BOOK REVIEW: Anina ng mga Alon by Eugene Y. Evasco

Nakita mo na ba ang mundo sa labas ng iyong mundong ginagalawan?

Ako, hindi pa gaano at hindi pa lahat, at kaya ako nagbabasa'y dahil sa pagkukulang ng aking mata na makita at malaman ang hinaing at problema ng mga taong wala sa bilog na aking ginagalawan.

Nang mabasa ko ang Anina ng mga Alon, lalong umigting ang aking paniniwala na sa pagbabasa, makikita mo ang mundo sa mata ng iba't ibang tao, at sa librong ito, nakita ko at nadama ang mundo sa mata ng mga Badjao — ang kanilang pamumuhay at ikinabubuhay, ang ganda ng kanilang kultura at paniniwala, at ang kanilang pagmamahal at pagrespeto sa karagatan na nagbibigay ng kanilang mga pangangailangan.

Title: Anina ng mga Alon

Author: Eugene Y. Evasco

Published by: Adarna House Inc. (2nd Edition)

Published On: 2014

Format: Paperback, 114 pages (won from a giveaway by Kat)

Rating: 4.75 ✨(5 on goodreads)

Synopsis:

Isang Badjao si Anina, lumaki sa piling ng mga alon. Kabisado niya ang mga awit at damdamin nito tulad ng isang kaibigan. Bilang kabataan, nasa edad siya ng paghahanap ng kaniyang sarili sa komplikadong mundong kaniyang ginagalawan. Ngunit paano nga ba ang maging katutubo at mahuli sa gitna ng kahirapan at karahasan?

Samahan si Anina sa kaniyang pangangarap, paglalakbay, at pagkamulat sa katotohanang kahabi ng kaniyang buhay bilang Badjao. Sa kuwento ni Anina, makikilala rin ang isang mayamang kultura ng mga katutubong namumuhay sa karagatan at hindi pa ganap na nauunawaan ng karamihan. (From Goodreads)

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I will give you an everyday scenario as I commute daily to and from work and an actual same scenario from when I was studying in Manila for college.

For a 10-30 minute ride in a jeepney along the major roads of Manila and Cavite:

• One kid will give you ang pao with letter asking for a few coins from your pocket for he is hungry.
• One father complete with papers and all will ask you to give alms for his son is sick in the hospital
• One mother with a baby would give out her hand asking you for money or food for the baby is hungry.

One of them is a Badjao whom we rarely, if not at all, interact with. Maybe you gave her a few of your coins or maybe you didn't, but at some point in your life, here is what you've heard about them: THEY CAME HERE IN THE CITY TO SEEK A BETTER LIFE THAN THE LIFE THEY HAD BACK HOME.

Partly true, but after reading Anina ng mga Alon, I am ANGRY.

Manila may be the place of opportunities and dreams, but not everyone who dreams, dreams of a life in the city. Mostly, people were driven out of their homes and were forced to settle in the place of smoke and dirty streets — far from the rich soil they were uprooted from or rather, from the rich ocean they were fished out of.

As many of you already know, I don't read much Filipino books but am always on the look out for gems to read, and this book just hit the nail on the head with the story laced with the gods the Badjao prays to, the rituals they engage in, the songs of the sea, and not only with the story itself, this is the writing style I am most looking forward to reading in Filipino-written works. It is poetic and lyrical without overdoing it so the message just came across loudly and clearly. The imagery is so rich and vibrant that I can feel the cool breeze of salty air on my skin and the song of the waves lulling me and taking me to a place I've never been.

This is a very emotional book, one that would rip your heart bit by bit but thankfully, it ended with an open but hopeful note. I am also hoping that more people would read this short story so that more of us city-dwellers would understand the plight of the indigenous and celebrate the rich culture of the minority. 

Anina is a story of finding oneself amidst the noise of the world.

Anina is a story of finding out what you want, going for it........ hoping for a change, but life doesn't work that way, does it?

Anina is a story of being a woman wanting something that society tells her she cannot be....and she never did. 

Anina is a story of family and tradition and culture.

The book is the the closest thing to reality as it is. Some dreams are never really achieved, but you gotta point forward because going in that direction is the only way to move.

Anina ng mga Alon is a story worth telling.

It is a story worth reading.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Evan Y. Evasco is a writer, editor, translator, and collector of children’s books. He is currently a Full Professor at the UP Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura. Some of his new books at Lampara are Ang Nag-iisa at Natatanging si Onyok, Ang Singsing-Pari sa Pisara, Ang Beybi naming Mamaw, and the Filipino translation of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. In 2014, he won the UP Gawad sa Natatanging Publikasyon sa Filipino (Malikhaing Pagsulat category). He became a part of the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2009 and is currently a Fellow of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. He was accepted as a Research Fellow to the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.