Say Uncle!
Nita Mondonedo Smith
(Guest Reviewer - Gene M. Smith)
2005 Outskirts Press
ISBN: 1598002538

Life in DC with my Filipino Uncles.

Guest Reviewer Gene M. Smith writes:

Say Uncle! tells what it was like growing up in DC in the 50s & 60s. It is the story of 10 “uncles” who immigrated from the cities & barrios of Manila, Pangasinan, Marinduque, Cavite & La Union to Washington between the years 1913 to 1961.

It details the joys, sorrows & triumphs of Filipino-American veterans & others of the past, & is a story of courage, stamina & wit told in a most personal & sensitive way.

There is much for the curious reader: a brief history of the waves of immigration; war brides; cultural exchange; religious traditions; military service & charming snapshots of the “10”.

Say Uncle! is not a New Age Sleeping Pill. It's a documented, factual memoir of real, warm, hard-working human beings struggling against immutable odds to achieve part of the American Dream!

Here is an excerpt that I particularly enjoy: “Dad boasted to Nila about the many accomplishments of Filipinos, many true, many more contrived. For example, did you know that at Iowa Jima there was a troop of Filipino sailors that climbed the hill but the Marines did not allow them to be photographed! Something about them being too short to show up in the photographs. This was the world according to Filipe Estifano Mondonedo!”

Again, Say Uncle! is an outstanding personal memoir detailing adversity, prejudice... & finally triumph. Don't pass this one by! I highly recommend it for teen to seniors.
(02/26/06)

Guest Reviewer - Gene M. Smith
2006©Gene M. Smith