Tony de Guzman was
raised in the shanties. He and his family barely had a home and food to eat.
Lucky for him and a real smartass that he was, he got out of the squatters when
he graduated in college and scored a corporate job after. When he was no longer
in his company though, he avenged himself from all the oppression he had gone
through. All of this he narrated in flashbacks of specific situations that
shaped his personality.
Anuman ang sabihin nila, wala
akong pakialam. Alam ng Diyos o ng kung sino mang nakatataas sa atin na masyado
nang mahaba ang nilakbay ko. Putang ina, kailangan kong magpahinga. Kailangan
kong tumigil, humimpil. – Tony de Guzman
Also known as Kung Paano Ko Inayos Ang Buhok Ko Matapos
Ang Mahaba-haba Ring Paglalakbay, Mondomanila is as real as real
could get. It’s the mean thing, the crazy, the bad, the sad. In short, WASAK.
Mondomanila has received
numerous recognitions of which I’d say the most important being the Carlos
Palanca Award. As if to prove just how good this book is, it got the Palanca
Award twice but for different categories. Those awards speak volumes about the
kind of book that this is.
Mahirap talagang magpahupa ng galit. Lalo na iyong ganitong klaseng
galit na bunga ng pagkaagrabyado at walang katiyakan kung paano makakaganti. –
Tony de Guzman
It was exploratory
of life in the slums, specifically growing up in slums. It was about poverty,
drug use, violence, and leaving the slums but not really.
It hurt to read such
a sad novel. It was so ugly, so broken, so obscene. As a local writing, it has
been relatable in all its ways. What’s more is I felt really connected with the
story in a way that somewhere in many of Wilwayco’s words, I was part of it. It
was as if Wilwayco put me in the story like I either caused the problem or I
may have contributed to the scenario because I embody the locals; I am a face
of the locals; I am them. That was how personal it has gotten for me.
Content-wise, this
one was obviously compelling, what with all its subjects being serious societal
concerns. It was not just gripping that way, though. It was also compelling
narration-wise. It was always moving back and forth but making sure that, while
this was how the story paced, there was always this continuous and growing progress
until it peaked.
Part of what also
made this compelling was the crazy depiction of characters, setting and
situation. Wilwayco’s attention to detail was uncanny. A lot happened, and
there was so much experience in the book. The writing was casual, unpretending
and natural. He did not limit himself. He used lewd words to show lewdness
which, I admit, got me hooked in an instant. He did not try to blanket what was
ugly into nicely covered phrases. Some of the content may come off as something
difficult to process, but none of it was exaggerated. The reader would know.
Malakas pa rin pala ang tawag ng
mundo. Ngayon alam ko na na hindi lang ako ang nagdedesisyon para sa buhay ko.
Nariyan pa rin ang lipunan, ang ibang tao, ang mga pangyayari, ang mga babae.
Kahit na isara ko ang sarili ko sa lahat ng bagay, hindi pa rin pwede. – Tony de
Guzman
There was so much I
got to take home in my heart from this book. My most important inference was
the way it showed me just how much effect where one comes from, how one has
been raised, how much of both one carries with him/her until he/she has grown
old. That and the other important fact that there’s no escaping this impact
which can either be a scary or good thing depending on how one’s life has been.
This is the truth about human behavior. It was good reading about it for once,
from an unbiased and uninhibited point.
It was an
extraordinary experience immersing myself into the story and finding a solid
understanding and tighter grip of my surrounding as I get out of it. It was
like diving deep in my own soil, in that place people don’t enjoy talking
about. Many things about the story hit home, only naturally because this is
about my home.
This novel has
already been adapted for film which I have yet to watch. Moreover, three other
books, Rekta, Gerilya and Responde, have already been published. I’m really looking forward
to reading these novels, as I can already tell by their title that a lot is going
to happen again. Tony de Guzman is a very interesting character with a very
interesting life. If anyone here has an idea how I can get a copy of the said
writings, please let me know. :)
Are you done reading
this book? What are your thoughts? I’d like to know them! Feel free to share
them below!
Huge thanks to my
eldest bro for telling me about this book. He told me if I really want to read
something that means something, I should read this. Of course he was right!
*Huge thanks to
Blink for the e-book copy!
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