Reading books about Filipino history, Filipino psychology, and Filipino culture is one of my favorite pastimes. Initially, my interest was arbitrary. I wanted to understand myself and why my thoughts and emotions were set up the way they were. As I started my research, I also joined The Filipino American Woman Project community as a podcast cohost. This allowed me to test the theories I was learning about with like-minded Filipina American women with similar life experiences. Thus, I began to understand just how powerful cultural conditioning and the history of the Philippines is to the inner workings of many Filipino Americans.

Every October to commemorate Filipino American History Month I commit to doing one project or collaborative initiative. In 2021, I co-authored an academic research paper on the importance of Filipina American women in media for the Bulosan Center of Filipinx Studies’ annual research conference. In 2022, I wrote a personal narrative essay about my grandfather’s migration story for a digital history archive with the University of California, Davis. The digital archive serves as an educational resource for Filipino American history in grade school curriculums. Additionally in 2022, the Bulosan Center co-curated the first museum exhibit showcasing Filipinos’ contributions to California history called ‘California Is In The Heart’. The exhibit also featured my grandfather’s story. What’s more, I facilitated a panel presentation for an audience of over 220 Kaiser Permanente employees on the intersection of health and culture in Filipino America.

This year I have several initiatives planned both in academia and in partnership with corporate healthcare giants. However, what I’m most looking forward to is the opportunity to connect with some new Filipino/a/x authors through their literary art.

5 Filipino history books you should read this October:

1. Filipino American Psychology by Kevin L. Nadal, Ph.D

Kuya Kevin Nadal is famous on social media for his ability to give cultural context to the Filipino American psyche and experience. Obviously, the state of our mental health as a community is largely based on what has happened to us historically.

Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice, 2nd Edition  covers a wide range of topics necessary to understand how to provide mental health treatment to Filipino Americans, including:

• Filipino and Filipino American Cultural Values
• Overcoming the Model Minority: Contemporary experiences of Filipino Americans
• Intersections of Gender and Sexual Orientation
• Multiracial and Multiethnic Filipino Americans
• Mental Health and Psychotherapy in the Filipino American community

2. Taste of Control: Food and the Filipino Colonial Mentality Under American Rule by R. Alexander D. Orquiza, Jr.

Food is undoubtedly one of the most significant components of Filipino culture. It’s how we connect, share stories, and open up our daily experiences to others. Thus, it comes as no surprise that a Filipino author would use it to convey how the history of the Philippines has affected generations of our mental health. I selected this book simply out of curiosity, to see how he will weave these topics into one narrative.

3. When The Hibiscus Falls by M. Evelina Galang

I heard about this book in the Tsismis Corner of The Filipino American Woman Project’s online community platform. A valued member suggested it for a future book club pick, so I did some research and instantly added it to my Amazon cart. When The Hibiscus Falls blends a series of short fictional and non-fiction stories about the complexity of the Filipina American experience as it relates to family, community, and identity across generations.

4. The Crucible: An Autobiography by Colonel Yay, Filipina American Guerrillera by Yay Panlilio

As soon as I learned about Yay Panlilio I knew I needed to read her autobiography. The intersectionality in her identity, career trajectory, and various courageous efforts resonated deeply with me, and I’m excited get inspired by her life’s story.

In this 1950 memoir, The Crucible: An Autobiography by Colonel Yay, Filipina American Guerrilla, Panlilio narrates her experience as a journalist, triple agent, leader in the Philippine resistance against the Japanese, and lover of the guerrilla general Marcos V. Augustin.

5. Pinay Guerrilleras: The Unsung Heroics of Filipina Resistance Fighters During The Pacific War by Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas

The author of this book is my SHERO! No further explanation needed as to why I am choosing to read it again, for the third time.

The women guerrillas of the resistance, or guerrilleras, are one such group who have received less attention in Pacific Theater histories. The names and faces of those Filipina guerrilla soldiers, who led their own units, conducted espionage, nursed the wounded, led raids, or raised armies, have nearly been forgotten. This book attempts to bring these stories to light so that the legacy of these unsung Filipina resistance fighters lives on.”Filipino female freedom fighters who fought bravely against Spanish colonization like Gabriela Silang, Gregoria de Jesus, and Melchora Aquino are more or less staples in Filipino history textbooks. Salinas’ book challenges this assumption and introduces us to more of these brave women, particularly those who risked their lives during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the Second World War.

Ay nako! I know, this is a lot.

In true Filipino fashion, I prefer to do my reading the way I like to do everything else- family style. Click here to join my book club, just in time for Filipino American History Month!

Have you read any of these books? Comment below to share your thoughts.