One Tribe (AWP Award Series in the Novel) [Hardcover]

M. Evelina Galang (Author)

Book Description

Series: Awp Award Series in the Novel | Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Fiction. Asian Studies. In ONE TRIBE, the death of Isabel Manalo's unborn child stirs wide spread speculation in her small Midwestern suburb. Fed up with the noise of local tsismosas (gossips), she moves to Virginia Beach to teach myth and history to Filipino American youth. Isa Manalo walks into the chaos of drive by shootings, beauty pageants, and community politicking. At every turn she butts heads with youth gangs who distrust her, community elders who disapprove of her loose outsider ways, and a Filipino boyfriend who accuses her of acting too white. Eventually Isa fights back. As Hurricane Emilia brews at the edge of the east coast, Isa opens her house to a local girl gang and nourishes their troubled spirits, instigating change sudden as the shift of tropical winds. ONE TRIBE is the winner of an AWP Award Series in the Novel, judged by Elizabeth McCracken.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Galang infuses her novel about Filipino Americans with a sense of urgency by crafting it around the lives of a group of troubled teenagers struggling to find their way in both their ethnic and geographic communities. Their parents are determined to keep the teens tied to tradition and have enlisted the aid of drama teacher Isabel Manalo to provide instruction on Filipino history. But Isabel has her own demons and finds herself conflicted over how to address the needs of her students while respecting their parents' demands. As the teens become more embroiled in gang violence, she is forced to make tough decisions about how best to help them. Ultimately, she must show them how to craft their own solutions, just as she must find a way to discover her true self. The danger teens face and the concern Galang expresses are real, and she demands that readers acknowledge just how difficult it can be to straddle two ways of life while seeking your own place in the world. Colleen Mondor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Winner of the 2007 Global Filipino Literary Award for Fiction --Global Filipino Literary Awards

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 321 pages
• Publisher: New Issues Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930974582
• ISBN-13: 978-1930974586
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You've got to read it!, May 24, 2006

By 

ksh "k" - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Tribe (AWP Award Series in the Novel) (Hardcover)

This is the kinda book that once you start reading it, it's really hard to stop. The interweaving of the voices of Isabel, the kids, Jojo, Elliot, Ferdi and the parents each create their own full character such that I could even imagine what their facial expressions might be. As I went through pages filled with the voices of these characters, their common goals, their struggles with one another and the development of each of the characters themselves, it was amazing to watch the "One Tribe" and the interweavings of this community be brought to life via the page. The book also puts a non-mainstream perspective of the FilAm community and it's history at the forefront of the novel. I loved how the very same interweaving of characters who made this community spoke to the generational conflicts of many communities.

Basically, I'm saying you've got to read it! It's great! :D

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great, Thought-Provoking Novel, December 9, 2006

By 

J.M.E.Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Tribe (AWP Award Series in the Novel) (Hardcover)

One Tribe is a unique novel. Galang shows empathy in her portrayal of her very diverse characters, making all of them involving and complex. The book's scope is impressive in showing the multifaceted pressures facing both the main character, Isabel, and various teenagers in their individual adjustments, parental expectations, their need to define themselves as well as to feel connected to others. Sharply drawn characters, interlocking themes of individuality in the context of group dynamics, family, clashing perspectives, and the desire for personal freedom and for love and friendship make this a special book. Galang's writing is filled with powerful images that create striking pictures in the mind of readers.