Boyhood in Monsoon Country

Book excerpt: Maximo D. Ramos wrote a number of books detailing the history and culture of the Philippines. Boyhood in Monsoon Country is a collection of little essays about village life as a boy. It is not just the content here, which presents a fascinating range of topics from the food to the bird life to even the mythological creatures that kept him and his friends scared of entering into the woods -- what really speaks to the reader is the lyrical and conversational quality of the writing. Ramos's observations are often hilarious, often poignant, and always stream of consciousness, like a warm grandfather relaying his adventures to his grandchildren who gather around him to take it all in. As Ramos explores his own life and times, his invitation is a simple but profound one: now that he has shared his life, he implores the reader to think about and celebrate their own. Reading Boyhood in Monsoon Country feels like an exchange of lives-- a conversation that lets us into Ramos' world, and encourages us to think of the humanity that unites us all. Contents: Early School Days We Had Gizzards of Iron We Had Food Specials, Too Our Peer Group The Games We Played The Birds We Knew Our Homely Names The Harmful Gods of Our Countryside We Had Just About All We Needed A Note to Agents of Change The Magic of Old Place-Names Holiday in Black Sweet Were the Uses of Necromancy Picnic Holy Week in Monsoon Country Glossary of lloko Terms