Hey, Joe [Paperback]

Ted Lerner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2000

Hey, Joe, you like snake?

Hey, Joe, welcome to Tondo!

Hey, Joe, whats your name?

Hey, Joe. Its the phrase that greets every foreign guy in the Philippines on a daily basis. And perhaps nobody personifies the meaning of this moniker better than Ted Lerner, an American whose popular, freewheeling column, Hey, Joe, appears weekly in Manilas BusinessWorld newspaper. Here, in his new book, aptly entitled Hey, Joe, with the subtitle, a slice of the city -- an American in Manila, Ted presents a collection of his best Manila stories, a kaleidoscope of funny and bizarre incidents, offbeat characters and keen observations dished up by a wide-eyed foreigner living in a city exploding with life, unfathomable urban chaos and a story around every corner. Readers will hitch a ride with the author and spend a night at the cock fights -- the Philippines violent and gentlemanly national pastime. Walk through bustling, colorful markets that turn the senses on full blast. Experience the harrowing thrill of riding a bicycle through some of the worlds worst and wildest traffic. Visit a secretive girlie bar reserved mainly for foreigners. Enjoy the party-like atmosphere in the cemetery of one of the worlds most unique observances of the dead. Lounge in the authors very own urban nipa hut. Hang out with the rather laid back and care free folks on Manilas lively and teeming streets. Simple daily living also provides material for fascinating and humorous reading. From his run ins with mangy Filipino mutts, to everyone asking him Wheres my Christmas?, to the characters who peddle every product under the sun through his neighborhood, the author captures perfectly the ups and downs of everyday life experienced by the foreigner living in one of the worlds largest and most chaotic cities. In all, the 33 short stories in Hey, Joe paint a multi-colored portrait of this imposing Asian metropolis, a third world, urban travel adventure as told not only through the foreigners eyes, but also through his ears, nose, fingers and mouth. Indeed, like the city he lives and writes in, Ted Lerners Hey, Joe, is a full body experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hey, Joe" is probably one of the best books on Manila to come out of late. -- The Daily Tribune, May 7, 2000

"Hey, Joe" tackles the mundane, bizarre, amusing, macabre, and maddening aspects about life in Manila. -- The Manila Times, March 31, 2000

"Lerner seems to be equipped with extra-sensitive senses and an acute power of observation that makes for very entertaining and articulate writing...." -- Manila Times

... Lerners humor easily shines through, making this anthology a must read not only for expats but also for Filipinos ... -- Manila Bulletin, May 13, 2000

But amid the laughter, you also feel a knife on the side sometimes as you read. -- Malaya, March 20, 2000

Lerner combines his keen talent for observation with the literary descriptive skill of his fellow countryman, the late John Steinbeck. -- The Foreign Post, March 16, 2000

The book fascinated me and had me hooked.... -- Malaya Newspaper

From the Author

The actual city of Manila is but one city of 11 cities that make up what is known as Metro Manila. The 11 cities are as follows: Caloocan, Las Pinas, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig and Quezon City. Manilenos usually just drop the Metro tag and call the entire metropolis Manila. Metro Manila encompasses a land area of 646 square kilometers and is home to anywhere from eight million to 20 million people. The first figure is the official number. The second figure is the number which is more likely closer to the truth. Huge daily influxes from the provinces as well as many unrecorded births make an accurate count impossible. Either way, Manila is one of the worlds largest cities. Also, the Philippine currency, the Peso, is herein represented simply by a capital P before the number. When some of the stories in this book were written, the peso traded at 26 to 1 against the US dollar. Then in July of 1997, economic crisis swept through Asia, turning many countries currencies into funny money. The peso slipped to as low as 46 for 1 US dollar. As of late 1999, the peso was trading between 39 and 41 to the dollar.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Book of Dreams (February 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 971930331X
• ISBN-13: 978-9719303312
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,395,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Travel > Asia > Philippines

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lerner Is A Hoot!, August 5, 2000

By 

James Nichols "Nick" (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hey, Joe (Paperback)

Ted Lerner has a wonderful ability to capture into words both the poignant and hilarious contrasts between Filipino and U.S. culture. And he indeed represents the reactions of the "wide-eyed" foreigner. This is not the jet-setting rich of Manila that he is observing - this is the life of the other 97%.. He's a student of the sweet science and the deft turn of phrase. Lerner is just the man to put this into words

This is a guy who rides "jeepneys" to work and back - something very, very few foreigners do. It is this kind of lifestyle that opens up the culture to him. But it's a culture that is easily recognizable to almost any foreigner that has spent significant time in the Philippines. As a five-year resident of Manila, I thoroughly enjoyed Lerner's writings.

A reader unexposed to the events described by Lerner will be enlightened; but the reader who recognizes and identifies with his observations will laugh out laud at times or even shed a tear or two.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appreciating the Foibles of Manila..., June 13, 2000

By 

D. Smith (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey, Joe (Paperback)

For any foreigner who wants a primer on Filipino street culture, and especially life in Manila, this book is an excellent read. Lerner provides a sympathetic and insightful, if somewhat superficial, treatment of Filipino culture and Manila's street life. Lerner achieves a level of insight into the lives of the average man-on-the-streets that eludes most foreigners who have lived in Manila for decades.

The stories are not particularly deep, and contain very little profound insight into Filipino culture or life. But for what it is--an affectionate, honest, no-holds-barred description of life in one of SE Asia's least pleasant capital cities--the book succeeds. For anybody looking for amusing anecdotes about the foibles and ironies of life in the biggest of Filipino cities, this is a very good read. If you're looking for profound cultural insights, you'd best keep looking.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The World's Largest English Speaking City, August 27, 2000

By 

Richard Tallent (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey, Joe (Paperback)

This book , which could also be called Good Morning, Zir(Sir, which is what I heard alot from locals there)tells it all about a city the world has not yet given itself the precious time to know. Manila is filled with gross poverty and stunning wealth, a city where a CEO will make $60,000 a year, not much as CEO's go in the US but is opulent there. A city where a maid makes $600 a year but still has to pay the same price for food and electricity and entertainment as you and I do. I spent time there this year , my first visit, since we were going to meet my inlaws who could not make it to my wedding to their daughter and was slapped in the face by the ghastliness and the elegance that live side by side there. The poverty is bad but what struck me the most was the unbelievable haze that stays in the air & will not move. Surrounded by smog in an Asian capital with as much intense history as this city has stays in your mind as you leave the airport. This city , with perhaps the freest press in the Asian world, millions of English speakers and yet troubled, uprooted traditions will fascinate you and the author relates issues well with brevity and clarity. Read 'America's Boy', about Marcos and also 'Ghosts of Manila' too if you want to get the feel of this awful, wonderful place that God looks upon, not angrily, as men do, but with compassion and patience because His people live there.