewhat dimmed (but thankfully, not yet extinguished) the flame of patriotism in several Filipinos.

That's why I'm so grateful to have read this book: a collection of articles written by physician/ medical anthropologist / journalist Gideon Lasco (he has a blog, too! http://www.gideonlasco.com ) . I have yet to encounter another book that had me tearing up at page 4 (I tear up a lot, as a book club pal noticed, hehe. It's my body's involuntary response when something touches me deeply).

Divided into chapters according to seven themes (Country and Nation are the best!), Lasco's writings offer opinions and observations well worth reading for their mix of academic learning and lived experience. I appreciate how he writes very simply, how he's able to connect complex concepts to every day realities that I've stopped paying to, while pointing out their historical and cultural significance.

Apart from making his readers learn more about their country and culture, reading Lasco's book is like ingesting a match to set aflame all patriots' hearts once again. I know that's why I wept at page 4:

"Every country, like every person, has a dark side, and we must accept the inconvenient truths about our nation, and be willing to make the sacrifices they require of us. But they should never lead us to frustration, not just because of the brighter side that we sometime refuse to see, but also because we can always do something to make our country a better place.

The power of hope lies in its ability to help fulfill its own promise... When you see hope in our government, you will be encouraged to vote. And when you see hope in our country, you will be encouraged to stay."

Now multiply that love and learning by 228 pages and you get this little gem: THE PHILIPPINES IS NOT A SMALL COUNTRY.

Lasco's words bring light and hope. I am reminded that we are many, we who choose to love our Inang Bayan, despite everything. I am reminded to put my hope in my countrymen, to see the good along with the bad. I learn from looking at our country through Lasco's loving gaze: unafraid to point out what needs to be changed ("We are who we are because we forget.") yet always, always with faith that we as a people can do better.

Leaders come and go. We will remain. And yes, in the words of Lasco: "I know enough of the Filipino people to say that we are capable of weathering any storm."

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Book Review: GATES OF FIRE by Steven Pressfield

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Men's pain is lightly borne and swiftly over. Our wounds are of the flesh, which is nothing; women's is of the heart -- sorrow unending, far more bitter to bear. Learn from them, brothers, from their pain in childbirth which the gods have ordained immutable. Bear witness to that lesson they teach: nothing good in life comes but at a price. Sweetest of all is liberty. This we have chosen and this we pay for... Guided by these laws, our fathers for twenty generations have breathed the blessed air of freedom and have paid the bill in full when it was presented. We, their sons, can do no less."

I reread this book on Father's Day because it was one of my dad's favorites. I recall reading this in high school, long before the movie "300" came out, and loved it back then. I love it all the more, now. I recall hearing passages read aloud by my dad, his voice shaky with awe and raw feeling. And only now do I fully realize the enormity of what this book truly is: the records of lives lived with courage and honor, spent in the service of country and not the self.

"I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall... That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last... That is a king, Your Majesty. A king does not expend his substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and example makes them free."

More than an epic tale of battle, of struggle and brotherhood bound by blood, it is also a tale of leadership, and of women's courage. In fact, the book ends with a flashback scene with Leonidas, the king, calling forth the leader of the matrons of the Three Hundred, and explaining how he chose them. (Not for their bravery, but that of their women)

Gerard Butler's and the Three Hundred's Spartan abs aside, this book is waaaaaay better than the Snyder film (which is also glorious, but doesn't have the book's gravitas, and didn't make me weep nearly as much as the book did).

"By our deaths here with honor, in the face of these insuperable odds, we transform vanquishment into victory. With our lives we sow courage in the hearts of our allies and the brothers of our armies left behind. They are the ones who will ultimately produce victory, not us. It was never in the stars for us. Our role today is what we all knew... to stand and die. That we have sworn and that we will perform." 

A perfect 5/5 back then. A perfect 5/5 forever!

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Concert Review: KAYUMANGGING LAHI (UP Symphony Orchestra)

I was a guest author on the PHILIPPINES ON STAGE blog and raved about the 5th online concert of the UP Symphony Orchestra!

Go to this link to read the review!

Book Review: AKHENATEN - DWELLER IN TRUTH by Naguib Mahfouz

 

Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

"This is a story of innocence, of deception, and infinite grief."

AKHENATEN is a very short read about the mysterious monotheist pharoah who chose a loving and, dare I say, "Christian" way of life, thirteen centuries before Christ.

"Could order be achieved by the exercise of love alone?"

It's impossible not to think of Akira Kurosawa's story, "In A Grove," when thinking of this Mahfouz novella. Both works feature different characters giving varying points of view about events.

"My king knew no evil. Perhaps that was his tragedy."

Was Akhenaten mad? Or simply a visionary whose ideas were beyond his time? Mahfouz leaves it to us to decide.

I would have rated this book higher had I not previously read his 3 novellas on Ancient Egypt: Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia and Thebes at War. I remember being stunned with how immersive those novels were, and how grand the language was. Could something have been lost with the translation? Perhaps. All four of these novels had different translators.

Nevertheless, this book is still interesting, if only to force us to reflect on how we acquire the faith that we currently have, and whether we would have the courage of our convictions to persist, should we somehow believe differently from everyone else.

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Book Review: HONOR (The Legacy of Jose Abad Santos) by Desiree Ann Cua Benipayo

 "A man dies as he had lived... Jose Abad Santos lived as he died: with honor."

I think every Filipino has read of this great hero's noble death when he was executed for refusing to cooperate with the Japanese invaders, and how he told his weeping son: "It is a rare opportunity for me to die for our country. Not everyone is given that chance."

