"Set in the 1930s to today, four generations of Filipino American boys grapple with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships"-- Provided by publisher.
"The Maghabol family journey begins with sixteen-year-old Francisco, who has left everything behind in the Philippines to seek his fortune in California. Following this life-changing decision, each generation of Maghabol boys must forge a path forward while contending with the past. Watsonville, CA, 1930. Francisco barely ekes out a living picking apples. As he spends what little he earns at dance halls and faces increasing violence from white men in town, Francisco wonders if he should've never left the Philippines. Stockton, CA, 1965. Emil works hard and keeps his head down despite the prejudice he faces at school and the long shifts he takes at a restaurant to make ends meet. He refuses to be like his unreliable labor organizer father, Francisco. He's going to make it in this country, no matter what or who he has to leave behind. Denver, CO, 1983. Chris is determined to prove that his overbearing father, Emil, can't control him. But when an assignment on family roots sends Chris out of the football field and into the library, he discovers a hunger to know more about Filipino history -- even if his father dismisses his interest as un-American and unimportant. Philadelphia, PA, 2020. Enzo struggles with anxiety as a global pandemic breaks out and his abrasive grandfather moves in. While tensions are high between his dad and his lolo, Enzo's daily walks with Lolo Emil have him wondering if maybe he can help bridge the decades-long rift between the two men. From National Book Award finalist Randy Ribay comes a poignant intergenerational saga about Filipino American men passing down flaws, values, and virtues until it's up to Enzo to see how he can braid all those strands and stories together." -- Jacket flap.
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