fair or not

Fairest is a memoir about a precocious albino child, a sun child or anak araw from a rural Philippine village - the struggle and journey of self acceptance and discovery an artist and activist questioning the boundaries of gender.

From a childhood of parental neglect and abuse, to the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship - Talusan found love and comfort in a devoted grandmother who saw promise and potential where others gawked in awe and no consideration for this apparition they beheld.

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Easily passing for white raised more questionable concerns for Talusan as an immigrant to the United States. An academic scholarship to Harvard opened access to elite circles of privilege while requiring Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality, and personal place in the gay community.

There There by Tommy Orange

Reading Tommy Orange's award winning literary debut There There is a heart warming paean - an opus to the deep longing for forgotten ways of being.

Orange sublimely recounts the plight of the urban Native American growing up away from any Native community in contemporary Oakland, California. 

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Grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice, and heroism amidst disappointment and neglect.

Tommy Orange is a master storyteller - interweaving each character's story in a wild read that is poignant with heart felt humor - utterly contemporary and forever unforgettable.

Reaching back in time through bloodlines and ties with the land, each one's story opens up new territory in the heart of its readers. This book is such a beautiful gift.

Not surprisingly it has garnered many prestigious awards. Kudos to the author for opening up his world to us in this humane epic set in a generally unrepresented sector of Oakland.

The way Orange brings such an eclectic, nuanced ensemble of a historically marginalized population to life aptly elicits comments like “groundbreaking” and “essential.”

Read more in this author interview by David Canfield for Entertainment Weekly.