But it's a new thing altogether to read this book and realize that Jose Abad Santos had EVERY opportunity to leave his country, but didn't. From studying in the US at Northwestern University as a pensionado, to taking up law at George Washington University, he chose to come back home to do an overhaul of the judicial system. When Manuel L. Quezon asked him to accompany him as he was being evacuated to Melbourne, Jose Abad Santos asked to stay behind, saying that his place was with his country, in a time of war.

And when one learns of his life before the war, we realize that this man had always put country first, always choosing the lesser paid government job above more lucrative private practice.

From Chief Justice to Acting President during World War II (Quezon turned over his powers to him when Quezon fled from the Japs), this man refused to give government positions to his own son and brother, always choosing a non relative. He never brought his wife along to official trips. He never accepted gifts. This kind of integrity puts so many government officials (past and present) to shame.

It's a testament to how well the last chapters (the best!) were written, that I was hoping against hope for J.A.S. to escape from the Japanese!

The book has a scathing indictment of Manuel Roxas' amnesty for wartime collaborators (80% of the House and Senate, including the father of a future President), and goes as far as to say that the 1948 pardon is responsible for "contributing to the decline of the country's moral fiber."

David J. Steinberg is quoted as saying, "The historical biopsy showed evidence of (national) cancer: Filipinos have seen public service used as a means for private gain."

More than ever, Jose Abad Santos' story needs to be told. We need to be reminded that this, THIS is what the Filipino public servant should be. What we all CAN be, if only we rise to the challenge and ask not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for her.

This is a must-read!!! Rated 5 stars out of 5! Can't wait to see the movie!

Book Review: CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL by Mara Rutherford (Crown of Coral and Pearl Book # 1)

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The line for the vaccine jab was particularly long, and my mistake was that I only brought ONE book. Good thing my twin sister brought a book too! We swapped books and this was hers.

Serendipitously, it was also about twins! Written by an author (a triplet) who intimately knows of the struggle for identity as well as the sacred bonds of siblinghood that twins share.

I thought it was a nice enough fantasy novel, if a bit predictable. It's standard fantasy fare: a young girl from the countryside (in this case: the seaside) chosen to be a princess, who must decide between two princes while navigating the politics and intrigue of a hostile court.

In short, it was a pleasant diversion from all the stress of an 8:00 AM-3:30 PM wait for the vaccine jab LOL.

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Book Review: SELECTED STORIES by H.P. Lovecraft

Selected Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Memories and possibilities are ever more hideous than realities."

H.P. Lovecraft, that masterful artist of horror, understood that his craft consisted of only 50% shock and gore, and that the other 50% was about letting the reader's imagination go wild (and mine did!! While stuck in the looooong queue for the vaccine jab).

"...All life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward dreaming."

One of my two favorite stories in the book were THE SILVER KEY, where we have Lovecraft's philosophy beautifully expressed in the introduction, as a man who sought meaning in books and the life of the mind, where he found the harmony invisible to him on earth.

And the last story in the collection (THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP) was the creepiest!!! Let's just say: it pays to have a signature knock, just in case you get possessed and need to prove that you're... you. Haha.

Some observations on Lovecraft's insanely great writing:

1) He likes whipoorwills. He mentions them 2 or 3 times per story, in almost all of the stories! Apparently their singing is an ill omen signaling death 😳

2) He gives enough detail to paint a clear picture of something beyond the grave, but leaves the worst bits to our overactive imaginations. Which I am both grateful for, and in awe of. It's super effective!!!

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of the black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."

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Book Review: THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT by Hilary Mantel (Thomas Cromwell # 3)

The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"This is why we have courts of law... to protect us from the tyranny of one man's opinion."

But what happens if that one man is the King of England who uses the courts to produce tailored verdicts?

The third book in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy was a whopping 757 pages long!! Best read in short chapters, we have all the politics and wars and uprisings that plagued Tudor England from Henry's 3rd, 4th, and 5th wives.

Mantel makes a vast cast memorable, each character fully alive, with dialogue that seems writ from life. Particularly loved the details about Tudor food, and Cromwell's genius for learning about everything.

Reading Mantel is a masterclass in how to write. But it also reminds us of how little human nature changes...merely the players. And who doesn't love a good rags-to-riches story?! Albeit one that ends realistically, for after all, "blood is the precipitation of our age."

All the nuance of Henry VIII's flawed decision making was brought to light, and I come away with this feeling sad at how we continue to exhibit bloodthirstiness in condemning fellow Christians from different denominations... centuries later.

(Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars... would have rated it higher had it been a few hundred pages shorter!! But still ... a good read!)

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Book Review: INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION by Robert Cialdini

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My interest was piqued when I overheard my brother listening to a podcast that featured the author, Dr. Cialdini, whose book apparently became the bible of salesmen for the past several decades. The book enumerates six strategies employed by "compliance professionals" in order to persuade people to buy or do something they ordinarily wouldn't.

Turned out Le Brother had a copy, hurray! It was an interesting read, primarily because I've had almost all the techniques mentioned performed on me, hehe. And also because Cialdini mentions the research behind these interesting quirks of human behavior, which is wonderful for me as a Research teacher! God bless footnotes.

Perhaps the only drawback to this book is that it's dated. It was written in 1984, after all. I'm looking forward to reading his next book, which was published in 2016.

This is an interesting read for anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of a particularly effective sales pitch (and that's everybody!!!).

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