- Dark Blue Suit
“When they got here, they called themselves Pinoys.” (Page 3)
What is a Pinoy?
“For more than twenty years, The Union had faced down racism and the hostility of the canning industry and survived its own destructive cycles of criminal control and purgative reform.” (Page 4)
I wonder if any of these type of workers were shown working in the canning shop that Jack worked in during the movie we watched.
It seems like the characters dad does not like Johnny. (Page 7)
“All Filipinos, All Communists, all part of the Union, or so the government thought.” (Page 21)
I wonder why the government thought all Filipinos were part of the Communist party.
- Rico
“Traits that earned him respect even from the bloods, and they were always the hardest to impress.” (Page 27)
The bloods must be a gang.
Rico sounds like a good boxer, but it also sounds like he has a bad temper.
“We vaguely hated communism, although we didn’t know why.” (Page 33)
They probably hated it because the media’s propaganda said it was a bad thing.
- The Second Room
“In 1967 I joined the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Seattle, more commonly known as the Bruce Lee School, and stayed for thirteen years.” (Page 39)
I wonder if this will be a part of the exhibit when we visit the museum in Seattle.
Jeet Kune Do sounds like a simple but effective Martial Art that can be used with great success.
“Then there were the kicks nothing above the belt. Kneecaps and shins were favored.” (Page 41)
Getting kicked in the Kneecap and Shin will knock someone to the ground easily.
I love the description of the environment inside the dojo.
- August 1968
“But what about us, neither black nor white, who lived on the same block and shared poverty? Did the revolution spare observers?” (Page 55)
I have wondered myself what the other races and ethnic groups though during the racial tensions between the whites and the blacks.
“Eventually, and like any boy reaching puberty, I found other interests.” (Page 58)
A lot of things change when you are going through puberty.
The lagoon sounds like a nice place of escapism that everyone should have.
- Home
“Vietnam hunted Rico over time, leaving marks of its pursuit – a piece of flesh here, a hole in his soul there. It started in 1968, just after the generals dropped acid, entered a trance, and spoke of lights shining at the end of tunnels – a hallucination quickly snuffed by the fury of the Tet.” (Page 65)
I believe this was the war when they started using chemical weapons such as acid and agent orange against people.
Being in the war would definitely change a person due to the horrors they must have saw.
Rico was probably suffering from PTSD from the war.
“He was almost a John Doe, his body burned so bad it took a while to find out who he was.” (Page 77)
I didn’t know they used John Doe for names when they couldn’t identify a body.
- A Life Well Lived
“He had lost a leg in an accident” (Page 81)
I wonder if this will be explained.
“The suit was an attempt to stop construction of the domed stadium, the Kingdome, which was to be built nearby.” (Page 82)
Obviously that suit did not work.
“As aliens, many Filipino members were subject to deportation for improper political affiliations.” (Page 86)
I feel like sometimes the government was looking for any excuse to deport certain ethnic groups.
- The Wedding
“Uncle Leo had his chances to leave Chinatown.” (Page 91)
It sounds like he does not want to leave.
It sounds like the characters dad really enjoys his getaway to Alaska during the summer.
It sounds like the prostitute is taking advantage of Leo.
- A Manog’s Heart
Kikoy really seems to love boxing, I wonder if he was a boxer.
“As we neared the end of the scrapbook, a picture of a dazed, beaten fighter, a Pinoy, caught my eye.”
“Uncle Kikoy, I said excitedly, I know him, I know …”
“Yeah, he said. Dempsey.” (Page 106)
That is the same name of the famous boxer Jack Dempsey.
The work in the fields sounds long and difficult, and in some towns, they were beaten and chased out. It sounds like a hard life.
- Stephie
Stephie sounds like an old love interest.
I wonder if Stephie and Buddy will get back together.
I think I know what happens after this story ends.
- A Matter Of Faith
“When the phone rang, I knew I should’ve let it be. Bad news travels at 2:00 A.M.” (Page 123)
It is never good to get a phone call that early in the morning because it almost always means something bad.
I think Kikoy is going to have a heart attack and die.
Greenie must be the name of his car.
- Dancer
Sonia must be Buddy’s sister.
“She’d leave for days, sometimes longer, always in the company of an adult, a tall, thin Filipino.” (Page 135)
It sounds like she was a prostitute.
It sounds like Sonia has lived a very difficult life.
- A Family Gathering
I predict this story is going to be about everyone from the other stories joining together for a Christmas family gathering.
His Family really meant a lot to him.
Reading this chapter made me really sad.