Patron Saints of Nothing
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • 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.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century
"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
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.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century
"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
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.
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Community Reviews
This was not what I expected . . .
It was 2:30 in the morning, and I was determined to finish this book. My husband was asleep, and I was trying to be quiet, but when I got to that chapter "All the Darkness in the World," I lost it. I'm talking ugly crying. You know - the uncontrollable kind of sobbing with the hitch when you inhale. Yeah, thanks Randy.
I was most interested in reading this book because the main character was half Filipino and most of the story takes place in the Philippines. I lived on Luzon for 3 1/2 years (dad was in the Air Force), and I actually still remember some of the Tagalog language.
Jay is one of the "hyphenated" - Filipino-American - and feels out of place in Michigan, and also feels out of place in the Philippines where he was born. When he learns that his cousin Jun has been killed by the police for being a drug dealer, Jay doesn't believe it. This can't be the same cousin who wrote him all those letters and comforted him after the death of his puppy. His father won't talk about what happened, so he convinces his parents to allow him to go to the Philippines as long as he doesn't mention Jun's name to his uncle.
When he arrives, he realizes that he can't speak or understand any of the language, which further alienates him from his heritage. But the most shocking revelation is that his uncle, aunt, and remaining cousins act as if Jun never existed. So, Jay sets out to discover what really happened to his cousin and learns more about family, heritage, and ultimately, himself.
It was 2:30 in the morning, and I was determined to finish this book. My husband was asleep, and I was trying to be quiet, but when I got to that chapter "All the Darkness in the World," I lost it. I'm talking ugly crying. You know - the uncontrollable kind of sobbing with the hitch when you inhale. Yeah, thanks Randy.
I was most interested in reading this book because the main character was half Filipino and most of the story takes place in the Philippines. I lived on Luzon for 3 1/2 years (dad was in the Air Force), and I actually still remember some of the Tagalog language.
Jay is one of the "hyphenated" - Filipino-American - and feels out of place in Michigan, and also feels out of place in the Philippines where he was born. When he learns that his cousin Jun has been killed by the police for being a drug dealer, Jay doesn't believe it. This can't be the same cousin who wrote him all those letters and comforted him after the death of his puppy. His father won't talk about what happened, so he convinces his parents to allow him to go to the Philippines as long as he doesn't mention Jun's name to his uncle.
When he arrives, he realizes that he can't speak or understand any of the language, which further alienates him from his heritage. But the most shocking revelation is that his uncle, aunt, and remaining cousins act as if Jun never existed. So, Jay sets out to discover what really happened to his cousin and learns more about family, heritage, and ultimately, himself.
What an amazing read! This book is an eye opening story about the reality for those living in the Philippines. The main character is a teenage boy who travels back to the Philippines when his cousin is shot and killed due to drugs. He doesn't believe that his cousin would do drugs and feels that something is wrong. During his stay he wants to figure out what happened to his cousin? I really like at the end of the book the author gives the reader extra things to read about the real life situation in the Philippines. I recommend this book for teens and adults who love to learn about other cultures and life outside of their own world.
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