A Thousand Little Deaths: Growing Up Under Martial Law in the Philippines

by Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein

On an otherwise normal morning at a private school for girls, a 15-year-old student is picked up by soldiers and sent to a military camp, becoming one of the thousands of political prisoners arrested under Ferdinand Marcos' repressive regime in the 1970s. A year earlier, Marcos had declared martial law and a military government effectively took over the Philippines. After her release, author Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein was required to report to camp, her probation lasting five years. She was never charged and was never told why she was arrested. The effects of prison and the long-term probation makes Vicky’s story an authentic representation of the pernicious effects of dictatorship and tyranny, effects that pervaded a life for decades to come. This is a historically vital memoir, not only moving in its rendition of what life was like for a young innocent girl, but also for its incisive analysis of the political forces that wrecked democratic ideals in a country where politics and violence have always worked together for the benefit of the few.

Genres: Nonfiction

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2013

About the author

Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein was born in the Philippines. She left for the US shortly after finishing her bachelor's degree to work as a member of an international team for a research project on the role of women as portrayed in the media across five countries. She holds graduate degrees in communication and political science. She has worked for public television, the East-West Center, and the Smithsonian Institute. She consults on the applications, policy, and impact of communication technologies in society and strategic communications for international and nonprofit organizations. She also writes regularly on social giving and crowdfunding and international development. She is married and has two children. She describes herself as an avid traveler and a lover of books and music.

Reviews

[Xienna Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feinstein, in all her bravery, managed to provide an enlightening account of her experiences as a fifteen-year-old political prisoner during Marcos' regime. However, the narration hinted at an understandable hesitancy in descriptively writing her life at camp, which hindered the readers from deep diving into the setting.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This young lady shows such bravery, such commitment to truth, by writing about her experiences growing up during the dark era of Ferdinand Marcos' regime and being subjected at a such a young age (15) to confinement in a military camp and for no good reason. This gives the reader an understanding of history from a personal perspective and for this I am grateful and thank Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein for her presentation. For those of us, like me, who have no or little knowledge of the Philippine government, this is truly an eye opener. May we learn from the past and work for a future of peace and democracy world-wide. Thank you again Vicky for having the courage to present us with your memoir.

[PeterBlackCoach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about the personal impact on a young teenage girl of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos in the Phillipines in the 1970s and the effect not only at the time but for the rest of her life. At the time, the US had all its military bases there and effectively had allowed this to happen around them. Even after release as a political prisoner because this girl was true to her values and principles, the long lasting effect was real and this book to some extent has been a cathartic experience. I have been privileged to work with the author before knowing much of this story and it is fascinating to now put the last 40 years of her life through a different lens.

[Lalaine]

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