Boyhood in Monsoon Country

by Maximo D. Ramos

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 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.
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

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Danél · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maximo D. Ramos wrote a number of books detailing the history and culture of the Phillipines, all unread by me. Based on this work, which is simply a collection of little essays about village life as a boy, I certainly intend to dive into more of his chronicles. 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 spoke to me here was 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 a celebration of a time and culture that I admittedly know little about, he is as accessible as he is warm and inviting. And as he 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 this therefore feels like an exchange of lives-- a conversation that lets us into his world, as it encourages us to think of the humanity that unites us all. This was a quick, simple read that was an absolute pleasure, because Ramos isn't just asking us to merely listen to his stories, but also to participate.

[Ashley LaMontagne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, and a bit different from some of his others that I've read. While each chapter stood alone from the others, this book still read a little more like a single story rather than a collection of short stories, and it is seemingly told from Ramos's own perspective, which I didn't expect. Definitely some outdated language and a little slow, but intriguing to read a firsthand account of the details of life that we don't often think about.

[Paul Elessar Caceres · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a short autobiography, really. It's a good insight into the Filipino provincial life of the early 20th century. I would have rated this four stars but Maximo Ramos has the tendency to abuse commas. He sometimes tries to fit too many ideas in one sentence.