Customer Reviews

The Philippines: A Singular And A Plural Place, Fourth Edition (Nations of the Modern World)

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I read this book for a class that I took during my undergraduate years at UCI and found it to be a very helpful book in understanding the history, culture and people of the Philippines. Being a Filipina-American myself, I could better understand where my parents came from in their way of thinking and understanding the world. My parents were born and raised in the Philippines and I was born and raised in the USA. We often clashed in our ways of thinking and beliefs because of the different environments we grew up in, and this book definitely helped me to understand why.

The title itself, "The Philippines: A Singular and Plural Place"

definitely describes how such diversity- the mountain people, the farm people, the city people, the elite, and the poor, the 1000+ dialects are actually one in the Philippines. The fact that there are 1000+ separate islands yet are all part of the Philppines physically brings together this same idea of many being one.

This is a definite must read for anyone trying to understand the culture, people and politics of the Philippines.

This book is definitely a scholarly level book that is aimed toward those taking a somewhat intellectual look at the "plight of the Filipino." The book is written very well, and seems to be fairly neutral when analysing the historical elements of how the Philippine Islands have progressed in the last couple centuries.

The book is quite good and offers a lot of information to provide a fairly well-balanced view of the PI. Many would say it is too high-level, meaning, too general, but, for those that are wanting a peak into the political climate, as well as how the filipino has struggled to "become," then this book is definitely for you.

If you are looking for light reading, this book isn't for you. Anyone intersted in Filipino, Filipino tradition, marrying a Filipina/Filipino, this book will give you a much needed advantage to understanding the culture, by understanding its historical context and the struggle of becoming a unified nation.

I highly recommend it..