FILIPINO BOOKS, A thread that lists books on Filipino culture Options

[nenabunena]

Finding good, accurate, & dependable books on Filipino culture is difficult to come by because unlike English books where you can find a wealth of reviews & information on the internet, Filipino books are rare & usually unseen, even within Philippine society. So let's all help make each others lives easier by listing the books we all would recommend & why, & where to find them if possible.

So here is a a thread in which everyone can share Filipino books they would like to recommend, as well as post some summary & reviews to help all of us sift through & spread knowledge on Filipino culture. For the New Year, I have made a resolution: to spread Filipino knowledge via gift giving, & these gifts would all represent Filipino culture in 1 way or another, with each gift suitable for the individual recipient.

Also, don't forget to state if it's in English or Filipino, & for literature like Rizal, state which version is the best.


The very 1st book I would like to recommend is William Henry Scott's BARANGAY

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

This book presents a sixteenth-century Philippine ethnography based on contemporaneous sources. It does not attempt to reconstruct that society by consideration of present Philippine societies, or of features believed to be common to all Austronesian peoples. Nor does it seek similarities with neighboring cultures in Southeast Asia, though the raw data presented should be of use to scholars who might wish to do so. Rather, it seeks to answer the question: What did the Spaniards actually say about the Filipino people when they first met them? It is hoped that the answer to that question will permit Filipino readers today to pay a vicarious visit to the land of their ancestors four centuries ago.

Part 1 describes Visayan culture in eight chapters on physical appearance, food and farming, trades and commerce, religion, literature and entertainment, natural science, social organization, and warfare. Part 2 surveys the rest of the archipelago from south to north.

This book is essential as it's well researched, & easy to digest, in other words, it's for mass-consumption. It's primary focus are the Bisayans, followed by both the Tagalogs & the Mindanaoans.

Here is 1 review of Scott's book:

No review of mine would do justice to this groundbreaking book.

The author, Dr. William Henry Scott, taught my Asian Civilizations class decades ago. In his lifetime as a former Episcopalian missionary turned historian whose immersion in all things Filipino put the native-born to shame, he systematically chipped away at the misguided, knee-jerk notions and outright lies about Philippine history with an unprecedented scholarly approach that was informed by archaeology, linguistics and other disciplines.

I remember how roundly Prof. Scott criticized Zaide for the fake Code of Kalantiao the latter felt he needed to invent. The truth is much more fascinating, as the book shows, based as it is on a lifetime of painstaking research and work.

For a learned book, Barangay is an easy, entertaining read (for me, anyway) and should be required reading for all people of Filipino descent. It both informs and (even if Scott didn't set out to do so) empowers the Filipino, especially those among us who are tired of being beaten down by the prejudice and racism of the ignorant.

For someone who originally came to the Philippines ostensibly to convert people to his beliefs, Scott ended up offering a labor of love to his adopted people that celebrated who they truly are.

I cannot stress how vital this book is, every Filipino household should have this, for both parents & children alike. It is time for us to be aware of our roots & time for all of us to be a little more pro-active in spreading knowledge & genuine love for Filipino history & culture. How can you say that you love being Filipino when you have no drive or incentive to know more about yourself, your culture, your ancestors, & your neighbors?

This post has been edited by nenabunena: Jan 15 2012, 09:53 AM

[AnybodyKiller]

Thanks!

I've been looking for some good books for a long time!


EDIT:
Ordered the first one

We already have a Tagalog-English dictionary.

The third one is 40 dollars cheapest one I can find online. I may just go to a library for that one.

This post has been edited by AnybodyKiller: Jan 15 2012, 03:39 PM

[nenabunena]

Thanks!

I've been looking for some good books for a long time!


EDIT:
Ordered the first one

We already have a Tagalog-English dictionary.

The third one is 40 dollars cheapest one I can find online. I may just go to a library for that one.

If it's too expensive, I buy the 2nd hand instead. I have a Tagalog -English dictionary as well but it's hard to find good Tagalog dictionaries so I bought this version above, but I'll probably get it on March, I'm having my package sent over via Balikbayan box to save shipping cost.

There are others I'd like to recommend but I'll leave it as is for some posters to contribute. Have you read Rizal's work? There are various versions, I'd like to know which is the best. The newest english version was released by Penguin classics. Both Noli & Fili were required readings in school but I passed by schoolworkd via reading the comic version instead, lol! I'd recommend the komiks too, especially for the kids if you want to get them interested in Filipino history. Anyway, if we had someone here who has read various versions of both Noli & Fili, perhaps they could recommend which is the best one to have (except the original Spanish version that is).

This post has been edited by nenabunena: Jan 15 2012, 04:53 PM