Filipino American History Month: Non-Fiction

Pulitzer Prize winning author Alex Tizon reveals the innermost feelings and thoughts of Asian American males. His own personal story of immigrating from his place of birth, Manila, adds extra dimensions to this narrative.

For nine years, Dr. Connie Mariano was the White House doctor during the presidencies of George H. W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. As a doctor, and a doctor who had a very special assignment, she does not reveal private information about her former patients. She was able to travel all over the world and took care of visiting dignitaries and members of the First Family.

The irreverent and hilarious memoirs of comedian Jo Koy, who grew up as a half-Filipino and half-white kid, and became a successful performer.

Steven Rood is a scholar of the Pacific Island Nations and the Philippines, and in this study provides pertinent and accurate information about the country's history, geography, culture, economy, politics, government and geopolitics.

In 1898 U.S. troops occupied the Philippines. Since that time there have been many Filipinos who have served alongside U.S. armed forces. The Philippines were used as a military base of operation for U.S. involvement in other parts of Asia. Both countries influenced the other as thousands of Filipinos came to America.

Filipinos settled in Carson in the 1920s seeking jobs as farmworkers, U.S. military recruits, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, and other types of work. "Carson is recognized nationally as a Filipino American destination for families and businesses, and is very much connected to the island homeland."

An overview of Philippino martial arts, traditions, culture and techniques.

August 2, 2002, the Los Angeles City Council designated District 13, as Filipinotown. "It is the first Filipino community in America to merit a named area with distinct geographic boundaries. Also known as the Temple-Beverly Corridor, this area is located just west of central downtown. Historic Filipinotown was once home to one of the largest Filipino enclaves in California, a place where many Filipinos purchased their first homes, raised families, and established businesses. The cultural continuity of Filipino families and businesses in the corridor in the 21st century inspired the collective efforts of Filipino organizations, Los Angeles community leaders, and individuals working in concert to establish Historic Filipinotown and maintain its vibrant culture."

Going back to the 1920s, Filipinos wanted to work in Hollywood, but they would be marginalized for other types of jobs: waiters, busboys, dishwashers, cooks, houseboys, janitors and chauffeurs. In these positions, they worked at major restaurants, in the homes of the rich and famous, who were part of the Hollywood entertainment industry. For many, many years, Filipinos were "the least documented Asians in Hollywood."  Eventually many of them rose up in the ranks of the entertainment industry and recognized for their ability and talent.

 Los Angeles is home to the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines. The early influx in the 1920s were predominantly men who had jobs in service-oriented work. Filipino Americans are now part of all aspect of life in Los Angeles, contributing to many types of professions.

When Corazon Aquino, widow of assassinated opposition leader Benigno Aquino, became President of the Philippines in 1986, she brought with her great hope, as powered by the concept of "the people power revolution." There were many years of corrupt leadership under the Marcos' regime, therefore Cory Aquino faced monumental challenges to improve the lives of her people.

The book encompasses music, performance and cultural references from the Filipino-American War to the 1998 Centennial celebrating indepdendence from Spain. The author has done archival research and ethnographic fieldwork.that pays homage to the country's "hybrid entity within a global community."

This Frontline documentary profiles journalist Maria Ressa and three colleagues who bravely founded Rappler in 2012. In 2016, this publication drew the attention of the Duterte-led Philippine government, and what followed were detrimental consequences for freedom of speech, the press, and journalists' personal safety.

Nobel Peace Prize 2021, along with Dimitry Muratov, "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia."

Isabel Rosario Cooper was a vaudville and film actress, who was also the mistress of General Douglas MacArthur. This biography documents the actress' life as she moved from the Philippines to Washington, D.C., where she died penniless. The author goes beyond biography as she examines the time in which Cooper lived that was a part of American colonialism in the Philippines.

The powerful story of how an immigrant from the Philippines overcame childhood trauma and an emotionally abusive marriage to find her voice and thrive.

In this finalist for a 2021 National Book Critics Circle award, Samaha skillfully blends together multiple storylines into an engrossing narrative: his formative years in America; his mother’s journey to America; tracing his family’s ancestors in the Philippines to an era prior to Spanish rule; the effects of Spanish, and later, American colonialism on his ancestors and the Philippines as a nation; and an examination of the American Dream.