LoveReading4Kids Says
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020
Jay Reguero plans to spend the summer playing video games before heading to university in the autumn. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin, Jun, has been murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story. Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth – and the part he played in it.
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Patron Saints of Nothing Synopsis
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
"Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." --Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT
"A singular voice in the world of literature." --Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down
A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder.
Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.
Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.
As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a page-turning portrayal of the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780525554929 |
| Publication date: |
21st April 2020 |
| Author: |
Randy Ribay |
| Publisher: |
Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
352 pages |
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Randy Ribay Press Reviews
A heartbreaking and original novel. - Guardian
Lyrical. Stunning. Searing. Patron Saints of Nothing is the real deal, a unique and intimate look into the extrajudicial murders in Duterte's war on drugs in the Philippines. Ribay's arresting narration and knack for characterization drive a story that is unlike anything else you'll read this year. -- Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift
I can't stop thinking about this beautiful book that left me in tears. A searing, soul-searching novel about grief and identity. This book makes me proud to be Filipino American. -- Melissa de la Cruz, author of Alex and Eliza
Randy Ribay seamlessly takes the cultural texture of the Philippines, the complexities between ethnicity and nationality, political tension and the propaganda that buttresses it, and, most importantly, teenage life, and weaves them all into a thick braid that asks one question: What is the truth? And the necessity to know that truth - the fight it takes to find that truth - somehow gets right to the core of who young people are. This is nothing short of a tremendous feat and will certainly solidify Ribay as a singular voice in the world of literature for years to come. - Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down
Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing. I'll give this astounding book to all the teens and adults in my life. I suspect you will, too. I'd give it 50 stars if I could. - Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Shout
This powerful and courageous story offers readers a refreshingly emotional depiction of a young man of color with an earnest desire for the truth. -- Kirkus starred review
