Sandip Joshi Joshi من عند Alpara, West Bengal 732205، الهند من عند Alpara, West Bengal 732205، الهند

I first attempted to read "Noli Me Tangere" almost three years ago, but I couldn't get into it. The first chapter had me stuck, and I got tired of constantly flipping back to the footnotes. (Maybe I've been out of academia too long!) Parts drag, the language can be overwrought and flowery, and some of the political, religious and philosophical references can be obscure and challenging. But I'm glad I stuck with it! Certain chapters are incredibly compelling, and it really picks up towards the middle. Once I got used to the language, I found myself poring over and bookmarking passages. The story is epic, rife with symbolism that spans cultures. The violence is intense and gory, there's a sensual undercurrent, and characters both likable and loathsome. I was raised in the States but spent many summers in my mother's homeland of the Philippines as a child, so some of this is familiar to me; I didn't know much about the revolution, so this provides an excellent introduction and glimpse into the history. To wit--colonialism is f*cked up! The story is especially moving when you consider the martyrdom of its author. I'd recommend it to any other halfie Hapa mestizo/as like me-- learn about your ancestors' struggle!

More suspense short-stories. Yay!